By Dino Marcelino: For the past decade, the most undoubtedly polarizing figure in boxing has been pound-for-pound king, Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. Following his systematic destruction of Argentine brawler Marcos Maidana in their September rematch, Mayweather now sits at 47-0.
The general consensus is that Mayweather will indeed retire undefeated, joining Welshman Joe Calzaghe and the legendary Rocky Marciano as one of the few to do so. By comparison, Marciano’s career spanned eight years before he decided to retire at age 32. Mayweather will be 38 in February, and has fought a whole decade longer than Marciano. Based on longevity alone, Mayweather has earned tremendous respect, and a worldwide following that extends outside of the ring. Mayweather refers to himself as “TBE” or “The Best Ever,” although there is one thing standing in the way of some boxing fans making that statement without hesitation. That one thing is a fight with Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.