Nine months ago, Floyd Mayweather duked in out with Shane Mosley and pitched an almost shut-out performance, making a victory over the (admittedly aging) Sweet One look easy. However, that was nine whole months ago. Mayweather is now 33 years old, bedeviled by legal problems and has no scheduled fights on the horizon, all of which raises a question far weightier than if a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao bout will ever take place. Instead, the question now should be “will Floyd Mayweather ever fight again?”
Five months ago, Mayweather was arrested for robbery, theft, coercion, harassment and domestic battery at the behest of his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his children, Josie Harris. The first hearing in that case is scheduled for March, and if convicted on all charges Mayweather faces up to 34 years in prison. “Pretty Boy” Floyd has weaseled his way out of trouble stemming from his bad behavior with Harris before, and may do so again if he can persuade Harris to drop the charges (a hefty up-front pay-off and a golden deal on future child support might do the trick there).
The court date alone ensures that Mayweather will be distracted and unable to commit to any future fight until after this spring. The earliest we could reasonably expect anything other than a bout with a tomato can would be late this year, at which point the clock will have ticked some more and Mayweather will be a ripe 34. Mayweather’s style is heavily dependent upon speed and reflexes, and age isn’t kind to either of those two attributes. Neither is rust. For Mayweather to extend his talents and eek out his mid-30s at the top of the game, he needs to stay focused and stay busy. He simply isn’t staying busy and is very far from focused right now.
The hurdles that lie before Floyd Mayweather raise the further question of whether Pretty Boy even wants to continue with his career. Mayweather has already “retired” once, and taken an almost two year sabbatical from boxing. It now seems plain that the only reason he came back was because Manny Pacquiao stole his thunder, and equally plain that Mayweather had no intention of ever risking his undefeated status in a fight with Pacquiao. If Mayweather were to attempt a new comeback after his prolonged absence, it would be on very safe terms. Those terms might not be available, and even if they are, Mayweather might find that he cannot square his fragile ego, his financial demands and his zero-risk matchmaking policy all at the same time.
Underscoring that theme are the rumors emerging from the Mayweather camp. Although Floyd’s father and uncle are both busy talking trash about Manny Pacquiao, Floyd himself is apparently whispering retirement. In a recent interview, longtime friend Zab Judah reported that Mayweather complained of being tired and taking time off. If Mayweather takes too much time off, he won’t be able to come back on his desired terms, which will certainly mean a temper tantrum and much delay. If Mayweather is jailed, he won’t be making a comeback (at least to world-class status) at all. At the end of the day, the Mosley bout might very well have been Floyd Mayweather’s last performance.
