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Bleacher Report - Boxing: What's Next for Floyd Mayweather After Beating Robert Guerrero?

Bleacher Report - Boxing
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What's Next for Floyd Mayweather After Beating Robert Guerrero?
May 5th 2013, 04:52

After winning a snoozefest of a fight against Robert Guerrero, boxing fans everywhere are asking, "What's next for Floyd Mayweather?"

Well, we asked our boxing expert, Alfred "Big Nasty" Konuwa, to weigh in with his opinion.

Tune into the video above to find out what he thinks, and make sure you sound off with your own opinion in the comments section below!

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Bleacher Report - Boxing: Why Floyd Mayweather Is the Ultimate Las Vegas Superstar

Bleacher Report - Boxing
Bleacher Report - The open source sports network
Why Floyd Mayweather Is the Ultimate Las Vegas Superstar
May 5th 2013, 04:57

Rewatching old episodes of HBO's now legendary 24/7 reality series, it's hard to imagine that boxing fans didn't immediately take to Floyd Mayweather.

Whether rapper 50 Cent was popping up in Mayweather's Las Vegas mansion, on a Segway no less, or "Money" May was flashing the $10,000 in cash he claimed to always have in his possession, there wasn't a single moment that Mayweather didn't light up the screen.

He certainly did against Robert Guerrero at the MGM Grand on Saturday, winning a unanimous decision and dominating sports coverage from coast to coast.

Mayweather doesn't do "fights." He does events. With rapper Lil' Wayne in his corner, the pound-for-pound kingpin brought some Vegas-style glamour to the gritty world of boxing.

He always does.

When you think of boxing these days, something that happens less and less often as the sport continues a slow fade, he comes to mind. Mayweather represents a throwback to the days when boxing ruled the sports roost and Las Vegas was the arguably the destination of choice for sports fans the world over.

And yet for years, Mayweather was a disappointment at the box office. No one doubted he was an amazing boxer. His athletic pedigree, including three national Golden Gloves titles and a run in the 1996 Olympic Games, was unquestioned. But Mayweather just wasn't clicking with boxing fans.

Promoter Bob Arum saw Mayweather as the hero, a "Sugar" Ray Leonard-type figure, the archetypal technician who smiled wide for the cameras and treated opponents with respect. Arum wanted middle America and apple pie. He wanted "Pretty Boy" Floyd. 

But that wasn't quite who Mayweather really was, and boxing fans have a sixth sense that catches a whiff of anything even slightly inauthentic. Mayweather wasn't ever going to be who Arum envisioned. The real Floyd was cocky, arrogant and insecure. He was hip-hop, conspicuous consumption, a man who partied as hard as he trained.

Arum wanted Isiah Thomas, smiling that fake smile, trying his best to make everyone comfortable. But Mayweather wasn't Thomas—he was boxing's Allen Iverson. He wasn't Grand Rapids, Michigan despite having grown up there. He was Las Vegas, all glitz, glitter and danger.

It was something Arum never understood. He blamed Mayweather's failures on the changing demographics of the fight game, claiming a black American couldn't make it big in the lighter weight classes where Hispanic fighters were the dominant product, both in the ring and at the gate.

"It's difficult enough to promote a non-Hispanic, nonheavyweight pay-per-view attraction," Arum told Sports Illustrated in 2000, complaining about the hip-hop influence.  "But now, if he's going to keep turning people off, people will stay away."

Today, with the power of time, that sentiment seems ridiculous.

Mayweather is box office gold, one of the greatest pay-per-view attractions of all time. With a win over Guerrero in the record books, he has five fights remaining on a record-setting Showtime contract. When that contract expires, if not before, Mayweather will have likely taken his last step into a boxing ring as a professional. It's likely he will leave the game as the most successful fighter of all time, if the appropriate metric of success is based on the number of zeros on your paycheck.

Mayweather is more than just a wealthy fighter, however. His legacy is unquestioned. His skill is unsurpassed, at least in his era.

