There is no denying Floyd Mayweather has great skills, reflexes, hand speed and arguably the best fighter of his era; but he’s also managed to avoid tough fights, doesn’t take unnecessary risks and been allowed to get away with it….

Years ago he signed a huge money deal with HBO, who foolishly gave him control of whom he was going to fight and when. And like any good businessman, Mayweather took very little risk for the most reward….

HBO took a bath on the deal, couldn’t wait for it to end and hopefully learned their lesson….

Now Showtime has given Floyd a colossal deal for six fights and already produced a dud; Money’s easy win over outclassed Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero….

Now, with a September date up next and the boxing world clamoring for Floyd to fight dangerous and strong Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Team Mayweather seems to be looking for an easier opponent to make their next $30 million….

The word is Mayweather wants Alvarez to come all the way down to the Welterweight limit of 147 lbs, which means Floyd doesn’t want the fight….

And Showtime is going to be stuck with another one-sided, glorified workout for Money come September….

Is Floyd a good businessman? Yes. Is he a great fighter? Yes. Should he be listed among the All-Time greats? Absolutely not, because of his hand picking inferior opponents and avoiding the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Canelo….

It’s too bad, because I think Floyd would have outboxed Pacman and would do the same to Alvarez, even at a weight higher than 147….

But Floyd referring to himself as the greatest fighter of all time is absurd; because he hasn’t faced the level of competition other great fighters have….

The 1980′s were a Golden Era, with Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran, Wilfred Benitez, Pipino Cuevas, Aaron Pryor, Alexis Arguello, Pernell Whitaker, Donald Curry and Marvin Hagler hovering around Mayweather’s weight class….

Of this group. I think Mayweather would have knocked out Cuevas and Arguello; who were both easy to hit not nearly as gifted as Floyd….

Against the rest, now it gets tough for Money….

There is no doubt in my mind the 6’2″ Hearns would have knocked out the 5’7″ Floyd. Tommy is the hardest punching fighter I’ve ever seen and he would have caught Floyd early with his patented right cross and gotten him out of there. Mayweather is simply too small….

Leonard was an All-Time great, a better fighter than Hearns and also would have stopped Floyd. It wouldn’t be as devastating and sudden as what Tommy would do to Mayweather, but Sugar Ray was way too much and would give him a beatdown before stopping him late….

As for Duran, he always had trouble with slick boxers such as Floyd and this would have been a difficult fight for him. But Floyd also doesn’t deal well with pressure, evidenced by him losing his 2003 fight against Jose Luis Castillo. JLC outworked Floyd over 12 rounds and won 116-112 on my card….

Mayweather has never been in a war and Duran’s relentless pressure and power would have put Floyd in a place he’s never been before; fighting for his life. Roberto Duran by unanimous decision….

As for Benitez, he was as crafty and skilled a boxer as you’ll ever see; but didn’t punch enough and had a tendency to get outworked. Mayweather by a close decision over him. But this one could go either way, because Wilfred was really, really good….

The Hagler fight probably wouldn’t have happened, because Marvelous Marvin was a Middleweight and one of the greatest fighters of all time. Obviously, this would be an easy win for Hagler….

Aaron Pryor was a favorite of mine, because every second of every round he threw punches and pressured his opponent. His knockout win over Arguello in 1982 is one of the greatest fights of all time and he was truly great before drug use ruined his career….

In my opinion, Pryor would have been all over Floyd from the opening bell and not allowed him to pick his shots and pace himself. Aaron delivers a beating and wins by unanimous decision….

Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker was the slickest boxer I’ve ever seen, but this would have been a boring fight; because both Whitaker and Mayweather were safety first, defensive fighters who depended on their enormous reflexes and boxing skill to make fights look easy….

This is a tough call, but I’m going with Sweet Pea by decision. As good a boxer as Floyd is, there was never anyone as slick and as hard to hit as Pernell….

