Does Floyd Mayweather Jr. have what it takes to be the people's champion?

BY: Rota Em

The weigh-in debacle, where Floyd Mayweather Jr. blatantly overshot the agreed upon poundage, was what sealed the deal for me. It was, shall we say, the curtain call for any shot of an upset win for the Mexican warrior. I felt that Juan Manuel Marquez had a puncher’s chance, albeit, a minimal risk overall but he still did have the opportunity to catch the not-so-flashy Money Man with some sort of winging punch. But it never came. It never came because that is not how Dynamita fights. He is a tactician who tries to adapt to the habits and tendencies of his opponent. He did so to Manny Pacquiao a couple times in their two bouts but that was because the Pacman was willing to take risks. I guess that’s why one is considered the people’s champion while the other is nothing more than a recent retiree making a return with an expected points victory over a much smaller opponent.

So what does it mean to be the people’s champ?

I’m a firm believer that being a fan of the sport supersedes being a scribe to the sport.

It’s been ongoing for years and years now where the Mayweather family have been running their mouths with talk of being ‘the best’. In their journey towards attaining the legendary status that Jr. wants so badly they must, however, take risks. The same goes for a Vegas bet, you lay down $100 dollars and your winnings/losses reflect the initial bet meaning that you won’t strike it rich really. But if you put it all on the line, imagine the rewards. Instead, Floyd speaks of masses and masses of return while he only wagers chump change.

This will not fly if you want to be renowned as the people’s champion. Even with his win over the forcefully bloated Marquez, his rank in the pound for pound ladder will not jump back to the top. Besides prior to his retirement, Pacquiao was already making moves and knocking on his door as the sport’s best p4p.

Here are a couple paths the Mayweather camp can take to try and salvage their tainted status:

1.        He must fight a legit, primed welterweight. Not just ANY welterweight, a true champion-caliber 147 too. He is at a point in his career where every fight should be a big fight. Even Shane Mosley is stirring up talks about a showdown with Andre Berto while the Mayweather camp, once again, are prepping the public for another trickery in Saul Alvarez. Yes he is undefeated, but so is Arthur Abraham. Why not pick a fight with him instead? Yet they’d rather drop a measly risk on the table and expect people to pay for their next mansion, or tax bill in certain cases.

2.        He must try to take over the welterweight division; there’s no one straight shot to the top of the hill anymore. This is asking a lot from a character that is habitually prone to giving much less than he takes. If Mayweather can take on the division’s top rated players and win, he will start to cement his own legacy. And right now, a start in doing such is where he is at. He is far from being the legend that his father and uncle have been whispering in his ear about being.

3.        Immediately dismiss talks of a Saul Alvarez fight altogether. C’mon, let’s be real. No one wants to see this fight come to fruition. I introduced my younger brother to the sweet science and even he, while in grade school, is ashamed of taking any part of a Mayweather-Alvarez bout. His responses were, “Why not Mosley? Why not wait for Pacquiao-Cotto? Why not Margarito? How about Paul Williams? Can it be someone I’ve heard of at least?”

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