and whether one believes that he beat Bradley or not doesn't matter. He was supposed to be able to stop Bradley, instead Bradley gave him a lot of problems and in the rematch IMO Bradley wins a comfortable points decision.
Blood, I disagree with the idea that Manny still isn't deserving of a top pound-for-pound contender. I'm not fond of the "if A=B and B=C then A=C" notion because that doesn't work in boxing. Floyd and Bradley both beat Marquez, yeah, but people also fail to realize that Marquez has now fought Manny a staggering 5 times. When JMM fought Floyd, there's that obvious weight disadvantage which affects some fighters more than others. And Bradley did look fantastic against JMM, I'll agree. Pacquiao, however, was rocking JMM in their last fight until that one-hit wonder, and you can't dismiss the substantial logical evidence of JMM juicing for that fight also. Pacquiao also convincingly defeated Bradley regardless of what the poor decision was. That, however, hardly means Floyd will easily dismantle Manny in no way. Styles make fights more than anything else. I agree with the whole loss of power issue, but after seeing how Pacquiao handled a juiced-up-Rios even with that loss of power, he's still far better than a lot of people are giving him credit for. Defensive fighters will get hit less and aggressive fighters will get hit more so you're thereby greatly increasing the chance you'll get KO'd. It happens a lot in boxing. One punch can change everything in an instant, be it luck or good timing. That doesn't mean defensive fighters are better than offensive. At any rate, I felt Pacquiao defeated Mosley a heck of a lot more convincingly than Floyd did. Same with Cotto, Hatton (especially Hatton), and De La Hoya. If there's one thing that Pacquiao has that none of Floyd's other opponents have had is that Pacquiao throws a plethora of punches and the angles at which he launches them from. A shoulder roll will only protect you so much when you're being hit from so many angles and Pacquiao is used to that kind of encounter, but I see Floyd as the better technical fighter and, as he did with Alvarez, can completely change his fighting style to adapt. Some of Floyd's closest fights have been against fighters who would get up close and launch an onslaught of punches like Jose Luis Castillo, Arturo Gatti and Zab Judah. I thought De La Hoya actually managed to do some damage despite the shut out. At the end of the day, they are both polar opposites. Good vs evil. Offensive vs defensive. Humble vs loudmouthed. It is a match that will define this era of boxing if it ever happened, and with good reason. Also think Bradley would lose in a rematch against Pacquiao. Most people had Pacquiao winning by a large margin hence all the controversey, it was not even close even according to the commentators.
That's fair, but Manny fought Juan 4 times, not 5. I didn't say... or I don't think I said that manny didn't deserve to be in the top 10 p4p, as I base it on guys that he would beat if they were the same weight, or if they currently are. Floyd was troubled by Castillo not by volume, but because he had an injured shoulder... which is why in the second fight it was a clear decision. DLH, had EVERYTHING his way in that fight, from the ring size, to the glove size, to the 154lbs, etc. It was all in DLH's favor and Floyd landed at will pretty much whatever he wanted. DLH had to try to turn it into a wrestling match in order to win. I can't say I gave him more than 3 rounds IIRC. Judah's speed is what troubled Floyd, but that I expected. The problem being also is that Judah KNOWS how to fight pure boxers better than manny... Judah's biggest downfall is that he just doesn't let his hands go more or he would have easily won his last 2 fights. I don't think that Bradley won the fight either I will make that clear if I didn't before. Bradley however can adjust during a fight which is something many of Floyd's opponents cannot do. Manny cannot do it, he reverts back to the jab jab straight left a'la fighting Marquez after everyone thought he was some boxing dynamo because of beating up the limited Hatton, weight drained Cotto, Clottey who didn't move and margacheato... Bradley has now been in the ring with manny, but the issue remains that manny is more predictable than Bradley. Bradley is MUCH more awkward and mobile than anyone else Floyd or manny have fought... he's also tougher. Manny also never beat Marquez convincingly, it took Bradley one try. You can chalk that up to styles if you want and that's fair, but the fact remains that Tim shut Marquez down. Bradley will not fight the same way against Manny again and I still say that he beats him by a SD/UD, but will be much more clear this time. Again, keep in mind that Floyd was ready to fight manny in 09 and it was roach and arum and all of them who backed out when the testing date couldn't be worked out and there was nothing but excuses coming from them. Manny was the one who threw away only God knows how much money by letting that fight go and not staying on arum about it until he got the fight. I still say and think he should have bypassed arum and taken the 40 million that Floyd offered him for the fight. After arum's cut, that's all he would likely have made anyway.
Interesting analyses. You draw a fine thin line between our differing opinions. I agree Bradley is a different fighter from when Pacquiao fought him, but I still have enough faith left in Manny to see him winning by UD again. I don't see him washed out (despite the power loss post-Ariza) like many others do. I do, however, agree that Bradley has the potential to make a fight with Floyd a lot more interesting than many may realize, although I still think ultimately the fight between Pac and Floyd is like "light vs dark", lol. At any rate, you nailed it with the part about Zab Judah. I thought he did really well against Floyd and it's sad he didn't unload as you said. I noticed that Floyd is a bit more susceptible to southpaws though, and that's one of the biggest reasons why I think Manny has a good chance. Also, back in '09 when Floyd was making non-regulatory demands about OSDT, that was only the tip of the iceberg. The problem is that he has thrown so many excuses as to why not to fight Manny that his credibility went out the window years ago. First it's OSDT, then it's the date, then it's money, then it's Bob Arum... honestly, that's a lot of excuses to continue to take someone seriously. He needs to stop being such a pansy and just take the fight and make a quarter of a billion since all he does is boast about money any way.
