The time is now. Floyd Mayweather should hang the gloves up once and for all. Last Friday, the World Boxing Organization stripped Mayweather of his title for not following rules that require him to pay $200,000. Yes, it is true, Mayweather should have done what was stated in his contract. But when have we ever known the Grand Rapids, Mich., product to ever follow conventional wisdom?
“The WBO World Championship Committee is allowed no other alternative but to cease to recognize Mr. Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the WBO Welterweight Champion of the World and vacate his title for failing to comply with our WBO regulations of world championship contests,” the WBO stated Monday.
Mayweather, who turns 39 next February, is looking at this situation like most would if they stood undefeated (48-0, 26 by KO) for almost two decades. The man simply felt he didn’t need to pay his sanctioning fee from his last bout in May. Not paying would lead to the belt being taken away.
Now, with that being said, many boxing aficionados understand the WBO’s position. Most fighters only get a 10-day grace period to decide which weight class they will defend their title in. Mayweather, who last fought Manny Pacquiao May 2, has been given two whole months to make that decision.
“The WBO has the utmost respect for Floyd Mayweather Jr. and all that he has accomplished during his storied career,” the WBO wrote in a statement. “Mr. Mayweather has always agreed with and understood that world championships have both privileges and responsibilities and that status as WBO champion is subject to and conditioned on compliance with the WBO rules and regulations.”
The WBO did what they felt was just, but the Mayweather camp thought differently. “Floyd Mayweather has a great deal of respect for each and every organization, as he has always had in his 19-year career,” Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe reportedly said. “But he will not be dictated by any organization or person as it relates to his decision making.”
In the aftermath of Mayweather defeating Pacquiao, no up-and-comers with potential to threaten Mayweather’s unblemished record seem to be on the horizon. With the lack of boxing talent around and the WBO stripping him of his belt, why doesn’t Mayweather just hang the gloves up for good?
Mayweather has defeated Mexican great Oscar De La Hoya. He drew a technical knockout against, at the time, undefeated British hero Ricky Hatton. He most recently embarrassed the Philippines’ pride and joy, Manny Pacquiao, in such an unfair matchup it became boring. So what else is there to prove? If the WBO is taking action that Mayweather believes is “dictating,” then why not get the last laugh and put an end to his remarkable 20-year career?