Five Reasons Floyd Mayweather Jr. is More Like Sugar Ray Robinson Than the Boxing Public is Willing to Admit

1.
Five
Reasons
Floyd
Mayweather
Jr.
is
More
Like
Sugar
Ray
Robinson
Than
the
Boxing
Public
is
Willing
to
Admit
At
the
heel
of
one
of
the
most
interesting
and
controversial
negotiations
in
boxing
history,
a
lot
of
talk
about
the
good
ol’
days
and
other
clichés
emerged
and
are
thrown
around
like
medicine
balls
in
sweaty
boxing
gyms.
They’re
used
to
describe
a
time
when
all
was
well
–
the
gas
station
attendant
filled
up
your
car,
the
doctor
made
house
calls,
and
the
best
fighters
fought
the
best
fighters.
You
even
hear
fighters
repeat
the
phrase,
“I’m
old
school”,
in
hopes
of
luring
a
no
nonsense
fan
base
that
will
follow
them
down
the
often
lonely,
dark
hallways
of
their
boxing
journey
So
where
does
Mayweather
fit
into
all
of
this?
You
dare
not
compare
Mayweather
to
the
late,
great
Sugar
Ray
Robinson.
I
can
feel
the
eyes
of
many
strangers
hawking
at
their
tablets,
phones
and
computer
screens
as
I
type
this.
No!
He
wasn’t
forced
to
jump
up
a
full
weight
class
to
take
on
Gennady
Golovkin,
today’s
version
of
Jake
Lamotta,
at
least
in
my
opinion,
because
welterweights
feared
him.
It’s
quite
the
opposite
for
Mayweather
–
welterweights
beg,
cry,
and
line
up
at
an
opportunity
to
face
him.
Is
it
for
the
money?
Sure,
but
much
more.
Just
look
at
Victor
Ortiz’s
rise
in
popularity
after
being
defeated
by
Mayweather:
a
movie
role,
a
spot
on
“Dancing
With
the
Stars”,
all
to
a
fighter
who
lost.
No
wonder
Britain’s
own

2. Amir
Khan
can’t
wait
to
get
in
the
ring
with
Mayweather,
It’s
a
win-­‐win
opportunity
regardless
of
the
outcome
in
the
ring.
What’s
been
kept
from
the
boxing
public
about
Sugar
Ray
Robinson,
almost
like
the
severity
of
his
diabetes,
are
his
actions
outside
of
the
ring.
I’m
no
boxing
historian,
but
I
have
had
the
pleasure
of
absorbing
a
lot
of
content
regarding
the
greatest
fighter
ever
to
lace-­‐em
up.
That
content
includes
Pound
for
Pound:
A
Biography
of
Sugar
Ray
Robinson
by
Herb
Boyd
and
Ray
Robinson
II.
I’ve
also
viewed
the
HBO
documentary,
Sugar
Ray
Robinson:
The
Bright
Lights
&
Dark
Shadows
of
a
Champion.
So
let’s
count
down
the
five
most
noticeable
similarities
that
I
have
come
across.
5.
Flash
It’s
said
by
many
that
Robinson
invented
the
entourage.
Everywhere
he
went
he
took
his
stable
of
friends
and
workers,
including
a
barber,
valet,
golf
trainer,
and
few
yes-­‐men
to
keep
his
ego
fed.
He
also
drove
a
pink
Cadillac
with
gold
flecks
in
the
paint
that
lit
up
the
streets
of
Harlem,
much
like
the
way
Mayweather’s
Bugatti
further
lights
up
the
Vegas
strip.
4.
Arrogance
Robinson
was
a
great
fighter
and
he
knew
it.
After
the
death
of
Jimmy
Dole,
who
died
in
the
ring
after
a
left
hook
from
Robinson,
the
DA
investigated
the
matter.
They
asked
him
when
he
felt
Jimmy
Doyle
was
in
trouble,
and
Robinson
replied,
“When
he
signed
the
contract.”
Although
not
as
critical
compared
to
Robinson’s
comments
concerning
Dole’s
death,
Mayweather
has
taking
jabs
at
Muhammad
Ali’s
greatness
by
questioning
his
lack
of
body
attack
and
Ali’s
loss
to
the
young,
inexperienced
Leon
Spinks.
3.
Controversial
Whether
it
was
claims
of
domestic
abuse
or
his
issues
with
the
IRS,
Robinson
was
human
and
controversial.
Mayweather
mimics
Robinson
with
both
issues,
he
has
served
time
in
jail
due
to
claims
of
alleged
abuse
against
the
mother
of
his
child,
and
his
past
troubles
with
the
IRS
had
been
publicized.
2.
For
the
Love
of
Money
Fans
love
the
story
of
their
favorite
boxers
as
being
“born
to
fight”,
as
if
they
wouldn’t
want
to
be
anywhere
else
in
the
world
but
taking
and
giving
punishment.
But
that’s
far
from
the
truth.
In
the
HBO
documentary,
The
Bright
Lights
and

