By Jermill Pennington: There are some who say the prized “0” that still sits on Floyd Mayweather’s record means nothing, I’m here to tell that couldn’t be any further from the truth. This article is meant to be direct and straight to the point. One may think the lure to fight Mayweather is the purse, for many fighters fighting Mayweather comes with a career pay day. There are others that see the exposure as being the benefit of fighting Mayweather.
Surely having your name associated with Mayweather’s is validation to the relevance of your career. Whatever the case, Mayweather is hands down the most talked about and sought after fighter since Ali. But why, he hasn’t scored a legit knock out since Ricky Hatton in 2007 which came by way of TKO. His fights don’t exactly have you on the edge of your seat with nail biting excitement, so what is it? If you ask me there is one prize in boxing that is priceless and that is taking the “0” off of Mayweather’s record.
If Mayweather were to lose a fight to whomever that person would instantly become legend. The immediate purse the fighter receives is nothing compared to the adoration that would follow the victory. The win would have its own Wikipedia page explaining the details. The fighter would have a parade thrown in his home town for being the first to beat Mayweather. This would be one of the few times you would ever see boxing be the lead story on Sportscenter if this were to happen. The fighter would have to do a nation-wide media run in the days following as he would now be the talk of the sporting world for the moment. I ask is there anyone else that offers that. The chance to be a legend renowned as the first to scalp Mayweather, I don’t think so.
Every time out Mayweather is giving someone the opportunity to be a legend. In theory the unbeatable persona that has taken nearly 20 years to create can all be poured in to another man’s bucket in a loss. All the prestige that Mayweather has garnered over the years would immediately go to the new king of boxing. Imagine if Canelo would have beaten Mayweather, the man at 24 would be a living legend in his country. That said it’s safe to assume that Mayweather understands what’s on the line. It’s far more than losing a fight at this point, the acclaim invested in the “0” would now belong to someone else. For Mayweather this was not likely intentional, I don’t think fighters start their career with the thought of going undefeated. As time went on with each victory the “0” increased in value, now 47 fights in nearing the end of his career the “0” is priceless.
I hear a lot of fans says the “0” means nothing, I beg to differ, if you ask me it means more than anything. The scalp of Mayweather is invaluable, whether you have realized it or not that’s what makes him who he is and rightfully so. I don’t care if you’re a professional thumb wrestler; if you go undefeated it means something. Mayweather has more on the line once in the ring than any other fighter. Those who have taken a loss before have nothing to lose in that regard, for Mayweather a loss is giving away a 20 year investment and directly depositing it in to another man’s account. So when you say his “0” means nothing, stopping kidding yourself, it means everything.
Comments are closed.