But it isn't what he's done in the ring that makes Mayweather such an influential figure in the sport. For all his skill as a defensive fighter, he's doing nothing that fighters like Pernell Whitaker haven't done before, and some would say done better.

It's outside the ring, jogging in the middle of the Las Vegas night, only neon and HBO lighting the way, that he's changed how we think about this sport. Mayweather, with his creation of the "Money" character in 24/7's inaugural season, reinvented boxing promotion for the better.

As a hero, Mayweather was nothing special. He was a great boxer, but lots of great boxers fail to maximize their earning potential.

So Mayweather sagely became the villain, a role he seemed to relish. With Al Haymon, a Harvard-educated consigliere offering wisdom he learned in the music business, Mayweather invented a new persona to help him sell himself and his fights.

"If I would have had Al Haymon from the beginning, I probably would be a billionaire right now," Mayweather told the New York Times.

"Money" Mayweather is crude, profane and often extremely funny. His family and entourage became stars in their own right, a combination of "yes" men and B-movie characters who make any Mayweather television appearance must-see TV. 

Mark Taffet, an HBO senior vice president, may have coined the "Money" nickname for Floyd on a private jet as the two joined Oscar De La Hoya in an 11-city publicity tour for their 2007 fight. He told USA Today that Mayweather was larger than life, the kind of personality fans could love or hate, but not ignore:

He's got that larger-than-life personality, but it's amazing how generous he is to our camera people with the access and time he's willing to give us in the weeks leading up to the fight. That's what enables us to make the show so special. He brings the viewer into his life, his house and his training camp, and he is incredibly open and allows the viewer to get up-close and personal. As a result, a strong connection is created.

Is "Money" the real Mayweather? Many successful pro wrestlers excel when their character takes on elements of their real-life personality and then turns the volume up to 11.

"I like to bring entertainment to the sport. I don't think if I was loud talking and I wasn't backing it up—backing up all my loud talking, I wouldn't be where I'm at," Mayweather told the press before his fight with Victor Ortiz.

It's entertainment. It's fun. Just like 24/7. It's an entertainment show. If people are watching TV and all I'm doing is sitting at home and I didn't really have a story to tell or I wasn't entertaining, then they say, you know what, why is 24/7 even on TV?

Some of what you see on 24/7 and now, Showtime's All Access is undoubtedly as real as it gets. He really does spend money like it's going out of style. He really owns a fleet of all-white luxury cars and more diamonds than a Jareds. But those who know him well say the Floyd the boxing world loves to hate is not necessarily the real guy they've worked with over the years.

"The Floyd Mayweather I know is a terrific young man and comes across as very polite," Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer told Ring Magazine. "I just see a different person than is portrayed in the media. He is very quiet about what he does."

Slowly but surely, Mayweather is bridging the gap between the man Schaefer knows and the man television audiences watch with rapt amazement.

At 36, his reality television tomfoolery is being replaced by more scenes with family and friends. The excess is still there, but it's a more mature display of ostentatiousness. A different "Money" May would have lit into a disrespectful Robert Guerrero and his father Ruben. The new Floyd laughed it off and did his talking in the ring.

That's Las Vegas too. Beneath the glittering facades, a casino is a serious structure, all steel beams and steely-eyed commerce.

That's Floyd Mayweather too—the true heir to Las Vegas' rich boxing tradition and a bridge to the future for a sport that needs to remain young, vibrant and amazingly American.

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Bleacher Report - Boxing: Mayweather vs. Guerrero Round by Round: Complete Analysis of Entire Bout

Bleacher Report - Boxing
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Mayweather vs. Guerrero Round by Round: Complete Analysis of Entire Bout
May 5th 2013, 05:06

After a year away from the ring that included a stint in jail, Floyd Mayweather Jr. didn't show any signs of rust as he dominated Robert Guerrero at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on Saturday night, May 4. 

Mayweather won a unanimous decision, 117-111, on the cards of all three judges. Bleacher Report tweeted this picture and the results:

With the win, Mayweather improves to a perfect 44-0, while Guerrero falls to 31-2-1. 