A lot of people don’t remember Donald “The Cobra” Curry, but in the early and mid-80′s he was the undisputed Welterweight Champion, undefeated and considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world….

After cleaning out the Welterweight division, he was set to move up to Middleweight and challenge Hagler; and a lot of experts believed Curry could win….

That’s how good he was in his prime….

But before he got the Hagler fight, Curry went to Sugar Ray Leonard for career advice and Leonard convinced him to stay at Welterweight for another fight or two….

What Donald didn’t know was the Ray was planning a comeback and took the Hagler fight for himself; costing Curry millions….

On April 6, 1987, the day if the Hagler-Leonard fight, Curry sued Sugar Ray for $1 million; claiming Leonard defrauded him by talking him out of the Hagler fight and stealing it for himself….

In the meantime, Donald was having huge managerial, personal and health problems, lost his title to Lloyd Honeyghan and sadly never did make the huge money everyone thought he would….

But in his prime he was a truly great fighter and I like him by unanimous decision over Floyd. Too big, too strong and Curry wins handily….

So there you have my predictions: Floyd Mayweather beats Pipino Cuevas, Alexis Arguello and Wilfred Benitez; but loses to Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, Aaron Pryor, Pernell Whitaker and Donald Curry….

So let me know what you think, @davesportsgod on twitter….

Going into Saturday night’s fight, I thought Floyd Mayweather would give Robert Guerrero a boxing lesson and win an easy unanimous decision….

The Ghost is a tough kid, but he’s slow, stands right in front of you and easy to hit; three things you do not want to be when you’re facing a fighter the caliber of Mayweather….

So there was no reason to watch since the result was a foregone conclusion….

Now the question is what’s next for Money….

The obvious choice is Canelo Alvarez; who is young, strong, powerful and fun to watch. He’s also extremely popular in Mexico, which means good PPV sales. Combine this with fighting Mayweather and you have a box office jackpot….

This one should be held at Cowboys Stadium, because if the promoters don’t greedy and overprice the tickets, it will sell out the 100,000 seat stadium….

As for the fight, if Canelo makes Floyd come up to 154 it works to his advantage; but he still won’t win. Alvarez
is obviously better than Guerrero, but he doesn’t have the speed, reflexes or boxing skill to deal with Floyd….

Speed kills and a unanimous decision for Money Mayweather….

Sergio Martinez:

If Sergio makes Floyd come all the way up to 160, which Mayweather will not do, Martinez will lose a unanimous decision but win a few rounds. But if it’s a catch weight under 160, Martinez won’t win a round….

Too slow, too predictable and easy pickings for Floyd….

Juan Manuel Marquez:

A few years ago JMM was a small guy who looked tiny next to Mayweather and lost a lopsided decision. It was a mismatch and a fight nobody wanted to see again….

But that was before the remarkable transformation of JMM’s body….

In his recent fight against Manny Pacquiao, Marquez looked like an Adonis, almost unrecognizable from the JMM of just a year before. And at 39, JMM suddenly developed knockout power and starched Pacman with a Tommy Hearns-like right cross….

When I saw Marquez at the weigh-in and in the ring for the fight, I thought was he was using PED’s, because it’s almost impossible to transform your body and power so dramatically at 39 years of age….

But in JMM’s defense, he passed his post-fight drug test and has denied using any kind of steroids….

And obviously, I’m not a part of Team Marquez and can’t prove anything. Again, must one man’s opinion….

As for the fight, it’s going to be difficult to make because Mayweather will demand around the clock, 24/7 drug testing, because they suspect he’s not clean; just as they thought with Pacquiao….

But if Marquez agrees to the terms, passes the tests and comes into the ring looking the same way he did against Pacman, it’s going to be a much mire competitive fight and he’ll push Floyd….

JMM still won’t win, but he’ll hit Money, make him work and lose a much closer unanimous decision….

Despite the new size and strength, JMM still can’t match Mayweather’s speed and boxing skill….

