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Paul
by Paul Magno
I’ve been racking my brain to remember a time when a defending world champion with as much credibility as Miguel 
Cotto has been treated so dismissively by his opponents, the sanctioning body he represents and the very promoter who is supposed to have his best interests in mind.
The disrespect tossed at Cotto has been a lesson for all those “good soldiers” in the sport who tow the company line and keep their mouths shut.
The first “dis” came following Cotto’s brutal beatdown at the hands of Antonio Margarito.
As everyone knows, Margarito was found to be wearing hand wraps coated with a “plaster-like” substance prior to his bout with Shane Mosley. When people put two and two together many put a big question mark over all of Margarito’s wins, most notably his brutal destruction of Miguel Cotto and the grotesque manner in which he battered Cotto’s face.
Top Rank honcho and alleged member of Team Cotto, Bob Arum, spent most of the “Plaster Gate” scandal defending Margarito and denying the loaded wrap claims…at the expense of the feelings of probable victim, Miguel Cotto.
Cotto sat back and remained the strong silent type, only occasionally giving voice to the anger he felt inside for the possible cheat and the frustration of having his own promoter defend the fighter who may have, literally, stolen millions from him when his loss ruined the chance of a showdown with Oscar De la Hoya.
Then, after suffering a beating that may have been caused by an illegal substance and having his promoter turn his back on him, Manny Pacquiao jumps in and claims the glory that could very well have been his by knocking off Oscar.
Cotto is forced into a nothing fight with Michael Jennings and a tough battle with Joshua Clottey for a fraction of the pay he would’ve received from a De la Hoya bout.
All this leads to an eventual big money showdown with Manny Pacquiao where despite being the reigning champ, he is forced to give in to every one of Pacquiao’s demands, including an arbitrary 145 lb. limit.
While the blame for this weak negotiating falls squarely on Team Cotto, it should be pointed out that the intermediary, Arum, never once lifted a finger to argue on Cotto’s side of the table…despite having just lured Cotto to a two-year extension on his Top Rank contract.
Now, the latest indignity for Cotto is that he’s being told to either put up his WBO Welterweight title for the Pacquiao fight or be forced to vacate.
Cotto’s take on this and, in my opinion, the correct one, is that since a world Welterweight title is fought between 140 and 147, it is against the organization’s rules to be forced to fight at an arbitrary catchweight for the title.
The WBO, of course, cares little about fair play and professionalism and decided to counter Cotto’s correct assertion by making Pacquiao their number one contender at 147 despite only one win at Welter, against an unranked De la Hoya.
Like it or not, Cotto will put up his hard-earned title and, without a doubt, it should be made clear that he’s being forced to. If Cotto balks, he will find himself without the title and it will be Pacquiao’s to win, anyway.
How’s that for respectful treatment of a veteran champion?
Beaten with illegal wraps, Your cheating conqueror defended by your own promoter, your promotional company allowing you to be raped in negotiations and the sanctioning body you represent forcing you to ignore their own bylaws and put the belt on the line…Geesh!
It’s no wonder guys like De la Hoya and Mayweather opted to be on their own as soon as they reached the top…there’s just no loyalty among thieves.
The best revenge for Cotto is to come into the Pacquiao fight, saddled with every possible psychological disadvantage, and stop the insanity right then and there with a big win…but, even then, he has to contend with the officials, who are always up for a good screw job, especially if it’s in favor of a fighter “about to make history” with seven titles in seven weight divisions.
Miguel Cotto deserves better.
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Posted in Uncategorized
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by Paul Magno
Something’s been happening to boxing’s young prospects.
Actually, something’s not happening to them: They’re not winning.
The latest example was in this past Saturday’s Latin Fury 10 PPV, which saw highly-regarded Lightweight prospect, 
Urbano Antillon, taste the canvas, and defeat, for the first time against the unknown Venezuelan stylist, Miguel Acosta.
On a personal note for Antillon, he failed in his attempt to win the vacant Interim WBA Lightweight title and failed to live up to the hype that had him regarded by Larry Merchant of HBO as a “can’t miss” future superstar.