Here is how the entertaining night played out.

 

Round 1

Mayweather came out looking to establish his jab while Guerrero was content to lock him up. Neither fighter gained an early advantage. 

Midway through the round, Guerrero threw a big combo and landed a solid body shot. This sent Mayweather retreating to the ropes. It was clear that Guerrero was not going to be intimidated. 

That body shot proved to be the biggest shot of the round. There wasn't a lot separating the two in this round, but I gave it to go to Guerrero due to that effective body shot. 

 

Round 2

The second round began much like the first. Floyd was moving well, displaying his amazing reflexes and showing no signs of rust. 

However, Guerrero landed a nice straight left early in the round, and he was able to keep Floyd from finding a rhythm. 

Still, the ever-elusive Mayweather was able to lure Guerrero into his misses, and he started to gain a little control as the round advanced. I scored this one 10-9 Mayweather. 

 

Round 3

Guerrero was still trying to take the action to Floyd in the third round. However, Mayweather was getting tougher and tougher to hit. 

This led to Guerrero trying to quickly tie Mayweather up before he became a victim of Money's counters. Guerrero was trying to turn this into a brawl. 

Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole highlights that with this tweet: 

However, Money was not having it. 

He took control of the round as his hand speed looked as good as ever. Round 3 went 10-9 to Mayweather. 

 

Round 4

In Round 4, Mayweather began to get in a rhythm. Working the straight right, he landed the biggest shot of the fight up to this point with a decisive blow.  

With Floyd leaning in, he was flashing his elite waste movement, and Guerrero was having a hard time landing anything. This left him vulnerable to Floyd's straight rights, and Money began taking target practice. 

This round was a clear win for Floyd. Although, Guerrero didn't seem much worse for wear. Still, it was another 10-9 round for Money. 

 

Round 5

The fifth round progressed much like the previous two. Guerrero simply couldn't land anything on Floyd. It wasn't for a lack of effort, though. He was throwing some haymakers, but Floyd was slipping out of trouble with his trademark lateral quickness. 

It became unavoidably clear at this point that we were seeing vintage Mayweather on this night. 

He controlled Round 5 from start to finish. Guerrero was competitive, but there was never a sense that he was about to claim control. This was enough to earn Money another 10-9 round. 

 

Round 6

Guerrero began lunging for his punches a bit in this round, and not surprisingly, it wasn't any more effective. 

Floyd had this fight right where he wanted it at this point, as Guerrero was expanding twice the energy to land half the punches. 

Mayweather wasn't landing any huge blows, but he was landing solid and flush shots. This was another 10-9 round for Mayweather, and already this bout was approaching a point where Guerrero was going to need a knockout if he was going to win. 

 

Round 7

By this round, it became apparent that Guerrero had no more tricks up his sleeve. He was lost, and simply following Floyd around the ring. 

He was losing confidence in his punches, too, and this allowed Money to put on a clinic. 

Money's hand speed had not slowed down at all. His right was a complete blur, and he was in full control. Another 10-9 round for Money. 

 

Round 8

Money may have began to smell blood in this round. Of course, that wouldn't be surprising since Guerrero's face was covered in it.

Floyd was more aggressive in Round 8, and he landed some big shots. The left eye of Guerrero was beginning to swell, and Mayweather dominated the round. 

Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole tweeted this: 

With another 10-9 round for Mayweather, it became a question of how long this fight would go, and not who would win. 

 

Round 9

The Ghost came to fight this night. He clearly was not on the same talent level as Floyd, but he was prepared and determined. He proved that by posting a solid Round 9 after spending the last six rounds getting strategically dominated. 

I still gave this round to Mayweather, 10-9, but it was much closer than the previous rounds. ESPN's Dan Rafael viewed this round, and the fight, similarly to me: 

Guerrero was moving better, and he did not waste as many punches. However, he wasn't able to hurt Mayweather, and the outcome still didn't feel in doubt. 

