by Rickey Lamar Hampton
It seems like every week there is a new guy taking a shot at Floyd Mayweather’s boxing career. But really, that is a very difficult thing to do, considering he retired from the ring, 49-0.
While you can certainly nitpick the opponents Mayweather fought, the opponents he didn’t fight, and the timing of some of his fights like Manny Pacquaio, a fight that was five years too late……it still must be acknowledged that he won the matches. That is the object of every prize fight, no matter how boring, or exciting it may be.
And it seems really hard for someone like Oscar De La Hoya criticize Mayweather, considering that when he had a chance to shut him up in 2007, he got beat.
But hey, the Golden Boy felt the need to get a few words in anyway. Unfortunately, they ring hollow. De La Hoya is the author of an open letter to Mayweather, which appeared on the PLAYBOY website. Below is an excerpt from the letter. There is also a link to the entire letter, plus a link to a highlight video of De La Hoya-Mayweather.
“Another reason boxing is better off without you: You were afraid. Afraid of taking chances. Afraid of risk. A perfect example is your greatest “triumph,” the long-awaited record-breaking fight between you and Manny Pacquiao. Nearly 4.5 million buys! More than $400 million in revenue! Headlines worldwide! How can that be bad for boxing? Because you lied. You promised action and entertainment and a battle for the ages, and you delivered none of the above. The problem is, that’s precisely how you want it. You should have fought Pacquiao five years ago, not five months ago. That, however, would have been too dangerous. Too risky. You’ve made a career out of being cautious. You won’t get in the ring unless you have an edge. Sure, you fought some big names. But they were past their prime. Hell, even when we fought in 2007—and I barely lost a split decision—I was at the tail end of my career. Then later you took on Mexican megastar Saúl “Canelo” -Álvarez, but he was too young and had to drop too much weight.”