3. Shadows
of
a
Champion,
Robinson
expresses
that
he
never
enjoyed
boxing
and
that
it
was
simply
about
the
business
for
him.
Time
and
time
again,
Mayweather
has
claimed
his
love
for
boxing
has
long
faded.
And
that
he’s
simply
motivated
by
money
and
the
comfortable
lifestyle
it
brings.
Looks
no
further
then
the
name
change
from,
“Pretty
Boy
Floyd”
to
“Money
Mayweather.”
1.
Stern
Negotiator
Robinson
was
a
stern
negotiator,
who
understood
his
worth
and
the
risk
he,
and
his
opponents,
took
every
time
they
stepped
in
the
ring.
Throughout
his
career
he
made
sure
to
get
a
cut
of
the
theatre,
radio,
television,
and
film
money.
He
didn’t
sign
the
contract
to
a
fight
until
it
met
all
his
requirements.
He
wasn’t
shy
about
re-­‐
negotiating
deals
long
after
the
contract
was
signed,
or
rescheduling
fights
if
he
didn’t
feel
up
to
it,
or
didn’t
like
the
current
deal
that
was
negotiated.
In
Robinson’s
first
fight
with
Gene
Fullmer,
he
refused
to
leave
the
locker
room
until
he
was
paid
an
additional
$10,000
dollars
after
he
learned
the
fight
would
broadcast
in
England.
He
argued
his
original
$50,000
purse
was
only
agreed
upon
on
the
belief
that
the
fight
would
broadcast
only
in
the
United
States.
Mayweather
is
content
on
staying
in
his
big
boy
mansion,
as
he
likes
to
call
it,
counting
money
and
betting
on
sporting
events,
until
he
reaches
a
deal
that
fits
his
requirements.
Ignoring
critics
that
consist
of
writers,
fans,
haters,
and
boxing
legends
that
critique
his
career
as
they
try
determine
where
his
legacy
fits
amongst
boxing
gods.
In
today’s
world
Robinson
would
have
been
called
a
ducker,
and
a
cancer
to
the
sport.
And
when
you
don’t
play
by
the
media
and
fans
rules,
they
will
belittle
your
accomplishments.
I
guess
fighting
for
money
takes
away
from
your
accomplishments
in
the
ring.
Who
wants
to
root
for
the
guy
fighting
for
money?
If
the
Mayweather
versus
Pacquaio
negotiations
were
the
Robinson
versus
Pacquaio
negotiations,
The
Late
Great
Sugar
Ray
Robinson
would
have
made
sure
to
get
every
cent
he
felt
he
deserved
before
stepping
into
the
ring.
So
there
you
have
it,
the
greatest
fighter
of
all
time
was
a
flawed
human
being,
who
fought
for
money,
and
so
is
the
greatest
fighter
of
this
generation.
Now
get
over
it.