December 31st, 2010
By Chris Williams: Just think boxing fans could have been given a treat of watching Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez for a third fight, boxing fans will have to settle for seeing Pacquiao beat up on 39-year-old Shane Mosley on May 7th.
This is so sad for the fans of the sport, this looking for the most money at the expense of competitive fights. In Pacquiao’s last two fights, fans have had to sit through mismatches against Top Rank stable fighters Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito.
Ego. Every fighter has one, and the greater the fighter, the greater the ego. Even the ones who speak softly and humbly outside the ring have that certain something, that belief that when it’s just you and him in a ring with nothing but gloves to speak with, you’ll be the one who talks the loudest.
And while ego may manifest itself in many ways, when it comes down to it, all the bluster in the world means nothing without substance to back it up. For all his talk, Muhammad Ali faced all comers, always putting his money where his mouth was. So when he calls himself ‘The Greatest’, you may not agree, but he certainly earned his way into the conversation.
It should have been that way for Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr., the most gifted boxer of this era and one whose path to greatness seemed to be a given. Unlike Roy Jones Jr., his only real competition for ‘most gifted’ honors, Mayweather didn’t rely strictly on physical talent. He had a solid fundamental foundation, one that carried him through a stellar amateur career and which allowed him to improvise when necessary. He also possessed a mean streak, a Spartan work ethic, and a willingness to test himself early on that bordered on obsessive.
In this video provided by TMZ.com, Floyd Mayweather is in the midst of having his latest incident with security guards, this time a late night rant to a guard who asks him for I.D. as he tries to enter his gated community. The incident occurred just over a week ago, on Sunday, December 19th, when Mayweather rode up to the gate in an Escalade, which was painted to promote Miss Jackson, Mayweather's fiance and a model/actress. It's just the latest in a string of ugly incidents which are continuing to tarnish Mayweather's image, however justified or not it may be. Mayweather explodes on the security guard in the video for asking for his I.D. He mentions that other residents don't have to go through this, including mentioning "Maloof" - the Maloof brothers own the Sacramento Kings and the Palms in Las Vegas amongst other properties, although it's not clear which brother(s) or other family members live in Mayweather's community - and he also talks about how he had a previous incident there which he says the guards lied about. This is where he was accused of assaulting one of the security guards by poking him in the face. He also says how you know I live there, I bought the house, and on down the line.
In a bid to become the oldest fighter in the history of boxing to win a prominent world title, the legendary Future Hall of Famer and two-division world champion Bernard Hopkins will challenge WBC light heavyweight champ Jean Pascal on Saturday, Dec. 18 at 10pm ET/PT on SHOWTIME.