Andre Ward:

The 168 lb. champion is the wild card in this whole scenario, because he’s much bigger and stronger than Floyd….

But since Ward has great difficulty making 168 and already announced plans to move to light heavyweight, this fight is unlikely to happen….

But since nobody outside of boxing has ever heard of Andre Ward and he can’t make any real money at 175, Ward would be wise to try and get down to 160 for a Mayweather fight….

If Andre can make 168, he could get a team of nutritionists and fitness experts to take off another eight lbs….

And it would be worth it, because Andre would make more money in one night against Floyd than he would make in the rest of his career combined….

But even if Ward agrees to diet down to 160, will Floyd risk losing his undefeated record by coming up all the way from 147?….

And if Ward somehow does get down to 160 , you know he’ll come into the ring at 180 the next night; strong and ready to do some damage….

Andre is a hell of a fighter and in my opinion, this is the fight Mayweather would lose. Ward by unanimous decision….

By the way, there was a Heavyweight Championship fight over the weekend and nobody cared….

Hell, I’m a boxing fan and didn’t know Wladimir Klitschko was defending his title….

Remember the old days, when the world would stop for a heavyweight championship fight? It was always the biggest sports story of the day, no matter who Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson or Evander Holyfield were fighting….

But in 2013? If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear it?….

If anyone cares, I hear Klitschko knocked out the bum in six rounds….

The only way to generate interest in the heavyweight division is forcing the Klitschko brothers to fight each other….

They are obviously the two best heavyweights in the world and should be forced to either fight or be stripped of their belts and their boxing licenses….

In what other sport could siblings refuse to face each other?….

Could the Williams sisters refuse to play in a Wimbledon or U.S. Open Final?….

What if brothers refused to take the basketball court because they didn’t want to comptete?….

Can you imagine Tiki Barber breaking through the line of scrimmage and his twin brother Ronde refusing to tackle him?….

In all of the above scenarios, they would be suspended and face heavy fines….

But for some reason, the Klitschkos are allowed to hurt the sport by refusing to settle the heavyweight championship….

And it would be a great fight, because nobody knows who would win….

Wladimir is younger, hits harder and a more skilled fighter; but Vitali is bigger, tougher, has a better chin and excellent defensively….

I think Vitali would win based on his defense and better chin, but Wladimir could easily knock him out if he catches him….

It would be a great night for boxing and save the heavyweight division, but unfortunately it will never happen….

We have two heavyweights dominating their sport, but we’ll never see who is the better man and the real champion….

When Floyd Mayweather first signed a contract to face Juan Manuel Marquez, I wrote that it was a stroke of genius by the Pretty Boy, because he needed a stiff test before taking on the challenge of Manny Pacquiao….

While Marquez is a tremendous talent and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, he’s too small and too slow to handle Mayweather….

It would be a tough test for Floyd, but he figured to dance around Marquez and win easily….

This is why Marquez was a great choice for Mayweather; JMM is universally recognized as one of the world’s best fighters and an impressive qin for Floyd would accomplish two things: 1) Give Mayweather a good win and some quality rounds against a world class opponent 2) Set up a huge pay-per-view buy for the Pacman fight….

As expected, Mayweather won easily; outboxing the game but small Marquez over 12 easy rounds. To JMM’s credit, he fought hard, survived a knockdown and was still coming forward in the the 12th round. But coming up two weight classes was too much and he had no chance last Saturday night….

So now the question is this: Just gow good is Mayweather and how does he stack up against the all-time greats?….

There’s no doubt he has tremendous skill, hand speed and reflexes. He also trains hard takes his business seriously. Obviously, his talent is unquestioned….

But there’s an adage in boxing which holds true: To be great, you have to beat great opponents. And that’s where the Pretty Boy falls short….

His recent conquests have a familiar ring: outsized or washed up opponents who come forward and take a beating….

Let’s look at his last four wins:

Movember 4, 2006: An easy win over a club fighter from Argentina named Carlos Baldomir. Yes, Baldomir is a tough guy, but had no chance against Floyd. He is slow, plodding, comes straight forward and it was target practice for the Pretty Boy.

