Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Shane Mosley promises to be an intriguing fight and one that could very well see the unofficial pound-for-pound king lose his unbeaten record.
However, even if Mayweather does prevail at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 1, what impact, if any, would this have on his legacy?
Mayweather's place in the Boxing Hall of Fame is already assured but a victory over an old Shane Mosley would not enhance his reputation or earn him the status of one of boxing's all time greats, which he so desperately craves. A defeat to Mosley on the other hand would certainly tarnish his legacy as well as putting him second in line behind Mosley to face the offical p-4-p number one, Manny Pacquiao. Therefore, the fight is a no win situation for Mayweather.
This has been the story of Mayweather's career for a few years now. When he beat Oscar De La Hoya in 2007, many critics said De La Hoya was over-the-hill and when he beat Ricky Hatton a year later, boxing experts said Hatton's yo-yo dieting between fights had finally caught up with him rather than giving Mayweather the full credit he deserved.
Excuses will also be made if Mayweather does eventually fight Pacquiao and wins. Cynical commentators will say he was too big for pacquiao rather than he was too good. That is just the way it is.
Saturday 20 March 2010
Thursday 18 March 2010
Tyson: heavyweight great or not?
I am a huge sports fan and for my first post I want to write about the career and achievements of a sportsman who is one of the most well known and also most controversial of his generation and that man is Mike Tyson. Whether you are an avid follower of boxing or not, everyone knows who Mike Tyson is. Unfortunately many people know him for the wrong reasons but those who follow boxing recognise Tyson for what he achieved in the ring first and foremost, for example, becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in history at the age of 20.
Many people have asked whether Tyson can be considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time or one of the greatest fighters of all time, period. If you judge Tyson on what he achieved in his career the answer to both these questions would have to be an unequivocal no. But if you were to base your judgement on Tyson's ability during his best years which were the mid-to-late 1980's then you would would have to say Tyson is undeniably one the top 10 heavyweights of all time. Okay the quality of opposition that he faced during that time wasn't outstanding, but he did face some good fighters like Tyrell Biggs (an Olympic gold medallist), Tony Tucker (who was 35-0 when he met Tyson), Michael Spinks (one of the greatest light heavyweights of all time) and Larry Holmes (who is unquestionably one of the greatest heavyweights ever but was long past his best when he and Tyson met in 1988).
Although Tyson did not beat 'great' heavyweights during his prime, he consistently won in devastating fashion, often knocking his opponents out in the first few rounds. His power, hand speed and accuracy combined with his peek-a-boo style made him a very dangerous and evasive fighter and he attacked relentlessly which confused and intimidated his challengers. It is fair to say that Tyson at that time looked unstoppable and was the most feared boxer on the planet.
It was after Tyson fired his long-time trainer Kevin Rooney in late 1988 that his boxing skills started to deteriorate. This coupled with his lavish lifestyle and the lack of hours he put in the gym after separating from Rooney led to his downfall.
After losing his undisputed title to Buster Douglas in 1990, Tyson's career started to unravel quickly. After serving a three year prison sentence from 1992-95, Tyson returned to the ring a shadow of the fighter he once was.
The question that remains is what if Tyson had stayed with his long-time trainer Kevin Rooney and had not got caught up in so much controversy outside the ring. What if he had stayed focused on his boxing career. Would we be talking about Tyson today as one of if not the greatest heavyweight of all time?
Many people have asked whether Tyson can be considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time or one of the greatest fighters of all time, period. If you judge Tyson on what he achieved in his career the answer to both these questions would have to be an unequivocal no. But if you were to base your judgement on Tyson's ability during his best years which were the mid-to-late 1980's then you would would have to say Tyson is undeniably one the top 10 heavyweights of all time. Okay the quality of opposition that he faced during that time wasn't outstanding, but he did face some good fighters like Tyrell Biggs (an Olympic gold medallist), Tony Tucker (who was 35-0 when he met Tyson), Michael Spinks (one of the greatest light heavyweights of all time) and Larry Holmes (who is unquestionably one of the greatest heavyweights ever but was long past his best when he and Tyson met in 1988).
Although Tyson did not beat 'great' heavyweights during his prime, he consistently won in devastating fashion, often knocking his opponents out in the first few rounds. His power, hand speed and accuracy combined with his peek-a-boo style made him a very dangerous and evasive fighter and he attacked relentlessly which confused and intimidated his challengers. It is fair to say that Tyson at that time looked unstoppable and was the most feared boxer on the planet.
It was after Tyson fired his long-time trainer Kevin Rooney in late 1988 that his boxing skills started to deteriorate. This coupled with his lavish lifestyle and the lack of hours he put in the gym after separating from Rooney led to his downfall.
After losing his undisputed title to Buster Douglas in 1990, Tyson's career started to unravel quickly. After serving a three year prison sentence from 1992-95, Tyson returned to the ring a shadow of the fighter he once was.
The question that remains is what if Tyson had stayed with his long-time trainer Kevin Rooney and had not got caught up in so much controversy outside the ring. What if he had stayed focused on his boxing career. Would we be talking about Tyson today as one of if not the greatest heavyweight of all time?
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