Sorry, Floyd, Marciano’s record was already beaten in 2001

By Boxing News - 04/22/2014 - Comments

By Jaime Ortega: There is a media lie floating inside the mainstream boxing community that suggest Rocky Marciano’s record of (49-0), is the record to currently defeat. This is partly because Marciano is considered a legendary fighter that had no rival during the golden years of boxing, so his legacy has outlasted the reality of his already beaten record.

If Floyd Mayweather intends to tie Marciano’s boxing record, he will remain in second place, tied side-by-side with the Italian destroyer. Floyd (45-0) would have to take six more fights to beat the real holder and undefeated champion that ruled the 90’s like a whirlwind with his boxing mastery.

Everyone forgot about Ricardo Lopez alias “El Finito” a Mexican boxer that many claim to be more impressive than Julio Cesar Chavez and the great Salvador Sanchez.

El Finito, dominated and tyrannized for over sixteen years the lightweight and minimum weight divisions. With a record of 51-0 and 38 knockouts he cruised through boxers like Cuban Alex Sanchez “El Nene”, Argentinean Rosendo Alvarez “El Bufalo”, Thai Ratanapol Sor Vorapin and other good fighters of the 90’s.

He not only shares Joe Louis record of twenty consecutive title bouts without a loss, but Ricardo Lopez was the third champion in history to retire undefeated and the first to do so as both an amateur and professional fighter.

Boxing people knew and admired the superlative skills of Lopez, as over the years fighters from Mike Tyson to Julio Cesar Chavez to Terry Norris to Roberto Duran have laid verbal laurel wreaths before Lopez and watched him ringside applauding a master.

Boxing analysts called El Finito arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer there was.(Sugar Ray Robinson should be in my opinion considered the number one) but El Finito was unique in his division.

Bert Sugar said once, “He (El Finito) had huge power in both hands with a superb and lighting left hook that thumped and knocked his opponents with relative easy.”

Veteran boxing announcer Colonel Bob Sheridan called many of Lopez’s greatest fights he can attest to as being without peers. “He’s the greatest pure fighter – boxer and puncher – of all time, in my opinion. I say pure fighter because there’s a kid of effortless about his power and technique. I know that takes in a lot of fighters, but Ricardo Lopez is as perfect a tactical stylist as you’re going to find. Chavez at his best was incredible, a tough street kid who could make it happen with fierce determination or will. And Lopez is in another class even beyond Chavez in his prime.”

He never got the credit he deserved during his fighting career because boxing fans paid more attention to fighters like Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Lennox Lewis and other champs of his era who had better PPV’s.
His legacy as a boxer still remains untouched by real boxing historians. To this day, what he accomplished in the ring is still to be replicated.
Floyd will tie Marciano’s record if he wins his next three fights, but he needs to take a total of 6 more fights to take on El Finito’s fighting record. To be the best boxer of the past 30 years, Floyd has to push his legacy a little further because Marciano’s record was already taken back in 2001 when ‘El Finito’ retired.



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