Do you agree with Izenberg that Tommy Hearns, Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran would have beaten Mayweather?
For Floyd Mayweather, victory over Andre Berto was the perfect ending (if it was an ending) | Izenberg
Floyd Mayweather Jr. speaks during a post-fight news conference at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino after he retained his WBC/WBA welterweight titles in a unanimous decision-victory over Andre Berto on September 12, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller | Getty Images)
By Jerry Izenberg | For The Star-Ledger
LAS VEGAS — He has always said the whole bottom line of his personal artistry is ''to fight smart.''
And the smartest segment of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s well orchestrated leavin' time at the MGM Grand on Saturday night wasn't his Shuffle-off-to-Buffalo dance recital over the closing 60 seconds of what he said will be the final round he will ever fight.
It wasn't in his total control of the geography of the ring. It wasn't the overwhelming number of punches he threw and the incredible percentage of them he landed. It wasn't even in his ability to do what he always seems to do, even though he hurt his left hand midway through the unanimous decision.
It was in the selection of his opponent.
Andre Berto was the perfect target for Mayweather's tremendous versatility. Why was he the chosen one? For openers, he opened as a 40-1 underdog (at the very least) in every casino in the State of Nevada. That's explanation enough.
The fact that he ultimately dropped on their boards to a ludicrous 18-1 was simply a fallout from casual tourists who apparently believe that money grows on trees. Berto was the right guy in the right ring at the right time when you are in the final stages of building a legacy.
On the NJ.com scorecard, Berto won just one round, and that by the width of a gnat's eyelash. On one judge's card, he didn't win a single round.
Mayweather dictated the pace of the fight. Mayweather was able to fight with his back to the ropes when it pleased him He landed 57 percent of his punches. Despite Berto's commendable willingness to fight, the only difference between Berto and a heavy bag was that Berto could move.
How good was Mayweather in what he says will be the ultimate curtain call?
He was brilliant. He never had an anxious moment. The whole tenor of the gap in competition could be measured by his dad's suggestion after the fourth round:
"Are you ready to go to work now?"
The entire tenor of Berto's efforts was finally tangentially recognized when referee Kenny Baylis stopped the bout, took both fighters' hands and told them to cut out the trash talk and fight.
In short, if there was supposed to be drama, it missed the mark. First, because some of 13,395 in attendance were part of semi-papered house and really didn't much know how to respond to what they were seeing. The final round was a case in point, when Mayweather tangoed and moved back and forth like a high schooler tells an elementary schoolkid, ''Catch me if you can.''
There is no way to fault Mayweather. The performance was somewhat diminished because it was more shadow boxing than competition. Floyd began this 19-year odyssey up the road at Texas Station Casino on a low-rent fight card before a low-rent crowd.
On Saturday night, 8.6 Las Vegas miles and $800 million later, he closed the show, standing in mid-ring with a microphone in hand:
"Andre Berto had heart and a tremendous chin," he said. "He wouldn't lay down. It was a good fight. You have to know when to hang it up. I'm close to 40. I've accomplished everything in this sport. Money doesn't make me. I make money. Now, it's over and that's final."
You can take him at his word if you choose, but he needs just one more victory to break Rocky Marciano's 49-0 record and the new MGM Arena is taking shape across the street even as you read this.
Believe what choose, but if he's done, then for me, he was clearly the best of his era -- but not the best ever as he says.
Ron Borges , a very smart boxing writer from Boston, recently said to Sugar Ray Leonard that he thinks the ''four kings'' would easily have beaten Floyd. For the record those four kings -- linked together forever -- were Tommy Hearns, Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran.
Borges suggested that Hearns would have demolished him. Ray nodded and laughed and though for a minute and then added:
''Yeah. But I would have knocked him out, too.''
All things in boxing are relative to the era of the performance. That's the only legitimate interpretation of boxing's law of relativity.