 

Round 10

Despite being 36, Floyd looked as fresh in this round as he did in the start of this fight. He still couldn't be hit, and his hands couldn't be seen. 

He dominated Round 10 as Guerrero did not look as fresh. Given Money's excellence and punching accuracy, this is not surprising. 

And while he wasn't landing knockout blows, he was landing some good shots, and he was doing so with accuracy, which Showtime Sports highlighted with this tweet: 

This was another 10-9 round for Floyd. 

 

Round 11

Mayweather was just toying with his opponent at this stage of the bout. Check out this tweet by Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix

Mayweather easily avoided Guerrero's attacks and continued to pepper him. At this point, the 12th round seemed like a meaningless formality. 

 

Round 12

The 12th round offered everyone time to gush about how great Mayweather looked. There wasn't a lot of action; Guerrero was too battered and tired to amount much of an attack, and Mayweather didn't need to do anything but stay on his feet. 

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Bleacher Report - Boxing: Floyd Mayweather Injures Hand in Fight vs. Robert Guerrero

Bleacher Report - Boxing
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Floyd Mayweather Injures Hand in Fight vs. Robert Guerrero
May 5th 2013, 05:02

Floyd Mayweather may have earned yet another decisive victory to add to his already spotless record on Saturday night, but it didn't come without a cost.

After the fight was over, Mayweather took off his glove to expose an injury to his right hand. It's an injury that he believed came somewhere in the middle of the fight, though he could not recall the exact round.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweeted out the news.

Despite the injury, Mayweather utilized the right hand throughout the fight and landed with it consistently. Guerrero gave his best efforts to apply pressure and bring the fight to the longtime champion, but Mayweather's slick defense and, ironically, stiff right hand were too much for The Ghost.

All three judges scored the fight heavily for Mayweather, 117 to 111.

With this win, Mayweather successfully answered all questions about potential ring rust after a year away from the ring. He appeared to be in top condition throughout the night. The fact that he did it while dealing with an injury at some point makes it all the more impressive.  

While the nature of the injury isn't clear at this time, it's possible that it could be a threat to his scheduled bout against an undetermined opponent in September.

Many fans would love to see him take on rising light middleweight star Canelo Alvarez next. The 22-year-old recently defeated Austin Trout via unanimous decision and would pose an interesting challenge for Mayweather.

As Mannix's tweet suggests, Mayweather deflected questions regarding his next opponent in his post-fight injury. If it turns out that his hand injury is serious, he won't be fighting anyone in September.

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Bleacher Report - Boxing: Floyd Mayweather Shows Layoff Had Limited Impact En Route to Dominant Win

Bleacher Report - Boxing
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Floyd Mayweather Shows Layoff Had Limited Impact En Route to Dominant Win
May 5th 2013, 04:58

Floyd Mayweather came into his fight against Robert Guerrero undefeated, but with serious question marks surrounding his age and durability on the grand stage.

He left with just one of those things in tact—his incredible undefeated record.

"Money" Mayweather started a little shower than expected against a strong Guerrero, but over the course of the next few rounds, it was clear that the champion still had everything he needed to succeed—his elusiveness, his pace and his experience.

There were no signs of ring rust from Money, and after a strong 12-round performance, he emerged with victory to his name via an unanimous decision.

Mayweather showed that he's still the pound-for-pound king in boxing and he's still the guy to beat. But more than that, he proved to his doubters that even after spending a year on the sidelines—including some time in a Las Vegas jail from a misdemeanor domestic battery case—he is still the top dog.

One year between fights might have seemed like a long time, but not for Mayweather. After all, this is a guy who's taken periods of 16 months and 21 months off in recent years, and he still came away with the same perfect record and winning result, despite facing some quality opponents.

If anybody was primed to put up a strong showing from a hiatus, it was Mayweather—as he proved with his strong performance against "The Ghost."

He'd spoken about it in the weeks leading up to the fight (per ESPN), but even then, nobody could completely take his word for it until he had backed it up.

"No one has a blueprint in how to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr," the American said.

