For Floyd, Oscar should only be the beginning

By Marshall Garvey


It has finally come. Now that Mayweather-De La Hoya is cemented (and although awhile away, it can’t happen soon enough), the questions not only arise as to who will win and whatnot; there are also questions about a fighter’s retirement. Although we should be discussing Oscar’s possible swan song, the subject in question is Floyd Mayweather. He did, after all, proclaim the well-rehearsed “one more fight and that’s it for me” bit amid tears after dismantling Carlos Baldomir earlier this month. With DLH on the horizon, he unquestionably has a hell of a finale if he’s dead set on retiring.

But is Floyd in a position to retire soon? Hell no. He’s 29, at the peak of his powers, and with plenty of game battles ahead of him after Oscar. DLH is going to be far and away Pretty Boy’s greatest overall skill test, and one that should stand as a key junction in his career, not an end. If Floyd can top Golden Boy, it’ll be more than high time for him to take on others at his level like Ricky Hatton, Antonio Margarito, and Winky Wright.

The discussions of Floyd meeting, ducking, etc. these fighters have been drilled into the ground more than anything else in modern boxing, and those particulars aren’t what I’m getting at. My point is that all of Floyd’s retirement talk is unnecessary, as he’s in the point in his career that could cement his legacy if he were to fight more challenging opponents. Leaving boxing for good is brave and beneficial in many ways, especially for veteran battlers who have humanly come to terms that it’s time to go. But if Floyd sticks to his retirement claim now, he’ll be throwing away everything.

It’s as simple as this: Floyd’s got exceptional talent, but although he’s beaten some great fighters (Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo for example), he has been relatively safe with his fight picks (hell, his most recent fight was originally announced as Mayweather vs. Cory Spinks, a truly pathetic attempt at a matchup). Meeting DLH is a huge step up, from which he can further challenge himself against other great boxers.

Given the rare finality of retirement in boxing, it’s likely that if Floyd retires, he’ll be quick to return. But even that is unnecessary. The stakes are higher than ever for Mayweather in his prime, and the last thing he can do is shy away. Fighting a legend like DLH is enormous, but with other deserving contenders and plenty of good duels left, the battle of Cinco De Mayo ’07 is only the beginning for Floyd if he wants his legacy to live long after he has truly reached the end of the road.