However, in the big picture, Antillon’s inability to cope with simple lateral movement spoke of a greater problem behind the scenes of the sport. It spoke of a future generation of star athletes who are simply not being taught the skills to go along with their athletic promise.
The list of failed prospects in recent weeks is almost comical:
*Well-regarded amateur stand-out, Juan Carlos Velasquez, is defeated by Mexican journeyman, Jose Beranza, on Friday Night Fights. Velasquez actually seemed to be shocked and surprised that Beranza would fight back.
*Colombian banger, and destroyer of fellow prospect, Amir Khan, Breidis Prescott is outpointed by Miguel Vazquez, basically, because he had no idea how to deal with Vazquez’s head movement.
*Golden Boy’s Victor Ortiz is battered and psychologically torn down by Marcos Maidana, the first fighter with the nerve to actually keep fighting when confronted with the force of a “future superstar.”
*Alfredo Angulo is bested by Kermit Cintron because of his utter inability to deal with lateral movement, even when that lateral movement comes from a non-speedster like Cintron.
*Deandre Latimore is out-slugged by, of all people, a flat-footed and immobile Cory Spinks. 
One by one, the prospects are falling from contention and they’re not being replaced by veteran stars like in the case of Bernard Hopkins’ one-sided schooling of Kelly Pavlik.
Many of these young talents are being beaten by the products of hardcore boxing gyms in Latin America. They’re being beaten by fighters who, 10 or 20 years ago, would’ve been little more than a snack for talented athletes on their way to titles.
So, what’s the problem? What’s happening to our young lions?
Part of the problem rests in the fact that “old school” boxing trainers are mostly a thing of the past in the United States. For every Freddie Roach, there are a couple dozen trainers who would be better-suited working an aerobics class.
Serious boxing gyms are disappearing and the quality trainers are literally dying off.
There simply aren’t enough of the blood-and-guts Teddy Atlas-types who will take the time to teach their kids solid fundamentals and the value of being mentally prepared as a professional.
Instead, they are fed into an amateur system which now values arm-punches and “back-foot” fighting over a professional defense and a workable inside game.
In the modern amateur game, points are valued more than power and a light jab is a bigger asset than solid body punching.
It’s no wonder young fighters seem to be lacking a certain degree of mental toughness these days.
The second reason for this apparent failure of the young prospects has to do with our culture.
We are in a culture of instant gratification where anything worth having better be had right now.
It takes a lifetime to become a fundamentally solid professional boxer. It’s something that takes blood, sweat and tears. Hour after hour is spent going over one basic move, until it’s perfected.
Unfortunately, in a prize-fighting world of flailing, crude UFC brawls and “extreme” instant gratification, many young people simply don’t have the patience or dedication to sweat for hours at a time on something as mundane as learning how to walk the ring.
The scary part is that, at some point, those boxers who have taken the time to learn their craft, will retire, leaving behind this crop of talented, but not fundamentally sound pretenders.
Then, what will boxing look like?
Hey, better late than never, right?
Fighter of the Month-
Marcos Maidana: He was being brought in as a stepping stone for Golden Boy’s Victor Ortiz, one small obstacle on Ortiz’s path to stardom. The Interim WBA 140 lb belt practically had Ortiz’s name on it already and the 8,000 plus fans who came to the Staples Center were mostly coming to see the new phenom who would carry the Golden Boy banner into the future. 
It would’ve been so easy for Maidana to give up. There were several opportunities for the tough Argentinan to take the payday, relish the memories and go back home.
The hard knockdown in the first gave Maidana his first chance to quit, but he came back strong and ended up knocking Ortiz down in the same round.
Two knockdowns in the second surely would signal the end. After all, he had already shown his toughness by surviving a tough first round and leveling Ortiz. But Maidana fought on and survived the round.
Then, while still absorbing punishment from the heavy-handed Ortiz, he fought on, grinding down Ortiz until he was able to seriously stun him at the end of the 5th.
Beaten down and demoralized, Ortiz was pushed around the ring by the aggressive Maidana in the 6th until he got knocked to the canvas. When Ortiz got up, he clearly wanted no part of Maidana and waved off the fight before the referee did the same, officially because of the cut that Ortiz had sustained.