"All 43 opponents had a gameplan, all 43 came up short. I don't think the layoff will hurt me. I've faced every style, so it's not hard for me to make adjustments." 

And then he backed up those words with action.

He took his time to warm up against Guerrero, with his opponent certainly getting the better of Mayweather a couple of times in the early rounds.

Yet between the sixth and the eighth rounds particularly, Money May made his presence known—opening up Guerrero with a cut to start the eighth and showcasing plenty of offensive firepower in amongst his defensive prowess.

Despite Guerrero trying to apply the pressure and crack the Mayweather code, he was simply unable to break through the 36-year-old's phenomenal defense.

Even after a year outside of the ring.

Perhaps having such a long break would have affected an average fighter.

Maybe being 36 and seeing your reflexes fade would have impacted most as well.

But if we've learned anything from Mayweather's incredible professional career, and from his fight against Guerrero on Saturday night, it's that this isn't a regular or average fighter we're talking about. 

This is Floyd "Money" Mayweather—still, your WBC Welterweight champion.

 

Hit me up on Twitter for more sports goodness: Follow @dantalintyre

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Bleacher Report - Boxing: Floyd Mayweather Injury: Updates on Boxing Star's Hand

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Floyd Mayweather Injury: Updates on Boxing Star's Hand
May 5th 2013, 05:19

Floyd "Money" Mayweather has reportedly sustained an injury to his right hand in his defeat of Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero at the MGM Grand on Saturday night.

After successfully defending his WBC Welterweight Title via a unanimous decision, the boxing superstar said that he injured his hand in the fight (according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix):

No news is yet known on what round the injury occurred, but according to Sports Illustrated's Bryan A. Graham, Mayweather says it happened during the fight.

The 36-year-old also took off his glove after the fight to show the injury.

According to his contract with Showtime Networks Inc., Mayweather was scheduled to have up to six fights in the next 30 months—the first of which being this fight against Guerrero. What impact the injury will have on those plans still remains to be seen, with no news yet known on the details or severity of the injury.

However, as Steve Kim at Max Boxing suggests, it could well postpone his next fight scheduled for September against an undetermined opponent. Mannix already pointed out above that the star avoided questions about potentially fighting Canelo Alvarez, whom many would love to see square off against Money May, and that this injury may end derail any chances of that fight coming together. 

Mayweather's right hand was simply dominant against Guerrero throughout the fight—opening up his opponent with several great jabs during the middle rounds.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, the 36-year-old landed 60 percent of his power punches throughout the fight as he chalked up a 117-111 unanimous-decision victory, with all three judges giving the same score. 

It is not yet known in what round Mayweather sustained the injury, but there's little doubting he fought for a significant portion of the fight with the injury—and likely still landed several huge blows in the process.

The victory extended Mayweather's unbeaten streak to 44-0.

 

Hit me up on Twitter for more sports goodness:   



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Bleacher Report - Boxing: Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao: Status of Bout After Mayweather vs. Guerrero

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Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao: Status of Bout After Mayweather vs. Guerrero
May 5th 2013, 05:18

A Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao superfight may not be so super anymore, but it would still be the biggest fight in the sport commercially.

I'm not sure Mayweather's win over Robert Guerrero on Saturday affected the probability the fight would ever occur. If anything, it further separated Money from Pacman.

At this point, this is no longer about if these two fighters are the best in the sport. When the hype surrounding a possible meeting was at its peak, the major push was based around the thought that it would decide the true pound-for-pound king.

That isn't the case anymore.

Though Mayweather defeated Guerrero, many would say that at 36 years old, the gap has closed between he and the other top fighters in the sport.

Even if we still believe in Mayweather's supremacy, who can truthfully give credence to the concept that Pacquiao is still one of the two-best fighters in the world?

He's lost two fights in a row, and as we all know by now, the last defeat at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez was a life-changing event.

Despite these harsh boxing realities, casual and hardcore fans would still find a huge interest in seeing a Mayweather and Pacquiao fight. Even if the energy around the bout was more about curiosity than excitement, the appeal is still there.

