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“There’s Nothing Great About Taking Punishment”: Floyd Mayweather Ropes In Muhammad Ali’s Painful Diagnosis While Sharing Honest Advice to His Protege Curmel Moton

Published 10/02/2023, 12:20 PM EDT

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Curmel Moton debuted Saturday night against Ezequiel Flores following the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo main event. In a pristine show of dominance, Moton took home the victory and the bragging rights for a first-round win. However, the story did not end there! During the post-fight press conference, Floyd Mayweather made an appearance beside Moton. And he had some words of wisdom for his protege.

In the leadup to the big battle, Moton was the crowd favorite despite Flores’ previous four wins. Moton’s popularity was because of big names in the boxing community backing Moton as a great fighter. Not to mention, Floyd had claimed he saw himself in the young boxer. So, there was little doubt of him losing the fight. Nevertheless, after the expected conclusion, Floyd advised Moton not to make the same mistake as Muhammad Ali. But how did Muhammad Ali come into the conversation?

Floyd Mayweather doesn’t want Curmel Moton to take punishment

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While addressing the reporters in the audience, Mayweather described what he wanted for Moton’s future. He started by asserting, “One of the most important things about my career was my defense. You know.” Floyd then gave some examples of fighters who suffered from debilitating diseases due to their actions in the ring. 

“Um, it’s just like when you guys look at guys like Sugar Ray Robinson, and you guys look at certain fighters like Muhammad Ali,” Floyd told reporters. Mohammad Ali suffered from Parkinson’s, and Sugar Ray Robinson suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Through these examples, Floyd claimed, “There’s nothing great about taking punishment.” 

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Later, Floyd explained that these fighters were great in their prime. But all that changed when they got older and could not talk or even walk. For those reasons, Floyd asserted, “If I got to be put in that position to be great, then that’s not for me, you know.” Following his statement, Floyd drew attention to his grandson. According to him, being able to play with his grandson is the greatest thing. However, this was not the only highlight of the press conference.

Later, during the press conference, one of the reporters said something that ticked off Floyd. The reporter mentioned Moton is being guided by “arguably” one of the greatest fighters in boxing history. Floyd Mayweather, a 50-0 record holder, took offense to the statement. He asked the reporter, “What are we rating ourselves on?” Following the question, Floyd pointed out that he defeated the most champions, produced the most gate revenue, and made the most money. So, even the reporter had to admit Floyd was the greatest boxer. 

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By mentioning Muhammad Ali’s diagnosis, Floyd Mayweather aims to warn his prodigy Moton to make the right decisions. So that he can have a better life after he retires from the sport. However, we would like to hear your opinion. Do you agree with Floyd? Does the injuries of a fighter make him great?

Watch This Story: Five Fascinating Facts About Floyd Mayweather’s Protégé, Curmel Moton

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Written by:

Sudeep Sinha

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Sudeep Sinha is a Boxing Writer at Essentially Sports. He is an avid fan of the sport and remains in awe of the fighters. He is inspired by the grit and the passion that boxers possess and feels that those are essential elements in order to do well in all spheres.
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Edited by:

Arijit Saha