For defying the odds and snatching the glory during another fighter’s coming out party, Marcos Maidana is The BTBC’s Fighter of the Month.
Bum of the Month-
Ruslan Chagaev: Now, imagine the exact opposite of Marcos Maidana.
Chagaev was regarded as the #2 ranked Heavyweight by the BTBC and no lower than #4 by all 
other sources. He was coming in as a replacement when David Haye pulled out of the fight and was thought to be a tough test for Heavyweight champ, Wladimir Klitschko.
Chagaev walked into Klitschko’s home turf, among 60,000 fight fans, and promptly rolled over without even the slightest hint of defiance.
From the very beginning, Klitschko used his outstretched arm to mark the distance at which he wanted Chagaev to stay…and Chagaev dutifully obeyed, staying at the perfect distance for Wlad and offering no desire to work his way inside.
Chagaev sustained a beating for 9 one-sided rounds until a cut over his eye forced his corner to throw in the towel.
For entering a ring with absolutely no desire to win the fight, Ruslan Chagaev is our Bum of the Month.
The BTBC Thread of the Month-
Pacquiao okays Cotto as next foe
by PHONETOOL
http://www.btbc.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1518
This was a debate involving Pacquiao, Cotto and Mayweather; Plus, Pacquiao’s proper ranking at 140 lbs. How could this one not generate heated debate?
Posted in Uncategorized
by Madcow
Aside from actually being written, this week’s column will be a little different.
Last week, as you all know, Michael Jackson died. I have had a special relationship throughout my life with 
Jackson. No, I never got to visit Neverland ranch as a child and I was never able to share a can of Jesus Juice with the “one-gloved-one.”
My connection with Jackson isn’t even about music. Actually, I’m luke warm to his talents.
No. My link with Jackson goes directly through Lori C, Madcow’s first love and a very fine looking High School Junior with bubble gum lip gloss and a teddy bear backpack.
I had taken “Ms. C” to the Junior Prom and, to spare all the details, that was the night your favorite bovine became a man.
On the way home, I turned on the radio in my clunker in absolute glee and the first song on the radio was “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson. Not my type of music, but on that particular night, it was the greatest song I had ever heard.
So, this column is dedicated to Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean,” and beautiful Lori C, who was more woman at 17 than all 3 of my wives put together. But enough with this sappy crap.
In a “Thriller,” Marcos Maidana overcame knockdowns and all obstacles to force Victor Ortiz into submission. Now, after an embarrassing quit job and a non-fighter-like post-fight interview, Ortiz has to seriously take a look at the “Man in the Mirror” and decide if he really wants to continue fighting or if he just wants to “Beat It.”
“Smooth Criminal,” Oscar De la Hoya desperately tried to spin Ortiz’s quit job into something quite the opposite, but nobody is buying it. Overall, it hasn’t been a good time to be a Golden Boy prospect. Abner Mares split, Ortiz was just crushed and “King of Pop,” James Kirkland is eating bologna and mayonaise sandwiches behind bars.
“Remember the Time” when PPV dates were reserved for only the elite fights, the best of the best? The Latin Fury show this Saturday was just, plain “Bad.” I would like to run into the chump who paid 35 bucks to see this suck-fest so I can sell him some bumper car tickets at Neverland Ranch. Wake me up when Juanma Lopez starts fighting someone with a pulse.
Arthur Abraham defended his title against some guy named Oral on Showtime Saturday. I’m sorry, but the only thing I’m watching with the name “Oral” on it is a PPV movie from The Spice Channel.
Everything else this Summer has been a big let-down. Cancelled or postponed fights, combined with weak matchups. Boxing is in a serious “Jam” and needs to fix things fast or, maybe next year, there won’t be anyone buying these shows for broadcast.
Well, seeing that its been a slow news Summer and that I’ve exhausted my Michael Jackson references, I think I’ll end this special edition of Madcow’s Standing 8 Count.
