So pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather has quit boxing... you'd better believe it, says Glenn McCrory.
Floyd is moving aside, but can Pavlik now Ghost in?
So this is it, Floyd Mayweather is going to retire.
I was in Cuba learning how to salsa dance - more of that later - when the news broke, but having had time to reflect on it, I am not surprised at all.
And I have to say, I believe it. I know a lot of people will think it's another publicity stunt, but looking at it, where has Mayweather got to go?
There are no more challenges out there for him. Whatever your opinion about the decision, he beat Oscar de la Hoya and he outclassed Ricky Hatton, both of who were his only major threats at the time. I know a rematch with de la Hoya was talked about, but he will be up against a bigger man who nearly beat him last time, so why go there again?
Miguel Cotto is about, but does Floyd need that? I don't think so. He has won world titles at five different weights, he is undefeated in 39 fights and has more cash than Evander Holyfield had, so maybe the mental edge that he would need for De La Hoya II or Cotto is not there anymore. It's all very well having natural talent but you've still got to work bloody hard, and for all his flashness and brashness, he did just that.
He has beat everybody and had a great career and the one thing we can say about Floyd is, he's pretty smart. Very few get out of the game at the very top, especially undefeated, and he already has interests outside the sport. He has his record label, he's done Dancing With The Stars (which, after my salsa lesson, I can safely say I will not be doing), he's done WWE and is no stranger to the world of showbiz.
Bored
Which all suggests to me, we have seen the last of Floyd Mayweather in a boxing ring. In time, like him or loathe him, will be recognised as one of the greats. Mind you, it was not always easy. We never gave up on him here on
Sky Sports, but I remember going with Ian Darke to places like Fresno and Portland, just because they wouldn't let him box in Las Vegas.
That was Floyd's biggest problem, that he got to the very top, but at times bored his way there. Maybe he was too good, maybe it was because he didn't want to get into a war and always had one eye on life after boxing. If both of those were true, it makes even more sense that this retirement announcement is final.
What it does is leave us looking for a new pound-for-pound king because Mayweather was up there, head and shoulders above the rest, probably since the demise of Roy Jones Jr.
It is nice to have one guy at the top of the pile who we can all say is number one - just what we need in the heavyweights - but now it will be good to see the others scrapping it out for that vacant title.
Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto and our own Joe Calzaghe will fancy their chances, but one man who I think is in with a shout is my old mate Kelly Pavlik.
Gauge
I thought he looked very, very good against Gary Lockett. OK, you couldn't help feeling that Lockett was out of his depth and lucky to get a world title shot like that, but how many times have we seen champions slipping up in fights they are supposed to win? And sometimes, those fights can be a better gauge of just how good a guy is.
Pavlik was known for those two wins over Jermain Taylor and coming back from the brink in the first one, but sometimes when you are the underdog and certainly when you have been put on your backside, you have nothing to lose and fight that way. When you are the overwhelming favourite and expected to win, that can be a tougher prospect.
But Kelly clearly hadn't cut any corners and boy did we see just how hard he can hit. OK, he might not have the silky skills of Mayweather or de la Hoya, but he has a heart the size of a mountain and makes the most of what he's got. He trains really hard, is a grafter and a real blue-collar champ. It's nice to see that hard work can pay off.
Also he is entertaining. His fans - almost all of Youngstown, Ohio, judging by that first Taylor fight I was at - love him and he has taken America by storm. There will be no danger of Vegas snubbing him, because he is a true fighting man and already a people's champ. I would love to see him fight Calzaghe (they could make it at super-middle) and I am sure he would be up for it.
He might not be the next Floyd Mayweather, but if you're looking for a man that can, for one reason or another, become the world number one, don't rule out The Ghost!
Salsa
Now to my dancing exploits in Cuba. I should tell you all that on July 12 I am leading a world record attempt at the world's biggest ever salsa dance, when we hope to have over 1,000 people strutting their stuff up in the north east.
Don't ask me how I got involved in this because, as my wife will tell anyone, I have two left feet, but it's part of the
Vamos! concert we have coming up in Newcastle. I suppose my Cuban connections helped, but there I was whisked off by the theatre and culture people to meet and greet - and take in a salsa lesson - in Cuba.
I did get time to drop in on my coaches' families to tell them they are all doing fine and I also managed to drop in on Teófilo Stevenson and Jorge Guzman, head of the Cuban Boxing Association. It was only a flying visit of four days and I have to say I wasn't that sad to leave, particularly when Teófilo proudly showed off the gun he had just been given by Fidel Castro. The way he was waving it about was enough to get even my feet moving!
Finally, I must mention one of our own amateurs, Bradley Saunders, who has just come back from China where he won the President's Cup. It is part of the preparations for the Olympics and we only sent five fighters out - the rest went to Poland for the European Championships - but Bradley beat the (other) world bronze medallist and the reigning Olympic champion.
He's a pal of mine and I am chuffed to bits for him. He might be a million miles away from Floyd Mayweather just yet, but I reckon he might just end up being number one in Beijing.
Do you agree with Glenn? Is this the end of Floyd? How good was he? And who will take over as the pound-for-pound king? Let us know your view by using the feedback form below...
