Floyd Mayweather Jr’s fragile self-esteem

When boxing observers make a prediction on who of the two fighters will win when they square off in the ring, they usually look at each fighter’s boxing skills apart from their physical attributes. 

The one who has superior boxing skills is favored to win the fight. However, when two of the worlds’ best are pitted against each other, the tangibles do not play as much as the intangibles.

Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao are both highly skilled, talented, and experienced fighters. So skill-wise and in physical attributes, only a thin slice of difference exists between the two, no matter how contrasting their styles may be.

Let’s then focus on one intangible Floyd possesses, an intangible that doesn’t play in his favor. This intangible is Floyd’s fragile self-esteem. 

It is fragile because it is moored in the current of external events. 

Self-esteem

A person whose self-esteem depends on the validation of his pristine professional boxing record of 47 wins will one day be devastated at the harsh realities beyond his control. 

Since Mayweather is human like the rest of us, he knows not what the future holds for him. The future is uncertain; so are his future fights. So to avert an impending threat to his unbeaten record, he controls the present; he controls his circle of influence as much as he can to ensure success in his future fights.

Hence, he is a control freak. 

He wants to control everything like a king. Everyone in the negotiating table should give in to all his demands, with nothing getting in his way. In every matchup, he sees to it that he wins.

That’s why Mayweather avoids boxers he perceives as a potential threat to his zero loss column. Of course, he had fought elite boxers and had beaten them all. Even then, given his compulsion to control everything, the decision to fight these fighters must have gone through meticulous deliberation.

The number one question he must have asked himself is: “Am I 100% sure I can beat this fighter?” If the answer is yes, then the fight is on. 

But if he only had a slim chance of beating his potential foe, then avoidance and alibis would be the best option. 

And if he only had a 75% chance of keeping his zero loss column, then he would put off the negotiation for years until his potential foe lost a step in foot speed or showed some vulnerabilities in his defensive arsenal or signs of wear and tear.

Hence Mayweather had refused to fight Miguel Cotto in 2008, but he fought him in 2013. The 2008 version of Cotto must have struck Mayweather as a formidable rival who could give him his first loss. He too had shied away from Antonio Margarito. Had Mayweather taken the challenge, he would have won a unanimous decision against Margarito, but he had perceived him to be a dangerous slugger. So Mayweather had opted for another beatable contender.

It’s on

For 5 long years, Mayweather had been making excuses to get himself off the hook with Pacquiao. Then pressure from the media, boxing higher-ups, boxing scribes, hard core boxing enthusiasts, casual fans, and from Pacquiao himself, took a toll on him. 

Mayweather was cornered. 

The world of boxing made him accept the fight in ways he had never envisioned. He had no choice, his legacy was at stake.

But agreeing to face Pacquiao would mean courting disaster. Pacquiao may well be his stiffest opposition. Aware of Manny’s offensive arsenal, Floyd seems to lose his composure as he prepares for the toughest fight of his boxing life.

In the days leading up to the fight, he would trash talk and mock his opponent. He would intimidate him with his bravado. But all that ended ever since the fight – dubbed as the “Battle for Greatness” – was sealed. He was suddenly subdued, opting to play Mr Nice Guy. 

Is Mayweather scared to death? I think he is. (LIVE BLOG: Pacquiao VS Mayweather)

He fears Manny Pacquiao because the Filipino dynamo is capable of destroying the “treasure” that boosts his self-esteem. 

How vulnerable is Mayweather’s perfect record of 47 wins that he has been clinging to for all his professional boxing life. Pacquiao may have his number. Mayweather is afraid. (READ: Pacman’s gameplan)

If fear is holding him captive, then Mayweather will not be able to bring himself into the heat of battle. We will see him eat Pacman’s flurries of punches from awkward angles.

What a tragic night it will be for Money May. His “zero” will be taken away from him, and his self-esteem, broken. Mayweather will meet his Waterloo on May 2. – Rappler.com

Ramonito O. Legaspi works as a physical therapist in the Philippines. He holds two active PT licenses in the USA and the Philippines. He will soon leave for Florida. In his spare time, he enjoys reading books and writing in his blog.