Besides, I’ve just called the escort service and told them to send their best; Doesn’t matter if they’re “Black or White,” I just “Wanna be Startin’ Somethin’.” Now, “Leave Me Alone.”
RIP Michael
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Abner Mares, Arthur Abraham, Boxing, Boxing Times, James Kirkland, Madcow, Marcos Maidana, Michael Jackson, Oscar De la Hoya, The BTBC, Victor Ortiz
by Paul Magno
Buried among the Pacquiao-Cotto-Mayweather headlines is the sad story of Kelly Pavlik and his decision to check 
into an alcohol rehabilitation center yesterday.
This piece of news is a fittingly sad ending to Pavlik’s wild 2-year ride from unknown Ohio toughman to unlikely world champion superstar to inactive and demoralized divisional “also ran.”
The Youngstown, Ohio native achieved his fame the old fashioned way: By fighting hard, fighting often and slowly working his way into the public eye.
Pavlik fought on every undercard imaginable- From Mexican fight cards on Telemundo to ESPN undercards to local televised boxing shows where there were probably more people at the live event than watching on TV. Wherever there was a show, Kelly Pavlik was willing to fight.
So, by the time he fought his way up to his first title eliminator bout against Edison Miranda on HBO, most hardcore fight fans had seen Pavlik at least a couple of times and were aware that this was a gutsy, blue collar fighter who came to hit hard and knock his opponents out.
“The Ghost” took the fight to the back alley brawler, Miranda, and eventually beat the tough Colombian down in an exciting encounter which stood out glowingly next to that card’s lackluster main event of Jermain Taylor vs. Cory Spinks.
Pavlik’s next fight was the high point of his career as he battled back from a hard knock down in the second round and went on to grab the WBO and WBC Middleweight Titles from Taylor via seventh round TKO.
Next came the career mismanagement that would cost Pavlik his undefeated record, his status as an upcoming superstar and, quite possibly, his very peace of mind.
Bob Arum and Top Rank, Pavlik’s promotional company, immediately took their developing star and put him on PPV in a non-title rematch against Jermain Taylor at Super Middleweight. The event sold moderately well, but it was not the move of someone looking after the long-term career success of their new star. Other than another notch on his record and a nice payday, Pavlik got very little from this bout that played out in front of a fraction of the audience that would’ve been available to him on HBO.
Next, came a mandatory defense against WBO #1 challenger, the hapless, Gary Lockett. Kelly disposed of the Brit in three lopsided rounds that did little to endear him to HBO fans who were looking to see their new hero in yet another war.
Then came one of the worst decisions ever made by a management team regarding a young, rising star. They decided to accept the challenge of the 43-year old legend, Bernard Hopkins.
“The Executioner” Hopkins was famous for taking fighters and literally turning them to mush by negating every weapon in their arsenal. Even in defeat, the veteran always managed to nullify his opponents’ best weapons and make them look horrible. Nobody since a prime Roy Jones Jr. in 1993 has looked good against Hopkins. Not only was the relatively one-dimensional Pavlik signed to fight the old pro, but he would do so at a catchweight of 170 lbs., two weight classes and ten pounds above his normal fighting weight.
By now everyone knows what happened: Hopkins twisted the kid up and schooled him over 12 one-sided rounds. And to add insult to injury, the PPVshow was a total bust and didn’t even reach 200,000 buys.
So, with a bruised ego and a refusal from HBO to air his next bout (another mandatory defense of the 160 lb. crown against Marco Antonio Rubio), Pavlik once again went to PPVin another poorly-received event that saw him share the bill with another rebounding star, Miguel Cotto.
Since then, his bout against The Contender’s Season One winner, Sergio Mora, originally proposed for the 27th of June, was postponed due to a staph infection, but very well could’ve been postponed due to Pavlik’s growing personal problems or the poor early reception of Sergio Mora as an opponent.
In about a period of two years, Pavlik has run the full gamut of boxing highs and lows.
Before the ill-conceived Hopkins bout, one could point to Pavlik’s career as an example of how careers used to be built; of how a career should be built. Pavlik’s rise to stardom was based on Free TV exposure against a wide range of opponents and packaged around a hard-working, likeable kid from a blue collar town that should not be producing stars.
