Forget Floyd Mayweather the person, I love Mayweather The Boxer. Mayweather The Boxer is my kind of fighter, a thinking man’s boxer, a master of the sweet science, has the best defense in boxing while being dangerous enough to stop anybody (if he’s going for a finish that is). His breadth and depth of skill is such that he can step in the ring against elites and fight in a new style we’ve never seen from him before and win. I love Mayweather The Boxer.
Mayweather’s persona on the other hand… The persona is pretty unlikeable, dare I even say, detestable? Does anybody remember back when he fought Zab Judah? He was a fresh faced uber-talented and likeable up-and-comer. Fast forward a few boring defensive masterpieces and he switches to the bad guy part. Maybe he’s too good at that part.
I’m also a gigantic MMA geek. I’ve been a fan of the sport since 1996, that year I got had first exposure to fight training in MMA. If it wasn’t for MMA training I never would have gotten into boxing. Yes, despite what the media says, MMA does indeed drive lots of people towards boxing.
But now I turn my back on boxing. Despite my love for the sport and Mayweather The Boxer, I’m watching UFC 103 tomorrow night. I’ll catch Mayweather’s rerun on the interwebs. Why pick the UFC? Value. The UFC is giving me 3-4 fights I really care about. If HBO combined their next two PPVs, airing Vitali Klitschko/Cristobal Arreola along with Mayweather/Marquez, I’d go boxing. The sad thing about boxing’s future is that would require a massive pay cut that Floyd will never accept.
Plus there’s the secondary factor of distribution, more sports bars nearby are showing the UFC. The few places that show boxing PPV’s often want a $20-30 cover. And I live in Los Angeles County, can you believe that? Sorry Floyd.
