Floyd Mayweather On The Chopping Block

If you didn’t know any better and you just went by the nickname, you’d expect DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley to win this thing inside three easy rounds.

That’s because “Chop Chop” is a nickname you can feel comfortable betting the house on. It makes you think of a burly butcher using a meat cleaver to hack away at a side of beef inside a large cooler, blood splattering all over his apron and the walls.

Or maybe “Chop Chop” makes you think of a guy who is always in a big hurry, always staying ahead of the game, always moving, always hustling.

“Hey, DeMarcus. Could you bring me that hammer, chop chop?”

If there were a Hall of Fame of nicknames, Corley’s would have a corner space all to itself, right next to “Boom Boom,” “The Executioner,” and “Lights Out.” Too bad nicknames can’t throw jabs or hooks, or slip right-hand leads, because Corley will probably be seeing a lot of right- hand leads in just a few short hours from now. That’s what most right-handers like to throw against southpaws.

Corley (28-2-1, 16 KOs) will be facing “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather (31-0, 21 KOs) in a 12- round WBC elimination bout tonight (Saturday) on HBO at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall for the right to fight for the WBC junior-welterweight title now held by Arturo Gatti.

It’s a step up in weight class for Mayweather, the WBC lightweight champion who – following Roy Jones Jr.’s recent loss – can now honestly lobby for the title of best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The mother of three of his children would probably cast a vote in his favor, considering Mayweather, one of the more arrogant fighters in the game, was charged with domestic battery against her last December.

In some ways, this fight is similar to last weekend’s matchup between Jones and Antonio Tarver, which Tarver won by way of a second-round knockout.

Like Tarver, Corley comes in as the heavy underdog, a former champion with a southpaw stance and the unwavering belief that he can beat the swaggering Mayweather, nicknamed after a gangster – Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd. Corley went so far as to order shirts with the words, “WE SHOCKED THE WORLD ON 5/22/04,” written on them.

Mayweather, meanwhile, was gracious enough to remind everyone at a press conference earlier this week that, no, he wasn’t to be confused with another great pugilist of similar grace and talent who recently fell on hard times.

“I ain’t Roy Jones,” Mayweather said when he approached the podium. “And Corley is no Tarver.”

We can hope, can’t we?