Somewhere along the way, greed got mixed into the equation and Top Rank/Team Pavlik opted for the quick buck rather than the slow, but steady rise to superstardomthat would’ve resulted from increased exposure on “free” HBO.
Lost in the mix was a kid in his mid-20’s dealing with sudden stardom and immediate demoralization- all over the course of twenty four short months.
“The Ghost” is a fighter in every sense of the word, so there’s no doubt that he will be back.
But before Kelly Pavlik can regain his boxing mojo, he’ll have to fight the fight of his life, against the toughest opponent imagineable…himself.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bernard hopkins, BTBC, Edison Miranda, Jermain Taylor, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Magno, The BTBC
by Madcow
Here I am, your favorite bovine boxing columnist, rockin’ you like a mother frickin’ hurricane, with several axes to grind and a massive inferiority complex (not to mention a substance abuse problem, a weight problem, several
dozen outstanding parking tickets and a sexual addiction that makes David Carradine look like Fred Rogers)!
Sorry for last week’s lack of a column, but I was knee-deep in Polynesian trim and I honestly didn’t feel like writing another column on a slow news week.
But then, as if delivered from heaven directly to my bloodshot eyes, David Haye gives me enough material for several month’s worth of columns!
By now, I’m sure you all know, but Haye pulled out of his Heavyweight title fight against Wladimir Klitschko, leaving behind a stadium’s worth of sold tickets, several million dollars and about 50,000 dumb T-shirts where Haye is ripping the heads off of the Klitschko Bros.
Now, it’s just Haye who’s getting a virtual decapitation from fans and media for talking so much trash and backing out at the last minute.
Don’t buy the injury talk, this Madcow can smell cold feet when their rubbed up against his nose. Haye wrote a check that his sack couldn’t cash.
Now, Wlad has an opponent in Ruslan Chagaev who may have Hepatitis, but isn’t suffering from “yellow” fever. I say Klit, as a punishment, makes Haye fight Chris Arreola, Alexander Povetkin and Samuel Peter before getting back into contention.
All in all, though, this is a good thing since it saves me the 5 minutes the fight would’ve lasted before Klitschko separated Haye’s flapping jaw from his head.
Ahhhhh. It’s good to be back!
Message boards and websites are on fire all over the net about the upcoming Floyd Mayweather–Juan Manuel Marquez fight. I’ve heard both sides and here’s the official decision from Madcow:
Mayweather’s entitled to a tune-up fight and even a mini-Marquez is not bad at all for a tune-up. If Mayweather isn’t making a serious effort to fight someone named Pacquiao, Cotto, Mosley or Williams next, then he deserves the wrath of the world.
Doesn’t it seem that Manny Pacquiao’s people know deep down inside that the dog and pony show is just about up? His people want nothing to do with a real Welterweight fight, they’re already dismissing the idea of a Mayweather fight and they’re going to price themselves out of any fight against a legit 140 lb. fighter.
On a similar note, if any Welter melts down to meet Pacquiao’s crazy demands, they are goofy and deserve the dehydrated beating they’ll get. Hear that, Shane Mosley?
David Tua announced that he’ll officially be changing his ring name from “Tuaman” to “The Tuaminator.” Can Madcow make a few more name change suggestions? How about “Tua Years Since He’s Last Fought,” “It’s Tua Bad He Doesn’t Get Off His Fat Ass and Fight, ” or “I Wouldn’t Pay Tua Cents to Watch Him Fight Shane Cameron?”
Alfredo Angulo, buddy, how the hell could you lose to Kermit “I’m Too Sensitive” Cintron?
Kelly Pavlik re-signed with Top Rank after they spent the last 18-months burying the kid against weak opposition on bogus cards and allowing him to get within spitting distance of a slick spoiler like Bernard Hopkins. Maybe Pavlik is the “take the money and run” type of fighter after all. Kelly, how many pick up trucks and “Best of Bob Seeger” CDs can you buy?
