Sooner or later, unbeaten champion Floyd Mayweather will retire from boxing for good but he may later regret having retired even if he remains unbeaten without facing Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao in the ring.
The thought that Mayweather will eventually retire with unblemished career record is a real possibility with the way he chooses his opponents. Mayweather is halfway to his six-fight contract with giant TV network CBS/Showtime and if he makes the right choice for his succeeding fights, he could keep his precious “0” in his record book. But years later, he may regret not having fought Pacquiao, who is likewise contemplating retirement in about a year. Mayweather has been bragging about his unblemished career record, claiming he is the greatest and the best ever. But is he really the kind of champion that he wants to be? Undoubtedly he is a deserving champion, having fought 46 pro fights without a single loss. Still Mayweather cannot just say or claim that he is the best or even better than the legendary Muhaammad Ali without being criticized by the boxing community for not having accepted the challenge of his top rival Manny Pacquiao. Boxing fans have applauded Ali for his claim of having been the greatest fighter in his era because he accepted challenges from the best fighters during his active years in boxing. He lost in some of his great fights but no one disputed his being the greatest fighter of his generation. Mayweather has almost everything in his record book to substantiate his claim to supremacy in the sport. His claim of being unbeaten in his entire pro career is documented and no one will question it. Being undefeated is definitely a prime consideration for a fighter’s claim at supremacy in the sport. The unbeaten champ has time and again lay claim to being the greatest based only on his unbeaten record and nothing more. This seems to be the reason he is perceived to have ducked elite fighters like Pacquiao during his recent fights in order to preserve his virginal record. To his credit though, Mayweather has accepted the challenge from Miguel Cotto, of one of the best fighters in his era. He won the fight via a unanimous decision in 2012 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. Still there is someone better than Cotto who continues to challenge Mayweather’s supremacy in the sport and the unbeaten champ continues to ignore his challenge, saying he isn’t worth the fight.
Manny Pacquiao (R) and his coach Freddie Roach take part in a media workout at the Wild Card Boxing Club on April 02, 2014 in Hollywood, California Joe Klamar, AFP Like this image Mayweather knows that Pacquiao fought and won over Cotto in 2009 via TKO while he only managed a UD win against the Puerto Rican in 2012. The TKO win by Pacquiao against Cotto could be taken to mean that there is one more challenger who is superior than Cotto and that would be no other Pacquiao. The only sensible thing Mayweather can do to cement his legacy in the sport is for him to accept Pacquiao’s challenge and if he wins then he can call himself the greatest and the best ever. If Mayweather retires without facing Pacquiao in the ring, he will forever be known as a tough fighter who refused a legitimate challenge to his supremacy in his craft by facing inferior challengers in order to preserve his unblemished career record. Certainly he will carry a tarnished legacy once he retires without facing Pacquiao in the ring.
