As the hype begins to increase for the May 4 fight between Mayweather Jr. and Guerrero, Floyd continues to show the boxing world the only thing that he truly cares about, himself. According to a March 13 report by Fighthype.com, Mayweather Jr. made the following comments about what's truly important to him:
"I come first, so Floyd Mayweather's gonna go out there and fight and please Floyd Mayweather first before he pleases anyone else. They're saying I'm hand-picking opponents, but no one is forced to watch me fight.... If I wanted to pick and choose opponents, should I be able to? Absolutely!"
These comments are just another example of why Mayweather is such a polarizing figure in boxing. Additionally, these comments are the perfect example of what Floyd's critics attack him on. Nobody wants to see Floyd "handpick" fighters because, more times than not, they are not the best competition out there. Sure, Floyd does have the right to pick who he wants to fight, but his selection process is severely flawed.
Last year, Floyd fought a worn down Miguel Cotto. Granted Cotto put up a surprisingly tough challenge, Floyd avoided Miguel when he was in his prime and waited until he was closer to the end of his career. In 2010, Floyd did the same thing with Shane Mosley. In 2011, he fought and grossly mismatched fighter in Victor Ortiz. In 2009, he forced a smaller and lighter Juan Manuel Marquez to move up multiple weight classes to fight him. Additionally, while he was picking these fighters, Floyd was avoiding Manny Pacquiao, Margarito in his prime, Cotto in his prime and more.
To further prove Floyd only cares about Floyd, Mayweather completely bashed super middleweight champion Andre Ward on Wednesday because Ward picked Guerrero (his longtime friend) to upset Floyd on May 4. Floyd blasted Ward for his nickname, not being a popular fighter and not being able to sell out venues. However, Ward responded shortly after with a professionalism that Floyd is sorely lacking:
"If Floyd Mayweather has a problem with me or something that I said, he can pick up the phone and we can talk about it like men."
That response is how a true professional handles being ripped to shreds in the media. It's definitely a lesson the older Mayweather needs to learn. Controversy does sell, but blatant disrespect is uncalled for. Mayweather has a long history of disrespect and criminal behavior. Yet, he remains the top draw in boxing.
"MAYDAY: Mayweather v.s Guerrero" is live on PPV from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, May 4.
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