Think, then, what you choose, but I believe Borges was right.
http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/ize...r_floyd_mayweather_this_was.html#incart_river
For Floyd Mayweather, victory over Andre Berto was the perfect ending (if it was an ending) | Izenberg
Floyd Mayweather Jr. speaks during a post-fight news conference at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino after he retained his WBC/WBA welterweight titles in a unanimous decision-victory over Andre Berto on September 12, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller | Getty Images)
By Jerry Izenberg | For The Star-Ledger LAS VEGAS — He has always said the whole bottom line of his personal artistry is ''to fight smart.''
And the smartest segment of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s well orchestrated leavin' time at the MGM Grand on Saturday night wasn't his Shuffle-off-to-Buffalo dance recital over the closing 60 seconds of what he said will be the final round he will ever fight.
It wasn't in his total control of the geography of the ring. It wasn't the overwhelming number of punches he threw and the incredible percentage of them he landed. It wasn't even in his ability to do what he always seems to do, even though he hurt his left hand midway through the unanimous decision.
It was in the selection of his opponent.
Andre Berto was the perfect target for Mayweather's tremendous versatility. Why was he the chosen one? For openers, he opened as a 40-1 underdog (at the very least) in every casino in the State of Nevada. That's explanation enough.
The fact that he ultimately dropped on their boards to a ludicrous 18-1 was simply a fallout from casual tourists who apparently believe that money grows on trees. Berto was the right guy in the right ring at the right time when you are in the final stages of building a legacy.
On the NJ.com scorecard, Berto won just one round, and that by the width of a gnat's eyelash. On one judge's card, he didn't win a single round.
Mayweather dictated the pace of the fight. Mayweather was able to fight with his back to the ropes when it pleased him He landed 57 percent of his punches. Despite Berto's commendable willingness to fight, the only difference between Berto and a heavy bag was that Berto could move.
How good was Mayweather in what he says will be the ultimate curtain call?
He was brilliant. He never had an anxious moment. The whole tenor of the gap in competition could be measured by his dad's suggestion after the fourth round:
"Are you ready to go to work now?"
The entire tenor of Berto's efforts was finally tangentially recognized when referee Kenny Baylis stopped the bout, took both fighters' hands and told them to cut out the trash talk and fight.
In short, if there was supposed to be drama, it missed the mark. First, because some of 13,395 in attendance were part of semi-papered house and really didn't much know how to respond to what they were seeing. The final round was a case in point, when Mayweather tangoed and moved back and forth like a high schooler tells an elementary schoolkid, ''Catch me if you can.''
There is no way to fault Mayweather. The performance was somewhat diminished because it was more shadow boxing than competition. Floyd began this 19-year odyssey up the road at Texas Station Casino on a low-rent fight card before a low-rent crowd.
On Saturday night, 8.6 Las Vegas miles and $800 million later, he closed the show, standing in mid-ring with a microphone in hand:
"Andre Berto had heart and a tremendous chin," he said. "He wouldn't lay down. It was a good fight. You have to know when to hang it up. I'm close to 40. I've accomplished everything in this sport. Money doesn't make me. I make money. Now, it's over and that's final."
You can take him at his word if you choose, but he needs just one more victory to break Rocky Marciano's 49-0 record and the new MGM Arena is taking shape across the street even as you read this.
Believe what choose, but if he's done, then for me, he was clearly the best of his era -- but not the best ever as he says.
Ron Borges , a very smart boxing writer from Boston, recently said to Sugar Ray Leonard that he thinks the ''four kings'' would easily have beaten Floyd. For the record those four kings -- linked together forever -- were Tommy Hearns, Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran.
Borges suggested that Hearns would have demolished him. Ray nodded and laughed and though for a minute and then added:
''Yeah. But I would have knocked him out, too.''
All things in boxing are relative to the era of the performance. That's the only legitimate interpretation of boxing's law of relativity.
Think, then, what you choose, but I believe Borges was right.
http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/ize...r_floyd_mayweather_this_was.html#incart_river
