"It's possible," Floyd "Money" Mayweather
said at the Shane Mosley post-fight press conference when asked if he would fight middleweight king Sergio Martinez."Absolutely I would fight [Kelly] Pavlik first, and then, Mayweather second," Martinez said to FanHouse this week..
The fight we all want to see remains the same as it has been for the last year or so now; Mayweather-Pacquiao. However, if the fight that couldn't be made in March of this year once again succumbs to severe problems in getting itself signed, the two men will have to go, once again, in separate directions (at least until late this year or early next, when maybe, just maybe, they will have reached a compromise). And Mayweather stepping into the direct path of 35-year-old middleweight champion of the world Sergio Gabriel Martinez sure would force fans to sit up and take notice - maybe even forget all about Manny Pacquiao; for a while at least.
Martinez, who must first honour his commitment to give Kelly Pavlik a rematch (as stipulated in the contract that was signed before the fight that saw the tough Argentine take "The Ghost's" title in a great battle), but after that he is free to fight who he wants - and the southpaw has made it clear he'd fancy some "Money."Floyd received much credit for "stepping out of his comfort zone" and accepting a fight with the dangerous and physically strong Shane Mosley, and he would receive an absolute ton of credit if he took a fight with Martinez - either at 154-pounds in a non-title affair (Floyd has won enough belts already, and as he said, any new titles would only "gather dust") or, even more so, up at a full 160-pounds. But as calculating and as smart as he remains despite having shown some serious cojones both in accepting to fight and then in the actual fighting of "Sugar," Mayweather would perhaps see a fight with even as small a middleweight as Martinez as too big a risk.
Also, though Martinez may be more of a 154-pounder than a fully-fledged middleweight (although as he showed against Pavlik, Martinez is more than capable of cutting it at 160), he is also a southpaw. Would the 33-year-old great want to get it on with a lefty? There really would be a lot for Mayweather to think about with regards to the taking or the not taking of this fight. The hitting power of Martinez, for a big example. Would Mayweather, if he were cracked by Martinez the way Shane Mosley cracked him, be able to survive? Of course, it's more than possible that "Money" would bulk up to around 155 or so, and put on yet another master class - one that would leave Martinez looking and feeling foolish. After all, it's unlikely Mayweather would lose too much, if any speed up at 155.
There is a lot for both men to like about this fight. Martinez would likely get the biggest payday of his whole career, and Mayweather would get the chance to make even more history ( at the very least, even if the middleweight title were not on the line, a win would earn Floyd some serious respect). Sure, we still want to see Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao a lot more than we do Mayweather Vs. Martinez, but, as was the case last Saturday, we would get a damn fine consolation prize if Mayweather took this big risk of a fight in the meantime.
And what would Manny Pacquiao think about it?
Source: eastsideboxing.com
No comments:
Post a Comment