Mayweather said in this interview with Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony, Doug Gottlieb, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley during March Madness that he would fight for "30 months." The 30 months is a direct reference to the deal Mayweather recently signed with Showtime/CBS.

He also told Gottlieb, who asked specifically about him fighting Pacquiao, that Manny had a lot of hurdles to get over before he can think about fighting him.

Basically, Pacquiao needs to get a win under his belt, then we'll talk.

Hardcore fans may be tired of the Mayweather-Pacquiao talk, but Gottlieb likely represents the majority of casual fans. For him, that was the most compelling question to ask Floyd.

That will probably remain until the fight ever happens, or until either Mayweather or Pacquiao lose another fight.

Mayweather reiterated his point about random drug testing being a stumbling block as well. That just adds more layers to the barricade that separates these two future Hall of Fame fighters.

We'll see if any promising news comes out about a possible meeting. At best, it seems we are at least a year away from a scenario that would create an opening for the fight to take place.

Follow me, because I love boxing and you do too.

Follow @BrianMazique

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Bleacher Report - Boxing: Floyd Mayweather vs. Robert Guerrero Results: Most Exciting Rounds from Fight

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Floyd Mayweather vs. Robert Guerrero Results: Most Exciting Rounds from Fight
May 5th 2013, 05:12

It was a solid fight, but Floyd Mayweather was able to defeat Robert Guerrero by unanimous decision, winning 117-111.

It was certainly an exciting fight to watch, even if it was a unanimous decision.  Guerrero fought with a lot of heart and stayed aggressive, but Floyd was much more precise with his shots.

There’s plenty to talk about from the fight, so let’s go ahead and take a look at some of the most exciting rounds from the main event Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

 

Round 1

Both fighters tried to make a statement early on, and there were some shots flying quickly.  They both looked really focused starting off, particularly with Guerrero.  He stayed calm and continued to get some sold swings off of Mayweather’s right hand.

Money did a good job staying elusive in the first, continuing to get out of difficult situations.  While his right hand wasn’t landing as much in the first, he certainly found it later in the fight.

It was certainly a great way to kick off the fight, and the first round got the fans pumped up.

 

Round 4

Things started to get interesting in the fourth round, and it felt like Mayweather was finally starting to hit his stride.

Ghost’s guard started to slip a bit in this round, and Floyd began to take advantage of it.  His right hand finally started to land effectively.  

Along with finding his right hand, Money continued to find ways to be evasive.  It seemed like whenever Guerrero was getting him up against the ropes, Floyd found ways to slip out of it with ease.

 

Round 6

From the start of the fourth round, it felt like Mayweather had taken complete control of the fight. 

The sixth round was more of the same.

Mayweather kept finding ways to move around along with landing some good counterpunches.  Guerrero was able to keep it close early on, but that defense started to open up once again, and Floyd took advantage of it.

 

Round 8

This was probably the most exciting round of the night.

The first cut of the night showed up on Guerrero early on in the round.  After the blood started flowing, Mayweather looked to get more aggressive after being relatively conservative for most of the fight.

Things started looking really bad for Guerrero in this round.  Along with the cut, he was met with a pretty devastating one-two combo by Mayweather that might have been the shot of night.

With a pretty dominant round by Floyd, it seemed like he had pretty much wrapped up the fight and earned that unanimous decision.

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Bleacher Report - Boxing: Mayweather vs. Guerrero Purse: What Each Fighter Earned from Prize Fight

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Mayweather vs. Guerrero Purse: What Each Fighter Earned from Prize Fight
May 5th 2013, 05:49

Floyd Mayweather won a unanimous decision over Robert Guerrero on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev., and then he was handed a check for $32 million. 

For his efforts in allowing Mayweather to clearly demonstrate he is still the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, Robert Guerrero made a small, only in comparison, $3 million.

This information comes to us from Dan Rafael of ESPN, who notes that the contracts were filed on Friday afternoon with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. 

