It happens to most all of our boxing champions – the time comes when they are sacrificed, thrown to the lions. It’s the natural evolution of the ruthless world of boxing which is a jungle.

It happened to Sugar Ray Leonard against Terry Norris. It happened to Joe Louis against Rocky Marciano, Roberto Duran against William Joppy and Jack Johnson against Jess Willard.
You see, no matter how great a fighter may have been, the sport doesn’t care, and will eventually throw him to the lions.

The powers that be threw Alexis Arguello in with Aaron Pryor. Jim Jeffries vs. Jack Johnson. They put Mike Tyson against Lennox Lewis. Heck, they even threw “The Greatest” of them all Muhammad Ali to the lions – that was the night he had to fight Larry Holmes.

The sport threw Roy Jones in there with Antonio Tarver twice after he barely survived the first fight. Roy had to do it and he did.

Sometimes the sport tries to throw a great champion to the lions but he is just too clever to be tricked and defies his fate. Lennox Lewis escaped desperate danger and clawed his way to victory over Vitali Klitschko in his final bout. Then Lewis opted, after much contemplation, to retire without a rematch. And the lions had to change their course.

The sport tried to eliminate Bernard Hopkins, who battled Jermain Taylor twice over 24 rounds. But Hopkins refused to be conquered. The judges took his titles away, but because of his gallant and honorable performance to survive, he remained an inspiration and “The People’s Champion.” Again they tried to feed Hopkins to the lions again against Kelly Pavlik, but he was too smart and crafty and outsmarted the lions once again.

For the third and fourth time the jungle masters tried again to match Hopkins – with Chad Dawson and Tomasz Adamek – but the old lion from Philadelphia wouldn’t step into the trap.

Now the natural progression of the jungle sport has caught up with the elusive Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather is all too well aware that the masters eagerly want to feed him to Manny Pacquiao and let the lions and vultures devour his carcass. Mayweather is no fool – he knows what time it is, that the end is so very near.

Like a desperate, frightened, vulnerable animal, Floyd is running as fast as he can to hide from the merciless lions. But he is coming to the realization now that here is no escape, nothing or nobody can help him this time. There is no way to survive Manny Pacquiao who is everything he wishes he could be.

When the time comes to be fed to the lions, you either face it with honor – or cowardice.

The moment of truth is here – Mayweather will soon decide what he really is.