The v2 Boxing brain of the year 2014 - Fight 4 - Round 1

Please vote for your favourite response to the question at hand. The judging will be open until Friday and further rounds will be published as and when.

To avoid bias, the contenders are not revealed.

Would boxing have been better if Floyd Mayweather never existed?

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Contender 1

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Would boxing be better if Floyyd had not been born? No. Floyyd is an iconic superstar who transcends the sport.

Sports thrive financially when blessed with a Superstar (promoters, coaches, opponents, entourages, lawyers, TV networks (and their employees) all benefit; but most importantly, boxing benefits (as too does the economy).

Superstars lure prospective fighters to boxing; the more fighters (and fights), the more chance of another Superstar; the more Superstars, the more money; the more money, the longer boxing will continue to exist.

Fighters drawn to boxing by Floyd, both currently, and in the distant future, will appreciate the finer nuances of the sport and would imitate his ‘hit and not be hit style’ – this will/would reduce the incidences of pugilistic head trauma. The less people injured the better, and the more acceptable the sport appears to the civilised population.

Floyd’s personality divides opinion, although all press is good press; particularly from an economic perspective, both for Floyd and boxing.

Everyone is in agreement his misdemeanour's are abhorrent. However, just because Floyd punches his Mrs it doesn't mean every young boxer will follow suit. He has been vilified and incarcerated; demonstrating a valuable life lesson: actions have consequences. It also allows coaches to highlight ‘even The Best have character flaws but with hard-work and dedication you can still succeed, never give up – boxing is your saviour’.

If Floyd had not been born then; Manny fans couldn't say “Manny did a better number on Hatton and Cotto than Floyyd did”; and Floyd fans couldn't say “look what Floyd did to Marquez then look what Marquez did to Manny” without this kind of balanced and reasoned argument scrawled on every boxing board then most would flounder and disappear; then where would we go for a social life and laugh? The pub?? Hmmm...if Floyd hadn't been born my life would better but boxing most certainly wouldn't.

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Contender 2

47-0, supremely talented, multi-weight world champion, in an era where crowd-pullers are hard to find. A man devoid of a typically crowd pleasing style who has dominated the sport, transcended into the public consciousness become the world's best paid sportsman.

So what's not to like? Well plenty actually, much of which associated with his personality. He's brash and arrogant, but so was Ali. He's been convicted of domestic violence, but again that hardly sets him apart in a sport with violence at its core. Undeniably, there is a crass vulgarity in the obsession of ‘money mayweather’ with the greenback that makes him tough to warm to.

We can probably agree that he may not be the greatest role model. In fact scrap the 'may', he's not the greatest role model. But do we hold him to account for this? Is it his job to set an example or do we accept it’s a reflection of the times we live in and the background he comes from? Compared to his father he seems a well rounded and eloquent individual. Would he have generated more interest in boxing with a cocoa and slippers personality?

What of his career and legacy. Some say he's cherry picked as he's moved through the weights, and to a point I'd agree... and he could have been more active. But there's no escaping the fact that this sublime talent has fought most of his peers and established himself at the pinnacle of his sport. For all his eccentricities, his meticulous preparation is an example and he is a truly fantastic fighter.

...But then there's the manny fight. Hmmm, how could he not give us the opportunity to underline his greatness?

There's no black and white here, only shades of grey. Without mayweather, would we have had a transcending superstar? Manny possibly, more so were he born American, but the answer is probably not... would there have been as wide an audience for boxing and more casual fans drawn in? Probably not. Would that scourge of fight fans, pay per view, have been any less prevalent? Who knows.

Can he personally shoulder responsibility for a sport that allows participants to think money first and legacy as an afterthought... When he's just played the system and followed a well travelled path? I think not, but he has further legitimised such an approach.

I don‘t like Floyd, and the manny non-fight is a stain, but I can't say boxing would be better without him and we would have been denied his virtuoso talent. Yes, he could have used his influence and status to make boxing better than it is. But if my auntie was my uncle... and altruism may not have driven him to his achievements.

If I could return an open verdict I would. But if Oscar Pistorius isn't a murderer, then I can't convict floyd for crimes against boxing. So i say boxing would be in no better place without Floyd, though i feel dirty doing so.
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Vote for your favourite above and don't forget to vote in previous rounds too -

Was the Rocky franchise good or bad for boxing? - https://www.606v2.com/t55525-the-v2-boxing-brain-of-the-year-2014-round-1-fight-1

The last great heavyweight was…….https://www.606v2.com/t55589-the-v2-boxing-brain-of-the-year-2014-fight-2-round-1
Will boxing ever be taken over by MMA in popularity? https://www.606v2.com/t55597-the-v2-boxing-brain-of-the-year-2014-fight-3-round-1

Impossible question to answer....

Contender 1 will struggle though on a board full of success-hating Brits..

For me contender 1 doesn't really debate the issues at hand, he simply states that Floyd is a global superstar and thus good for boxing (at least this is the gist of his argument). Contender 2 does a far deeper analysis, and while I don't agree with all the points, IMO he clearly gives the better answer to the question from a debating perspective, so gets my vote.