As Rafael also notes, the $32 million equals the largest contract for a single fight in the history of boxing. This, of course, was already Money's record. He set that mark in his last fight. 

This isn't all the cash these guys will be getting for this fight either. Both will be due a share of the pay-per-view buys. We aren't likely to ever get a concrete number on what this portion amounts to for the fighters, but it's safe to say it will be healthy. 

Rafael pointed out that the PPV buys are expected to top the one-million mark. 

Given all of this, it is no surprise that Money was Forbes magazine's highest grossing athlete last year, and he likely will be for this year as well. 

What is even more impressive in all of this is that Money has streamlined the promotion of his fights, which allows him to pocket the lion's share of what he earns. 

Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer commented in Rafael's article that Money will be keeping 90 percent of the profit. 

Money is living up to his nickname in ways other boxers would need bravado to even dream about, and even though he is 36, his prime earning days may just be getting started. 

Despite being away from the ring for a year, and doing a stint in jail in the interim, Money looked as good as ever. 

Mayweather was solid but unspectacular in beating Miguel Cotto his last time in the ring prior to Saturday, but he was also hit more than we are accustomed to seeing. It was fair, at that point, to speculate that Money had slowed a touch with age. 

It is no longer fair to question that. Money was nearly impossible to hit in this fight, and his hands were a blur. This was a vintage performance for Mayweather that helped him set a new standard for boxing contracts. 

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Bleacher Report - Boxing: Robert Guerrero's Wife's Battle with Cancer Shows Fighter's Mental Toughness

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Robert Guerrero's Wife's Battle with Cancer Shows Fighter's Mental Toughness
May 5th 2013, 04:01

Robert Guerrero is entering the most important match of his life against Floyd Mayweather, but we know that he will be fine regardless of what happens.

Like his opponent, "The Ghost" had to take a year off between bouts. This occurred 2011 after defeating Michael Katsidis for the Interim WBA and WBO Lightweight Championships. However, his time off was not due to being in jail.

Instead, Guerrero took a leave of absence from his sport to support his wife, Casey, and her battle with leukemia. He discussed the struggles during this time period in a recent interview on Showtime.

While this would destroy most people, the couple's ability to fight the disease and come through stronger really shows a great deal of mental toughness.

In a sport where simply staying on your feet is an accomplishment and surviving 12 rounds is a battle, this might be the most important trait you can have. While Guerrero might be overmatched physically against Mayweather, the mental aspect will go a long way.

Casey was well aware of how important this is going into the bout (via Ryan Maquinana of Comcast SportsNet):

"No one’s going to intimidate Robert.  No one can do that.  We’ve been through struggles in the past.  [To win] will mean everything to us.  Big fight, big payday, we can go buy our house.  It would just change our lives."

This fight itself is a bit of a prize for Guerrero's long career. The ability to get a high-profile event with a big payout is well-deserved for a fighter of his stature.

He has an incredible 31-1-1 record as a professional, slowly working his way up the ranks. His only loss was against Gamaliel Diaz in 2005, but he avenged that defeat a year later.

While he was never one of the most charismatic fighters around, his ability to come in and get the job done should not be overlooked.

Whenever he was up against the wall in the ring, he came through with a big hit when it was needed to escape that bout with a win. He has a similar story outside of the ring.

Guerrero has used the negative moments in his life to fuel him to success, as he told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated:

I look back at my whole career, my whole life, the trials and the tribulations I've been through to be able to become something huge in boxing and I've always had to drop two steps back and go a different route. But I've always known that there's a positive and I've always looked at it [like] it's a blessing in disguise with whatever happens. 

This mindset has helped him in the past, and it will help him against Mayweather. He is facing an undefeated fighter who is universally known as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. A poor attitude would cause an opponent to lose in an instant.

However, Guerrero believes he can win, and there is plenty of reason for him to feel confident. Even if he struggles early, he will stay strong enough to give him a chance to win the fight.

Of course, a loss will only be another struggle in a long career for Guerrero. History has shown us that he will eventually bounce back.

 

Follow @TheRobGoldberg

Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com

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