Tuesday, June 10, 2008 Quijano: See you later, Floyd By Jingo Quijano Last Round
SO Floyd Mayweather Jr. has done a Michael Jordan—reportedly walking away while he’s on top of his game.
But no sooner had his retirement been announced before Yahoo already hosted an online survey on how long the fans thought it would last.
As of this writing, 40 percent % thought it would only last 6 months while 33 percent gave him at least one year. Only 19 percent thought it was permanent.
It’s not surprising considering that when it comes to retirement issues, most boxers would put politicians to shame when it comes to keeping their promises.
LOWKEY. Floyd’s retirement was a bit unusual and subdued considering how flamboyant a personality he possesses. His announcement was bereft of the usual accouterments an athlete of his stature deserves.
When Lennox Lewis abdicated his throne as heavyweight king, he bade farewell quite fittingly via a proper press conference in London, well attended by family members and the boxing press.
In stark contrast, Floyd released only a six-paragraph letter which inappropriately began with a simple “Dear Media.”
LEGACY. So it’s not unusual that most pundits are very skeptical and would rather speculate on how soon he will be un-retiring. After all when you are at the top of the game and a mega-bucks rematch with the sport’s number one draw is in the board, how can you just “walk-away”?
Floyd has always called himself the best and isn’t quite shy about comparing his body of work to the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson or Sugar Ray Leonard.
With wins over Oscar dela Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Jose Luis Castillo, Diego Coralles, Sharmba Mitchell, Jesus Chavez, Zab Judah and almost every belt there is to own from super featherweight to super welterweight, Floyd can make quite a strong argument for his case.
UNFINISHED. But therein lies the problem. As great a body of work as Floyd has created, his career is largely unfinished.
Unlike Lewis who walked away at an age where a boxer’s skills start to deteriorate (38) and who had beaten his most feared contender at that time (Vitali Klitschko), Floyd is leaving the fight game still at his peak (31), and with a handful of potential rivals eager to make a disclaimer on his greatness tag.
Just last Sunday, welterweight Paul Williams put on a scary display of firepower by annihilating the only man to beat him so far—Carlos Quintana—in one round.
Then of course, there’s unbeaten Miguel Cotto and the streaking Antonio Margarito. How about that rematch with Oscar dela Hoya?
SEE YOU LATER. Floyd’s retirement, assuming it sticks, comes actually as a breath of fresh air in a sport currently beset by hangers-on such as Evander Holyfield who at 45 years of age, obscenely harbors a dream of becoming a unified heavyweight champion once again.
But Floyd has to realize that fans expect much from their heroes, especially from one as talented and gifted as he is. Sorry Floyd, I know you said goodbye, but all I can say is—see you later.
If he retires, Floyd will only leave a suggestion as his legacy. A suggestion of greatness. One that he will never be able to confirm if he doesn’t return.
E-MAILS. Shoutouts are in order for Cipriano “Jun” Lanoy who is a Z Gorres fan. Reacting to my column “Identifying with Z”, Jun shared some trivia about his favorite fighter. Thanks Jun. Like you, I wish only the best things to happen to “The Dream”
Thanks also to Doeman Patigayon and rest of the boxing fans at CFC-Cebu who are intent on sponsoring a pay-per-view event of the Manny Pacquiao–David Diaz tiff. My apologies though for my late reply to your queries.
THE LAST ROUND. It’s on Dante Basa who recently went home after 16 long years in the US of A. Belated Happy Birthday and Cheers!