John Ruiz is still whining about not getting another shot at the Heavyweight title and about not getting the respect he thinks he deserves. Well, this cure for insomnia has had almost a dozen world title fights in his putrid career and, combined, they’ve produced less excitement than the first round of any James Kirkland bout. Go away, Ruiz and take your garbage attitude and style with you. You are to Boxing what Stryper was to Death Metal.
Alright, kiddies, all out of venom for this week. See ya next Sunday and, remember, support the BTBC. I have it on good word that this Summer will make or break our community. Let’s keep stickin’ it to the man. F*ck You Fightnews and Max Boxing! Madcow’s gonna rape Boxingscene’s mother!
Peace and Love.
Fighter of the Month:
Manny Pacquiao- This was a no-brainer.
With Pacquiao’s 2nd round destruction of Ricky Hatton, to pick anyone else as FOM would be a crime. While 
many felt that Pacquiao would win handily, few thought that he would dominate so quickly and so violently.
The talk around boxing is that Manny’s trying to lure Welterweights Miguel Cotto or Shane Mosley down to a catchweight of 143-142 lbs. If that’s the case, expect Manny to have a better chance of doing to them what he did to Hatton than if he had to fight them on equal terms.
While the catchweght bouts would make money and be smart business, here’s hoping that Pacquiao takes his role as lineal 140 lb. title seriously and decides to defend it against some of the best in the Jr. Welterweight division.
And, of course, hopefully Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s in his plans as well…
Bum of the Month:
The WBA– The oldest sanctioning body deserves this dubious honor for putting up with one of the most 
frustrating title reigns in recent memory- The title reign of Ruslan Chagaev.
With all the injuries and illnesses, it’s about time the WBA puts its foot down and officially strips this reluctant warrior. Chagaev has only defended the title twice in two years and has repeatedly pushed back or completely pulled out of big fights. To have him wearing their belt makes the entire organization look bad.
Make Nikolai Valuev the full champ. While Valuev is an abomination as well, at least he’ll fight once in awhile…
And while you’re at it, WBA, please get rid of those stupid “Super” and “Regular” Champion designations- It makes you look desperate for sanctioning fee money…
The BTBC Thread of the Month:
Money May vs. Kenny
http://www.btbc.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1376
by: LatinAce
The Brian Kenny/Floyd Mayweather interview heats up the board and inspires debates ranging from 
Mayweather’s resume and Kenny’s credentials to the upcoming Mayweather/Marquez bout and the general state of the Welterweight division.
Love him or hate him (and it’s mostly the latter), Floyd Mayweather inspires heated debate.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Boxing, Boxing Awards, Brian Kenny, BTBC, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Nikolai Valuev, ricky hatton, Ruslan Chagaev, WBA
by Paul Magno
For the critics of Floyd Mayweather Jr., there seems to be no middle-ground; No possibility whatsoever that 
what they say and what they’ve heard is not the absolute gospel.
Mayweather ducked all the best fighters at Welterweight…and that’s the end of the conversation for them.
They point to names like Cotto, Mosley and Margarito and then point to Mayweather’s ring record. “He fought none of them! None of the best Welterweights of today!”
But when we look deeper and dig a little further we begin to see the holes in their arguments.
The timelines don’t match up and for Mayweather to have truly fought the list of fighters he allegedly ducked, it would’ve required him to do some time-bending that would put to shame anything ever written by H.G. Wells.
Floyd Mayweather is an outstanding fighter, but he is most definitely no match for the space-time continuum.
So, timeline and ring records in hand, I’m going to run through the list of fighters that Mayweather is accused of ducking and demonstrate how things aren’t always as they appear to be and that perception sometimes overrides reality.
I intend to show that the fighters in question were, for the most part, fringe players when Mayweather was active and, therefore, not even worthy of a fight, much less fearsome enough to be ducked.
I’ll cover the portion of his career from April of 2006, as Mayweather prepared to fight Zab Judah in his first major bout at Welterweight until his official retirement after the Ricky Hatton bout in December of 2007.
Antonio Margarito
The tale of Mayweather ducking Margarito has been passed down from message board to message board and 
from blog to blog, but it has very little validity when examined.
