"I think people should give Floyd the credit he deserves. These casual fans have to understand the state of boxing right now. It's a fight that everybody wants [Mayweather/Pacquiao]. Me, as a fighter myself, it's a fight that I want to see because it's so talked about and it could be the fight of the century, however, you have to look at the logistics. We know that they are on two totally different sides...Floyd gets criticized for fighting somebody better than Algieri, but Pacquiao gets a pass. It's funny how some fighters get passes and some fighters don't," stated middleweight contender Willie Monroe Jr., who had a lot to get off his chest regarding the criticism that undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather gets compared to other fighters. Check out what else he had to say!
WILLIE MUNROE JR.:
I think people should give Floyd the credit he deserves. These casual fans have to understand the state of boxing right now. It's a fight that everybody wants [Mayweather/Pacquiao]. Me, as a fighter myself, it's a fight that I want to see because it's so talked about and it could be the fight of the century, however, you have to look at the logistics. We know that they are on two totally different sides. Every time you look around, they are raising Floyd's bar to do something different. First it was De La Hoya. And then they said he never fought Ricky Hatton. He beat Ricky Hatton and came back and beat Marquez, who beat Pacquiao I think 3 times and made him look bad. And now that he may not fight Pacquiao, they talking about, "What about 50-0?" As far as that 49-0 record people want him to beat, that was a heavyweight feat. That wasn't really a fighter feat. We have a bunch of fighters that we could name. What did Chavez do? He went 88-0? Joe Calzaghe, nobody hit him with the feat of, "Oh, he didn't beat Rocky Marciano's record." And then I heard Teddy Atlas say, "If Floyd wants to solidify his career, if he fought and beat Pacquiao, his last fight should be against Triple G." What? Floyd don't even walk around at 155-160 pounds. How can you have him fight a middleweight that walks around at 178-180?
It seems like every time Floyd shows that he can beat the odds, they add something else. Everything that they ask him to do, they will add something else. "I bet he won't fight on the moon!" They keep raising the bar. And it's no secret, I'm a supporter of Floyd Mayweather, but I just think it's sad when you have a fighter with that type of talent and that type of work ethic and they do nothing but throw stones at that man. I say that if Floyd wanted to fight a Chris Algieri...and I take nothing away from Chris Algieri, I think he is an awesome fighter. I actually think he is going to give Pacquiao problems because I have never really seen Pacquiao hit a moving target that's gonna be moving and jabbing. It's gonna be tough for Pacquiao. However, people are saying and even Stephen A. Smith is saying, "Well if Floyd fights Amir Khan next, I'm a big supporter of him, but I'm gonna say that he's ducking Pacquiao." Wait a minute! Let's be real! Amir Khan has done way more in boxing than Chris Algieri. So why is it okay for Pacquiao to fight Chris Algieri and no eyebrows are being raised. Nobody is saying, "Wait a minute, if Pacquiao fights this dude next, I'm boycotting his fight," but if Floyd fights Amir Khan next, who can sell out Wembley Stadium, who is one of the best welterweights in the world, who has won multiple world champions and been on pay-per-view events...Floyd gets criticized for fighting somebody better than Algieri, but Pacquiao gets a pass. It's funny how some fighters get passes and some fighters don't.
For the record, I like Pacquiao. Me and Pacquiao are both left-handed, we both have the same birthday, and again, we are part of that special boxing fraternity: the left-handed fighters. I love all left-handed fighters. The point I'm making is, let's be real. I respect Floyd because I come from the same background as him. I came from the inner city, I grew up poor, my father and my uncle were world-class fighters. My uncle beat Marvin Hagler. My grandfather raised me. I know what it's like to be raised almost like Michael Jackson where everything was school and boxing. I know what it's like to get a whooping for not throwing a punch combination right. I know what it's like to be under that type of pressure, so I know what cloth he is cut from because I'm cut from the same cloth. I feel like there is an athletic, a talent, and heartfelt connection there. That's why I respect Floyd because I understand where he comes from. I come from the same walk of life and I think people should praise him being that he comes from that walk of life and he made it to the top. He is a walking success story. How many people you hear sing that song, "Started from the bottom now I'm here," but how many people truly started from the bottom? Think about it. He started from the bottom, had a rough life, and your average inner city kid don't make it out of that. I just think people should be giving respect because he is a success story.
Now I do think sometimes Floyd can be a little boisterous, a little loud, and over the top with what he does, but at the end of the day, he understands it's entertainment. Floyd could show up to his job and say., "F this and F that," and get another $10 million added to his pay because that many people are not gonna like him, so they gonna tune in to hope he loses. But you show up to your job and say, "F that and F that," you gonna get fired. I think Floyd will be appreciated when he's gone because, like I said before, everybody says fighters aren't like they used to be in the 70's and 80's when we had Leonard, Hearns, and Hagler. But if you go and watch old interviews, they were antagonizing Sugar Ray the same way they antagonize Floyd. Oh yeah, he was scared of Hearns, he was scared of Hagler and Pryor. "He's only taking this fight now because he wants a payday." Here we are 40 years later and everybody says we need those types of fighters back. Lets be real and call a spade a spade. Anybody that's great, the fans and media gonna give them problems and that's sad. And now, anytime someone wins 4 rounds or so on him, they say he lost. It's like in track; whoever crosses that line first is the winner, whether they crossed first by a mile, a foot, or a hair. It's like he can't win for losing. He is the ultimate success story. How many people can say they came from that walk of life and say they are the highest paid anything in the world? That's the American way and the American dream; take nothing and make something.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]