arum himself admitted that he was basically the reason the fight wasn't going to happen. I am not blaming manny nor Floyd for the fight not happening. I am blaming roach and arum. Roach ran his mouth saying Floyd's legs were gone until he completely took Alvarez apart and then suddenly he got pretty quiet. Deep down Roach knows manny's chances vs. Floyd are slim at best. Southpaws have troubled Floyd in the past because the shoulder roll covers the head from right handed shots, hence the reason why Cotto had such success with using his jab... manny's jab however sucks, he stands straight ahead and throws 1,2 combo's back and forth and that will not work against Floyd... he lunges in and Floyd will counter him everytime he does that. Back on the subject of arum, remember when the fight was first supposed to happen... the cut off date for testing that manny's team wanted was I believe 28 days and then the 24/7 of Ricky and manny was shown that manny was getting tested at 21 days out. Then suddenly things looked fishy to them. Floyd then said they wanted a 14 day cut off... it was not agreed to. The excuses were that 1. Manny was afraid of needles, until it was pointed out the tattoos he had 2. Manny believe getting blood drawn that close to a fight would weaken him, until the USADA came out and said it would be about a teaspoon amount 3. It was then Roach who said "he wouldn't allow manny to be tested" 4. arum said that "we don't need to bow to Floyd's demands" 5. Faster forward a few years and bob arum then said he wanted to build an outdoor stadium for the fight to happen so it would draw more people... stadium never got built. In the meantime, Floyd has gone on to make record paydays while manny is quickly going broke and NEEDS this fight. Whether he actually wants it or not I don't know, but like I said... he should have taken the 40 mil and bypassed arum on that one fight and then finished out his contract with him and moved on. He doesn't have enough big fights to make back the money he would need to sustain his lifestyle of the houses and the cars. Floyd will also wind up going broke with the stupid stuff he does with his money too, but when you are on top, you don't think about that. All I can say is that it's likely going to be Khan whom Floyd fights next and I am more than disappointed in that decision if it happens. I don't even care to watch the fight, certainly wouldn't be buying it. It's a pure joke of a fight and if Floyd lost by some fluke punch, he would completely deserve it.
Reading around the net I have seen quite a few people (including some reporters) say that the khan or maidana fight might be a smokescreen for a bigger announcement. If you think about it, there's been a lot of silence thus far.
The backlash for fighting Khan will be a nightmare for Floyd... it won't sell well and I don't think they could sell that fight to showtime anyway. No one really knows who Khan is... he's not popular enough to draw decent PPV numbers which is what showtime is looking for. Khan just got taken for a ride is all that happened.
Well, this looks as if its officially it, then. Khan is out of it. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1972397-floyd-mayweather-vs-marcos-maidana-ppv-bout-officially-announced-for-may-3
Maidana? Seriously, I'm getting more and more respect for Floyd Mayweather. I know he'll win, but fighting Maidana is always a long fight. Dude never stops coming to bash your face in, so props to Mayweather for taking this fight even if it is the perfect platform to show off his skills.
I'm just glad it's not khan... the guy is a joke and I found it quite hilarious that he calls Floyd a "cherry picker" basically whining because he didn't get the fight and have another embarrassing knockout loss on his resume. I wish this guy would just go away. Who's his biggest win against? Malignaggi? Judah? Maidana perhaps? That is where people will bash Floyd because khan "beat" Maidana though he was lucky to not get stopped in the 10th. Either way, Maidana has improved by leaps and bounds since that fight under Garcia. you can bet that this time that Floyd's team will be watching the snake ariza to make sure he isn't given something in his corner, and Maidana will have to undergo random testing.
I guess Floyd is feeling good about his win against Canelo, I wonder if Maidana will do a better job. Perhaps Khan will feel better about it if they'd get Maidana to beat him up again after his fight with Floyd.
I actually thought about him getting a khan rematch. Maidana will be little trouble for Floyd. Don't let the win over Broner fool you, he's no Floyd... not even close... not even a little.
So true. Is this even PPV worthy? But then who else can he fight in May that won't be completely one-sided? Can't blame Mayweather.
As easy as Maidana will be for Floyd, I'm still more excited about this fight than Froch-Groves II. Floyd is magic when he fights.
Ya, Floyd is always a must see but I'm surprised you aren't keen on Frock- Groves Redux. Not a Groves fan, then? The first fight could've gone to Groves if he hadn't been caught. I' think it interesting to see if that holds true.
I dunno, I guess I'm in two minds about it. I reckon it's got the potential to be an absolute slugfest. While I do enjoy seeing fighters display real grit (the Ward-Gatti trilogy remains among my favourite matches in ALL combat sports), I always found Froch to be a bit average. My preferences for liking fighters is based on: 1) technical ability (clean and crisp, those moves gotta look pretty), 2) style (Floyd's sideways stance is very similar to my own, which I nicked from Bill Wallace) and 3) personality, in that order. Froch is a bit of a peanut who overhypes himself (whereas Floyd can back up everything he says). I think the domestic boxing scene in Britain is a bit stale at the minute. Maybe with the exception of Chris Eubank Jr and Kid Galahad. My list of favourite fighters includes Prince Naseem, Roy Jones Jr, Jose Aldo and Antony Pettis, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