Margarito would go on to take another ten month hiatus before fighting an, at the time, unknown Joshua Clottey. Margarito was being outclassed early on until Clottey suffered injuries to his hands and had to spend the last two-thirds of the bout just surviving. It was hardly a star-making performance by “The Tijuana Tornado.”
Margarito would follow the Clottey win with a loss to Paul Williams followed by a comeback blow-out against journeyman Golden Johnson.
Margarito’s popularity and credibility as a top challenger wouldn’t spike until his win over Miguel Cotto- about 8 months after Mayweather’s retirement.
While Mayweather was chasing the lineal 147 lb. championship and beating Ring Magazine’s #1 and #2 ranked Welterweights at the time, Margarito was well in the background as an inactive fringe champion who was only known among a relative few hardcore fans and had yet to set himself apart.
Shane Mosley
The ducking of “Sugar Shane” accusation is a relative new one, but let’s examine the time line of this one as well.
When Mayweather was staking his claim in the division, Mosley was one division to the North at 154 going toe-to-toe with Fernando Vargas in a pair of bouts.
Mosley then came down to 147 where he had a very impressive performance against Luis Collazo.
However, a month before Mayweather’s retirement, Mosley would lose a close unanimous decision to Miguel Cotto.
In reality, Mayweather and Mosley only shared the division for about ten months- a period of time that saw Mosley win one and lose one.
This hardly established a burning case for a Mayweather-Mosley showdown.
Paul Williams
Frankly put, Williams and Mayweather only shared a prominent role in the Welterweight 
division for about five months, between his win over Margarito and his stunning upset loss to Carlos Quintana.
Mayweather could’ve rushed in and forced a fight with the tall, awkward southpaw, but nobody was rushing to fight Williams and the upset loss effectively cut him from the picture for the time being.
Miguel Cotto
Cotto wasn’t even in the same division as Mayweather until a month after Mayweather became the lineal world 
champ by outclassing Baldomir. That adds up to about a year where both fighters were even in the same division.
Cotto earned his spot at the top of 147 by beating Judah and Mosley in exciting, well-attended, but ultimately disappointing PPV shows.
Mayweather, in almost direct point/counterpoint was busy taking part in the biggest PPV of all-time (vs. Oscar de la Hoya) and a near-million seller (vs. Hatton).
By the time Cotto had established himself as a player at Welterweight, Mayweather already had plans to get out while still young.
Could Mayweather have turned down the Oscar and Hatton fights to have it out with Cotto? Of course…but what fighters in history would turn down 20 million dollar checks and mega-events in favor of a third of the money and one-eighth the publicity?
Final Analysis
When looking back on Mayweather’s recent career, we have to be careful to put things into their proper perspective and clearly analyze what went down- not with the negative benefit of hindsight, but with the ability to fairly see things as they were.
When Mayweather first moved up to Welterweight, he called out a Zab Judah who had just ripped Cory Spinks to shreds and was ranked on many pound-for-pound lists. Judah was, far and away, the consensus #1 Welterweight in the world.
Judah ended up being upset by Carlos Baldomir and the the Argentinian became lineal champ.
Mayweather beat Judah first and then went after Baldomir to complete his sweep of Ring Magazine’s top two 
rated Welters- Regardless of what would later on happen to the careers of the two Mayweather victims, they were considered the top 2 at the time.
Then, the real public relations problems began for Mayweather.
The newly-crowned lineal champ cashed in on his growing fame by opting for a huge money fight against De la Hoya; A fight that everyone from 140 to 154 would gladly have taken instead of a mandatory defense for a fraction of the money.
The Hatton fight followed. Another blockbuster payday for a fighter just starting to make the mega-bucks of some of the other stars of the sport.
If Mayweather’s guilty of anything it’s trying to cash in on a lifetime of hard work in order to secure his financial future after retirement.
This is a crime that, in my opinion, is 100% forgivable in a sport that is famous for not taking care of its own after they cease to be vital.
Mayweather could’ve insisted on fighting relative unknowns for fractions of what he could’ve made elsewhere, but what fighter given the same circumstances would do that? Right…none.
