IS MAYWEATHER-MAIDANA WORTH WATCHING?
By Reni M. Valenzuela
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 04 May 2014
Sports can readily identify the best athletes today without much contention: Ronaldo in soccer, Woods in golf, Shihoura in swimming, James/Durant in NBA, Tulowitzki in MLB, Federer in tennis. But in boxing, who can tell?
Floyd ?Money? Mayweather is touted the leading boxer for this era, yet many disagree even as his legacy is widely being put in question. And it?s partly the undoing of jerks. Jerks are what make the world go square when it is most sensible to go round. This is perhaps why boxing ring is called ?squared circle.? Wonder not.
Well-meaning critics don?t take away from Mayweather what is due him. They simply want truth out of cave or obscurity in light of the boxer?s humbug. It is far from the critics to nullify Mayweather as a superb boxer based on his performances against foes he didn?t handpick at different times of his career. But in my reading, his record ought to be much less than 45-0. Mayweather fought tough guys in their prime like Castillo and Dela Hoya to whom he narrowly lost. And he fought ?over the hill? and lesser guys to whom he should ever be grateful.
The fact remains: Mayweather is ?unbeaten? but he is not the ?Mayweather? or TBE (the best ever) he claims to be and as jerks lavishly portray to the world.
Critics have nothing to do with damning Mayweather?s legacy because criticism is not history and history is not criticism. The ill-intentioned critics can?t impair truth. They can only malign as far as their lies can reach because truth is invincible and more potent than nuclear weapons.
Truth?s purpose is to make everyone win, unlike war wherein everyone loses.
The U.S. President delightfully toyed with a basketball in his hand and with kids around watching, shortly after he arrived in the country last Monday. As if to show the Filipino people that he is fond of sports, for indeed he is, Barack Obama chose basketball as a model sport to send a message to racists and bullies. Don?t believe the story because it?s just a figment of imagination parallel to the imagined and exaggerated self-assertions by the pound-for-pound ?number one fighter,? as seconded by ?experts? or jerks.
An athlete?s record and medals can only be as good as his courage and willingness to compete with the best and toughest.
The word jerk, as used here, is a slang expression which evolved to pertain to people who are ?contemptibly na?ve, fatuous, foolish or inconsequential person? (Dictionary.com). I don?t specifically refer to any thugs in boxing when I mention jerk, but to the reprobates and hype-disciples who gladly submit themselves to open tricks acted out by ?kings? and ?apostates,? and then try to affect or infect others. I refer to those who badly need tonic to wake them up.
What?s happening in boxing with jerks around?
Why Mayweather is fighting Marcos Maidana?
Jerks rarely have truth in full and seldom true to their inmost sentiment. Hence they normally insist on things that are opposed to nature. Unyielding to enlightenment, their nature is to contradict what is acceptably round, just, fair and beneficial to all concerned. Jerks disdain darkness but abhor lights. Where are they?
Why, indeed, patronizing the MGM circus tomorrow is a backward move for boxing despite the undercards? Why Mayweather isn?t fighting the boxers we want him to fight? Why Floyd will be ?Floyd? until we do what?s right? Whose fault is it why Mayweather continues playing balls in the ring instead of fighting? And for what sane reason is Pacquiao extending his contract with Top Rank?
Money is at ease dodging competition for the basic reason that, whoever he handpicks as an opponent, there are those who pay to watch his fights enough to make him richer every time, by several millions of U.S. dollars.
Floyd?s dumping of his fianc?e ahead of the ?Mayweather vs. Maidana? must not be in any way connected to his intent to ?magnify? the said show for promotional purposes by creating a stir or controversy about himself. Otherwise, it?s inhuman.
Why Money and his team are exploiting a non-boxing topic and suddenly coming out with a personal issue such as the Clippers and abortion few days prior to their MGM event? Why the scoops would catch the interest of boxing fans more than the news of Mayweather?s upcoming bout dubbed as ?The Moment? (for what?)? Has it finally dawned on them that PPV numbers are numbers to be determined by the people, not by the star and ingenuity of any of them?
No critic can distort or demolish history just as no hired hacks can prejudice or enhance it. History is not a book such that no author can adequately translate it into words. The judge and writer of history is the Truth who sees the truth and is able to put it into the consciousness and sub-consciousness of humans down through the ages.
Truth is above matters, unseen but discernable.
Any truly great person can be criticized profusely during his time like Abraham Lincoln and yet emerge towering and historic from generation to generation. Lincoln is an immortal man who left the world with a legacy of valor, fortitude, integrity, self-sacrifice, humility, wisdom and faith.
While the athlete some fans and cults endlessly defend is likely to be remembered with a legacy only jerks can tell - unless he resolves to repent, behave, and soon fight the boxers in his level who have chances to beat him, win or lose. It starts with Pacquiao, of course, then Martinez (if he beats Cotto in June), the winner of Thurman vs. Porter and lastly, Golovkin.
Sugar Ray Robinson (1921-1989) is turning 93 years old this day, May 3 (Manila time). He is considered the best boxer ever in the sport?s anal despite losing nineteen times in two hundred fights. Robinson didn?t cherry pick his opponents, and so he?s an all time great - for all of us.
In the meantime, jerks are having their day in the ?Mayweather-Maidana? carnival as true aficionados and majority of the fans are coming to their senses, away from the show.
And it?s deafeningly silent.
renimvalenzuela@yahoo.com
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Reni M. Valenzuela.
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