27.10.03 – By Mike Samuels: After reading an article in the Grand Rapids Press on Sunday by boxing scribe David Mayo I was shocked to see that HBO had a significant problem with Floyd Mayweather’s first choice of an opponent, Julio Diaz, for his third fight back home in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday November 1st.
I’ve begun to wonder how the execuitives over at HBO (Hypocritical Boxing Orginazation) sleep at night. It was reported by Mayo that HBO had threatened to drop WBC light weight champion Floyd Mayweather from his fight deal if he loses to tough South African and #4 contender Phillip N’Dou this Saturday.
This should raise a lot of eyebrows in boxing, seeing as Roy Jones Jr. has fought more scrubs in the last five years than any other prime time fighter in the sport of boxing. Roy Jones has been guarenteed a cool five million per fight with HBO over the past few years and he’s fought a barrel of nobodies that they probably can’t even remember by name.
Floyd Mayweather, on the other hand, has fought perhaps the toughest competition of any HBO fighter over the last couple of years. Mayweather dismantled Diego Corrales and outboxed two current champions in Carlos Hernandez and Jesus Chavez. Mayweather also turned in two gutty performances against former WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo without a tune up fight and he just recently defeated top contender Victoriano Sosa this past April. Mayweather’s resume continues to get bigger and better this Saturday when he will face Phillip N’Dou (31-1, 30KO’s) in front of his hometown.
All one has to do is look at the last couple of years as an indication as to which fighter has fought the tougher competition. Not only has Mayweather fought tougher and higher ranked guys than Roy Jones, but he’s done it for far less money and without a hassle.
These days fighters have a better chance at walking on water than fighting Jones. Just ask Antonio Tarver, who has had to listen to Jones constant demands for their Nov 8 pay per view telecast which will be aired by HBO.
I have to ask, what the hell is wrong with HBO? Julio Diaz may not be a Phillip N’Dou, but he’s just as good as any fighter Roy Jones has fought in the last couple of years, including the biggest paper champion and joke of the decade John Ruiz.
The fact that HBO turned down Mayweather’s request to face Julio Diaz is ridiculious. So I must ask HBO, shouldn’t Mayweather be allowed to fight any lower notch guys? I’d like to think so. It’s not like Mayweather has become Acelino Frietas where he’s living off of Julio Diaz type fighters month after month, year after year.
Once again, HBO has proven that when Roy says “jump” they say “how high?” Knowing this, it’s no wonder Jones thinks he’s above boxing.
Since the Mayweather N’Dou fight was announced it seems that quite a bit of boxings best writers have jumped on the South African’s bandwagon. Sure, 30 knockouts in 31 fights is impressive, but N’Dou’s resume is nothing compared to that of Mayweathers.
Reading Mayo’s article one would think that by the praises on N’Dou from Dan Rafael and Nigel Collins that Floyd Mayweather is the underdog and N’Dou has already won Mayweather’s WBC title before even stepping into the ring.
HBO’s Larry Merchant and Maxboxing.com’s Doug Fischer seem to be the only two boxing people that have landed on earth for this fight. Both Merchant and Fischer have been quick to praise N’Dou for his record and skills, but they have not over looked the fact that Mayweather is by far the superior boxer who has earned the respect of a champion.
With HBO’s arrogance towards Mayweather concerning his fight with N’Dou, not to mention Bob Arums extreme bias towards Latino fighters under HBO, it’d be best for Mayweather to finsih out his contract with HBO and move somewhere else.
Maybe after Roy Jones retires HBO will see boxing through a new and less biased pair of eyes, because the ones they’re looking through right now just plain stink.
-Mike Samuels can be reached at Tyson180@aol.com