Floyd Mayweather Jr: Is He the Most Hated Fighter in Boxing?

The name Floyd Mayweather Jr is more or less synonymous with vitriol and loathing when it comes to the boxing faithful, but why?

On Saturday night Mayweather Jr captured the WBC welterweight championship, knocking out Victor Ortiz in controversial circumstances and before you could blink, the boxing world was up in arms.

I’m assuming that a lot of people have missed (or maybe it was indifference) the fact that Mayweather Jr, contentious though his win might’ve been, had just won the title after a 16 month layoff and against a man 10 years younger than him. 

But I’m sure what was not missed was the headline news surrounding his controversial win, his verbal spat with legendary analyst Larry Merchant.

It’s funny that the blame for the heated verbal exchange that ensued after the fight between the elderly statesman and the boxing phenom seems to have fallen solely on the shoulders of Mayweather Jr.

It was just a case of The Unstoppable force vs. The Immovable object. Merchant kept prodding and probing but Mayweather Jr wasn’t giving an inch, until it escalated into something else. Personally I’m not going to blame either of the two, but they’re both professionals and could’ve handled the situation better.

As regards to the fight itself, both Mayweather Jr and Ortiz were guilty of cheap shots and if anyone is guilty of misconduct, then Cortez is your culprit. It was his failure to officiate the fight in an appropriate manner that was the main basis of this debacle and the reason why Mayweather Jr is being blamed for bringing the sport into disrepute.

This is what Mayweather Jr had to say after the fight:

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"You gotta protect yourself at all times. I got hit with a head- butt, I got hit with elbows. I didn't cry and complain."

"I done what I had to do as a fighter. I didn't say my mouth was split open and cut inside. So, keep it clean. We touched gloves. Once we touched gloves, it's fight time."

"You wanna be dirty and two minutes later it's, like, you wanna be friends? It's the hurt business. It's boxing."

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So what is the catalyst for such vilification towards Mayweather Jr's persona? I mean, the mere mention of his name is enough for some to undergo a major catharsis.

Is it the fact that at times he can be contumely and polemic when addressing certain individuals and the media? Is it his trash talking that rubs people up the wrong way? Is it the fact that he has the audacity to proclaim to be the best in the business? Is it the fact that he’s willing to win at any cost? Is it the fact he puts money first and legacy last? Is it the fact that he refuses to be treated like a chump? Or is it simply the fact that he’s Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr?

Mayweather Jr is to boxing what Chael Sonnen is to MMA, the difference being that Mayweather Jr delivers the goods. So whatever the reasons are for despising Mayweather Jr, one thing’s for sure: boxing is back on the map, if only for a short while.

Rightly or wrongly, the antics that supposedly marred Saturday’s fight made for great viewing and that can be put down to Mayweather Jr.

And they said boxing was dying.