It's always discouraging when a dinosaur like Larry Merchant proves to be a more game opponent to fight than the boxer you've contractually just faced and dispatched. Another victory for Floyd, another round of boos and controversy. It was hard not to get the impression he turned tail against a frothing Larry Merchant because of the obvious questions that were to follow regarding Manny Pacquiao. But one thing was certain after watching Floyd Mayweather Jr. perform last Saturday: he's still on top of his game. What's more, he fought more aggressively against a dangerous opponent like Victor Ortiz than we're used to seeing. Not only was Floyd his usual dominant force in the ring, he was also pretty fun to watch before Ortiz tried to Zidane him like a drunken rhino.
Floyd has backed up his claims about working as hard as anyone in sports to achieve the dominance he's enjoyed. We never see him out of shape in between fights. His focus is second to none. And, aside from his opponent selection, his flawless skills make criticizing anything about what he brings into the ring against any opponent in the world academic. If Pacquiao isn't around the corner for Floyd, then who? A rematch with Victor Ortiz generates roughly about as much enthusiasm as watching reruns of Full House.
Who else could he face? Amir Khan? Quite possibly, Mayweather will travel down that path. Amir Khan has a huge fan base in Europe and a rapidly-growing one in America. Khan has been taking the fights boxing fans want to see. They've involved a great deal of risk, and Khan has come out on top and created a tremendous degree of excitement after dispatching Judah and a hard-fought victory against Maidana.
Amir has won over a number of fans for his style, character and class inside and outside of the ring. Those qualities Amir espouses might make him especially attractive for Floyd to fight because the contrast, conceivably, could work beautifully with Floyd again playing the heel. Virtually, Mayweather's entire massive earning power has tied into the immense satisfaction and shock that audiences anticipate receiving with him losing or receiving some kind of dramatic comeuppance. For someone who earns what Floyd earns fight after fight, it's salient to notice how much he's booed, not just while fighting, but routinely after fights for his performance. Yet the money grows and grows.
The media likes to point out how Floyd savors the role of villain for fights, but Floyd's glaring insecurity in the face of scrutiny (such as Merchant's rather innocent and reasonable questions) contradict this assessment.
How much more anticipation could there be for Mayweather vs. Pacquiao at this point?
How much more money could be earned?
What yet stands in the way of this happening?
What's going on in the mind of Mayweather right now, leading up to the defining fight of his career?
If Pacquaio for some reason loses against Marquez, all these points might be moot. Some quagmire of a fourth match could loom with Marquez. However, if Pacquiao continues with his success and agrees to the demands Floyd has for PED testing, is Floyd himself willing to allow that fight to lay claim to his legacy? As with his fight against Ortiz, the verdict might be only half the story of how Floyd will come to be defined. How he beat Ortiz has played a far greater part of the discussion surrounding Floyd than the victory itself.
What if the same thing happened against Pacquiao?