May 5, 2007: A split decision win over an over-the-hill Oscar De La Hoya. Floyd shoud have taken Oscar apart, but instead chose to lay on the ropes, fight defensively and bore everyone to death.

December 8, 2007: A 10th round knockout over Ricky Hatton, who moved up a weight class for the fight and was severely outgunned. Hatton also has a weak chin, which was exposed in round 10. Another small, come-straight-forward opponent.

And last Saturday it was Marquez, another little guy without the firepower to challenge Mayweather…..

And Floyd’s previous three fights? Wins over washed up Sharmba Mitchell, over-the-hill Zab Judah and a shot Arturo Gatti….

Not exactly Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvin Hagler….

So what’s my prediction for Mayweather-Pacquiao, assuming the Pacman gets past Miguel Cotto on November 14?….

I know Manny has looked awesome lately and has beaten down De La Hoya and Hatton in his last two fights, but he’s not a true welterweight and Floyd will outbox him over 12 exciting rounds….

Pacquiao has had a steady diet of Marquez, De La Hoya, Hatton, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and defeated them all; with the exception being a loss to Morales in their first fight….

But Manny is not a true Weterweight and will get outboxed by Mayweather….

Question: How many in-their-prime, world champion black fighters has Manny beaten?….

Okay, I’ll wait while you think about it….

Give up? Okay, I’ll you the answer….

None….

It’s one thing to take apart tough guys who come straight at you, quite another to beat a great athlete who is going to move, dance and throw lightning-fast combinations….

I know it’s not politically correct, but great black fighters present a whole different challenge; especially when you’ve never faced one….

In my opinion, Mayweather gives the smaller Pacman a boxing lesson over 12 rounds….

So does that make Mayweather an all-time great? Not yet….

On my opinion, here’s what he needs to do:

1) Accept Shane Mosley’s challenge and fight him before the Pacquiao match. For once, Floyd will be in there with someone bigger and stronger than him and nearly his equal in hand speed. Sure, Shane isn’t as young as he used to be, but the way he destroyed Antonio Margarito showed he’s still a great fighter and ready for Mayweather. Sugar Shane also has a great chin, a big heart and knockout power. A win for the Pretty Boy over Shane would be impressive and prove he can defeat someone his own size who poses a real threat.

2) Assuming he wins against Pacman and Mosley, he should seek out Paul “The Punisher” Williams, who throws over 100 punches a round and is a Hearns clone. A win over a 6’2″ southpaw who can fight like hell would propel Floyd into all-rime great status.

Just my opinion….

Interesting to hear Floyd Mayweather playing the race card just a few days before his huge fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. Here’s what the Pretty Boy had to say about his perceived unfair treatment by the media, according to ESPN.com
“If you’re rich, you’re a rich n—–,” he said. “If you’re poor, you’re a poor n—-. If you’re smart, you’re a smart n—–. At the end of the day, they still look at me as a n—–”….

Reaction: As a goofy white guy, of course I can’t put myself in Floyd’s shoes and pretend I know what it’s like to be a black man. But in my experience covering the sport, Mayweather seems to be treated fairly and I like him a lot personally. I’ve never seen him turn down an autograph, pose for a picture or shake someone’s hand; which has always impressed me. He’s also a great interview. Why he would chose to go this route only three days from the biggest fight of his career is a mystery. In my opinion, he’s been grossly overpaid in his career, because he doesn’t sell pay-per-views and doesn’t put butts in seats. He’s also not an exciting fighter, because he’s overly cautious and fights defensively. Yet he’s a multi-millionaire and a superstar in his sport. So how is he being disrespected?

