To risk the 0 or not
Has Floyd Mayweather’s record affected the competition of boxing today?
by Joseph James Kamara
From ‘Pretty boy’ Floyd to Floyd ‘money’ Mayweather, of course someone with nicknames like these would bring up a whole leap of controversy.
The name Floyd Mayweather JR is a figure known globally both in and out the boxing world. But for those who are not aware, he is a former professional boxer from America who currently works as a boxing promoter. Having gone undefeated in his professional career, with a record of 50-0. He is regarded by many as one of the best boxers of all time.
Source: Marca.com
Prior to this at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta he held his first and only loss in the semi-finals to a Bulgarian fighter named Serafim Todorov. After this loss he took it upon himself to elevate his skills and never take a loss again, which is something we can all learn from.
Some critics argue that the reason why Floyd’s record has caused issues in boxing today is because a lot of fighters aim to stay undefeated. This has led to top fighters avoiding each other, with the aim of replicating Floyd’s record.
An example of this can be seen through comparing the ‘old kings’ in boxing to those labelled as the ‘new kings’ today. In the early 80’s the four boxers now labelled as the ‘old kings’ were Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Robert Duran. Collectively they fought each other, 18 times with all fighters taking both wins and losses.
On the other hand, the ‘new kings’ of today's era are Ryan Garcia, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis and Teofimo Lopez. Out of these 5 fighters only Ryan Garcia has fought both Gervonta Davis and Devin Haney the rest have not fought each other and remain undefeated. Keeping their records safe.
Source: Yahoo sports
The difference between this and Floyd Mayweather Jr is that he never avoided the big match ups. Defeating boxers such as Oscar Del Hoy, Manny Pacquaio and Ricky Hatton. Showbiz the Adult, a well-known pundit, clarified how Mayweather previously discussed his decision to prioritise "currency over legacy." But according to the pundit, Mayweather didn't realise at the time that other boxers would start taking notice of him. Instead, he saw what was going on and decided to support the notion of traditional boxing, in which fighters would take on any strong opponent regardless of the potential financial gain from the match.
A reason why fighters would rather avoid taking losses, can partly be due to the response given by critics and social media once a fighter has taken their first loss.
Picture this, Anthony Joshua, Olympic gold medallist, who had an undefeated record of 26 – 0 at the time, takes a devastating loss at the hands of Andy Ruiz on the 1st of June 2019. Although, it was his first time losing the response from the internet was nothing short of demoralising. Calling him names like ‘unstable’ and ‘washed’.
Source: Sky Sports
The effect this has on the sport is that boxers may be discouraged from taking required risks to further their careers if their major focus is on being undefeated. In addition, a boxer's mental health may suffer because of the intense pressure to remain unbeaten, which may result in anxiety and poor performance. Fans of boxing then must suffer by not being able to see top fighters against each other.
On the flip side, boxers trying to remain undefeated can also have a positive impact. The focus on not losing could lead to advancements in training regimes, emphasising strategy and ring IQ. So, when they do end up fighting the top guys in their division, they are fully preparing not to take a loss. A boxer's negotiating position is strengthened when he or she stays unbeaten, which may result in better terms and rewards for upcoming contests.
I interviewed a young upcoming boxer, who trains at St Mary’s ABC regarding this topic his response was:
‘Floyd Mayweather’s undefeated record has inspired fighters to have undefeated careers. This has led to fans becoming hypocrites as they want the best fights, but the minute a fighter loses, they begin to disrespect their efforts’.
Ultimately, Mayweather's perfect record has a complicated effect. It can promote commercial acumen and strategic fighting, but it can also result in excessive caution and undue pressure on fighters.
Hopefully now after seeing Ryan Garcia bounce back after his loss to Gervonta Davis. More fighters will follow in his footsteps to take more risks and establish legacies for themselves instead of replicating Floyd.