So, while the name Floyd Mayweather may have a visceral effect in your belly and cause you to explode in a rage of self-righteous condemnation, I ask you to think.
Are the timelines matched-up properly?
Is it fair to ask a fighter to give up his biggest paydays in favor of bouts with your personal favorites?
Is it intellectually honest to expect a 2006 Floyd Mayweather to beat 2009’s best Welterweights?
Step aside from the hyperbole and mob mentality when it comes to Floyd and put some serious analysis behind the rhetoric.
We are unfairly putting Mayweather into the no-win situation of having to defend himself against allegations of ducking the best; Not the best fighters of his time, because he did beat them, but the fighters that would eventually go on to be the best welterweights nearly three years later.
Mayweather can do a lot of things, but time travel is not one of them.
by Madcow
Welcome to a very special edition of The Standing 8 Count. Ok, not really. Actually, this is another slow news 
week.
So, seeing that there’ll be nothing worth talking about until next week when Alfredo Angulo makes Kermit Cintron weep like a little school girl, I thought I’d share another personal list with my dozens upon dozens of loyal Mad Bovines.
Last week, I wrote about what I hated about boxing. This week I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, so I’ll flip in the opposite direction and talk about what I love about boxing.
* I love the way the Super Middleweight division is shaping up: Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler, Librado Andrade, Lucian Bute, Andre Ward, Andre Dirrell, Allan Green, Jermain Taylor, Jean Pascal and in a short while Arthur Abraham and Kelly Pavlik. I sure hope greedy promoters and cable companies don’t ruin this.
* I love the blind optimism behind fans of Chris Arreola. Here’s a guy who is practically obese and has ever beaten anyone tougher than a tough night club bouncer, yet some people rate this blob as the best American Heavyweight. I know the big boys aren’t a deep bunch these days, but Arreola ain’t the best of an entire nation.
* I love the Tecate ring card girls in Tijuana. These are the only ring card girls in the world where I know that with some elementary Spanish and a few bucks in my pocket, I can bring these chicas back to the Hotel Paraiso with me.
* I love the way Floyd Mayweather Jr. riles up both haters and nut-huggers alike. Say what you will, but it feels good to see some real emotion injected into the sport.
* I love seeing fights in Las Vegas and I love the big fight atmosphere in Sin City. Vegas is Boxing and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If you don’t like all night Blackjack binges in dim casinos, surrounded by whores and bad, bad people after a big prize fight I seriously question your manhood. Boxing shouldn’t be a “bring the whole family” event like the Ice Capades.
* I love fighters who actually take the time to learn the art of professions prize fighting. These are the guys who know how to walk properly, they know how to cut off the ring, they know how to properly set up their punches, and they know a little something called “defense.”
* I love my old fight films.
* I love what Showtime has been doing with their matchmaking lately.
* I love Denise Tarver and Jin Mosley and the crazy night we’ve had in my imagination.
* I love the back and forth struggles of an evenly-matched bout.
* I love the intenet for allowing me to be able to see even more boxing than I could imagine.
* I love when an undeserving bum of a fighter like Margarito gets what’s coming to him and publicly flogged by the entire boxing world.
* I love to get hateful e-mails from Manny Pacquiao fans: P4P, Boxing’s goofiest goof balls.
* I love the idea of Rick Hatton fans having to get back on the plane for the long ride home knowing that they just came to see Hatton mugged once again.
* I love that if our other blog takes off, I’m gonna start getting paid! http://btbc-boxing.blogspot.com/
Alright, enough with the happy thoughts. Next week I’ll be back with my regular rage and whiskey- filled column.
Until next Sunday, keep your friends close and your bribe money closer.
So long, ladies.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Alfredo Angulo, Allan Green, Andre Dirrell, Andre Ward, Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch, Chris Arreola, Denise Tarver, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Jean Pascal, Jermain Taylor, Jin Mosley, Kelly Pavlik, Kermit Cintron, Librado Andrade, Lucian Bute, Manny Pacquiao, Mikkel Kessler, ricky hatton, Showtime
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