Here’s more:

“This country needs to be more positive,” he said. “We’re already at war. We’re in a recession, we’re at war and we continue to be negative. The fans in the UK showed me more love than in my own country. That’s crazy … Sometimes I’ll sit back, I’ll be in my theater sometimes, and I’ll think: ‘Imagine if I was the same fighter that I am, and I was the same person that I am, and I was from another country. Can you just imagine how big I’d be? But I wouldn’t change my life for nothing in the world. There’s nothing like being young, black and rich. But there are certain things you think about. If Floyd Mayweather was white, I’d be the biggest athlete in America. The biggest, the biggest. I know that for a fact.”

Reaction: I think Floyd is full of it on this count, because black fighters have been hugely popular over the years and adored by white fans. Has he forgotten about Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray Leonard? Sure, Ali was despised by white America during the Vietnam era, but since then opinion has changed completely and he’s now idolized. As for the rest, they were hugely popular in their primes and white people couldn’t wait to make them independantly wealthy.

I know Floyd is frustrated he’s not adored like his predecessors, but that has more to do with boxing’s fall in popularity than some perceived animosity against him. Unfortunately, boxing is not nearly as popular as it used to be and fallen almost completely off the sports radar. If not for the hispanic fans, the sport might cease to exist. The Pretty Boy just happens to be fighting in an era where boxing isn’t a major sport anymore.

Next, Floyd gave his thoughts about comparisons between himself and Oscar De La Hoya:

“One thing you never hear. You never hear anything negative about Oscar De La Hoya,” he said. “Anything he do negative, it gets swept under the rug.”

Reaction: I don’t remember Oscar going to strip joints, making it rain and having people associated with him firing guns outside a skating rink. As far as I know, De La Hoya also has not been accused of failing to pay his taxes and stiffing creditors. Floyd sounds jealous and petty bringing this up. Sure, Oscar had a wild lifestyle back in the day and a lot if it was swept under the rug by Team De La Hoya and some of his lackeys in the press. But Floyd has also done his share of partying. Love him or hate him, The Golden Boy has been great for boxing and almost single-handedly kept the sport alive for 15 years. Mayweather simply does not have Oscar’s drawing power and that’s not going to change.

Not finished yet, Mayweather then ripped into the HBO broadcast team:

“Larry Merchant don’t know nothing about boxing,” Mayweather said. “What’s that other guy’s name [at HBO]? [Emanuel Steward]. He’s an Uncle Tom.”

Reaction: Sure, Merchant has never been in the ring, but it’s silly to say he doesn’t know anything about boxing. Personally, I’m not a fan of Merchant and think he should have been jettisoned from HBO long ago, but he is a respected journalist and does know the sport.

As for calling Steward an “Uncle Tom,” that is outrageous, unfair and racist. Floyd owes Manny an apology and should be ashamed of himself for stating this publicly. I don’t know what Mayweather’s problem is with Steward, but this needs to be addressed by HBO and the Pretty Boy needs to apologize.

And here’s a report of Floyd’s recent troubles, again from ESPN.com:

“Tuesday, it was reported that Mayweather is being sued by a bank in Las Vegas for more than $167,000 unpaid on a loan for a half-million-dollar luxury car. Also, county records in Las Vegas show Mayweather has one unresolved lien with the Internal Revenue Service for $6.17 million in unpaid taxes from 2007. Other records show homeowners associations, the state of New Jersey and a trash collector have also claimed Mayweather did not pay bills.

Mayweather was not asked about the financial issues in his chat with reporters, but on a recent episode of HBO’s Mayweather/Marquez “24/7,” which is documenting the fighters as they prepare for Saturday’s match, he said: “I got a good relationship with the IRS; they ain’t took nothing away from me.”

In late August, Las Vegas police investigating a shooting outside a skating rink seized two handguns, ammunition and two bulletproof vests from the home and two cars of Mayweather. He was not named as a suspect in the investigation and was never charged.”

Again, I like Floyd personally and he’s always been good to me. He’s also a great fighter whom I believe will win his fight against Marquez Saturday night….

But I wish he’d stay away from the race card and lashing out at others involved in the sport….