Too Pretty, Too Easy And (maybe) Too Soon?

As many fight pundits predicted, “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather 37-0 (24) had little difficulty disposing of the rugged welterweight champion from Argentina.  The feel-good, rags-to-riches story of Carlos “Tata” Baldomir 43-10-6 (13) was good while it lasted, but this past Saturday South America’s answer to the Cinderella Man not only lost his glass slipper, he had it smashed.  Starting with his vainglorious ring entrance and ending with his melodramatic interview with HBO’s Larry Merchant in the post-fight interview, there was no denying who the star was on this night.

It was evident after round one that any thoughts of a competitive bout were thrown out the window, as Mayweather’s otherworldly combination of hand speed, foot speed and airtight defense rendered Baldomir helpless.  Although there were 11 rounds left at this point, the only real question was how Floyd would end up winning, by comfortable decision, brutal knockout or via knockout.

The answer was the former, with Mayweather cruising to a unanimous decision which amounted to little more than an open sparring session.  Each round was a near replay of its predecessor: Baldomir following Floyd around the ring; Floyd scraping him with lead lefts, rights and uppercuts, and then circling to his left or right.  This in no way denigrates Carlos Baldomir’s tireless attempts to corner and rough up Mayweather, but he brought a Cadillac to the Indy 500.

“Tata” can at least find solace in the fact that the “Pretty Boy” hurt his right hand hitting that hard head of his.  Other than that, the fight was filled with little-to-no drama, and that was evident by the early fan departures ringside as well as the spattering of boos heard around the arena.

What’s next for Floyd Mayweather, Jr.?  As evidenced in his overreaction to HBO’s Larry Merchant’s criticism of the one-sided, boring nature of the fight, it is clear that the pressures of winning while looking good is a daunting task that even a wunderkind like Floyd still finds hard to handle.  This challenge is bigger than any that Floyd will ever face in the ring.  And this same challenge apparently has him leaning towards an early retirement at the ripe age of 29.

Are these sentiments a sign of maturation and self-awareness of an athlete who has exceeded even his loftiest expectations or are they the frustrated comments of an athlete who feels he has not received the respect he deserves?  The answer probably lies somewhere in between.

Despite all of the accolades, money and world titles that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has collected in his (future) Hall of Fame career, it is apparent that something is missing.  Perhaps a career-defining victory over the “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya or defenses against lesser stars like Miguel Cotto or Ricky Hatton will do the trick?

Mayweather’s legacy may end up being that he left the sport too pretty – no symbolic battle scars, that his fights were too easy, and that he left the game too soon.  And that may be just OK to Floyd.  However, I have a sneaky suspicion that it won’t be, because the allure of continued ring success as well as “props” from the fans, media and his peers matter a great deal to Mr. Mayweather – no different than it did for a few guys named named Leonard, Robinson, and Ali, respectively.

Ring artists like Mayweather often paint their finest masterpieces when they are past their prime.  If history tells us anything, expect to a see a pretty painting or two before it’s all said and done.