Floyd Mayweather may retire as one of the most successful boxers in history but he?ll never come close to one world record.
The 38-year-old American hopes to retain his WBC and WBA welterweight titles and remain undefeated in 48 fights when he meets Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas in May.
He may still try to break Rocky Marciano?s record of retiring as undefeated world champion after 49 professional fights. This means he will have to win two more fights if he defeats Pacquiao, the WBO champion. But 50 seems unlikely because he has said he intends to retire at the end of this year.
Mayweather will certainly retire as the man who made more money from boxing than anyone else. It has been estimated that he earned more than $400 million from his first 47 fights. He may add another $180 million from the fight against the Filipino.
But ?Money? Mayweather won?t get even halfway to the record that a little Welsh flyweight, Jimmy Wilde, just over a century ago.
Wilde remained undefeated in 103 fights before Tancy Lee stopped him in the 17th round on January 25 1915. He drew once and won 102 fights in just over four years before lost for the first time in his career.
The remarkable Wilde, who held the undisputed world flyweight title, made his debut on Boxing Day 1910 and did not lose until Lee brought his run to an end.
Several other boxers have remained undefeated in more fights than Mayweather will other have. A Spaniard, Pedro Carrasco, who held the WBC lightweight title, was unbeaten in 93 fights in almost eight years ? from April 22 1964 to February 18 1972. He then lost to Mando Ramos.
Sugar Ray Robinson, still regarded as one of the best boxers in history, remained undefeated in 91 fights. His run of over eight years without defeat began on February 19 1943 and ended on July 10 1951 when he lost the world middleweight title to Randolph Turpin.
Robinson also held the world welterweight title in the days when there were only eight weight divisions.
BRIAN MITCHELL TOPS SA LIST
Brian Mitchell, a former WBA and IBF junior lightweight champion, tops the list of South Africans who remained unbeaten for an extended period.
After losing on points to Jacob Morake on May 3 1982, Mitchell remained unbeaten in 41 fights before he retired. He was held to a draw three times during this run.
But Nkosana ?Happyboy? Mgxaji rattled up more successive victories than Mitchell. He won his first 33 fights before losing to Anthony Morodi on June 24 1972. This makes him the SA boxer with the longest winning streak, as opposed to an unbeaten run, which could include draws.
After his first defeat, Mgxaji remained unbeaten in his next 39 fights before losing to Samuel Serrano in April 1979 in a challenge for the WBA junior lightweight title.
He eventually retired with a record of 88-9, including four draws and 26 wins inside the distance. He died in January 2001 at the age of 61.
LONGEST UNBEATEN RUNS BY SA BOXERS
41 ? Brian Mitchell (SA, WBA and IBF junior lightweight champion) ? 3 draws
40 ? Enoch Nhlapo (SA lightweight and junior welterweight champion) ? 2 draws
39 ? Nkosana Mgxaji (SA junior light and junior welterweight champion) ? Won his first 33 pro fights, then drew 3 in an undefeated run of 39
36 ? Francois Botha (IBF heavyweight champion) ? Won his first 36 pro fights
33 ? Jim Holloway (SA light and middleweight champion) ? 31 wins and 2 draws in his first 33 fights
32 ? Welcome Ncita (SA flyweight and IBF junior featherweight champion) ? Won his first 32 pro fights
Jan Bergman (SA junior welterweight and WBU welterweight champion) ? Won his first 32 pro fights
31 ? Phillip Holiday (IBF lightweight champion) ? Won his first 31 pro fights
30 ? Pierre Fourie (SA middleweight and light-heavyweight champion)
29 ? Arthur Douglas ? (SA, Australian featherweight champion) ? five draws
Dingaan Thobela ? (SA junior lightweight and super-middleweight, WBA, WBO lightweight and WBC super-middleweight champion) ? one draw
28 ? Jack Lalor (SA welter, middle and heavyweight champion) ? five draws
Hottie van Heerden (SA middle and light-heavyweight champion)
27 ? Lawrence Ngobeni (SA junior welterweight champion) ? Won his first 27 pro fights.
Vic Toweel (SA bantam and featherweight and Empire and world bantamweight champion) ? 26 wins and a draw in his first 27 pro fights
26 ? Alfred Buqwana (Transvaal featherweight champion ? 4 draws
Anthony Morodi (SA bantam, junior lightweight and lightweight champion) ? One draw
25 ? Piet Crous (SA light-heavyweight and WBA junior heavyweight champion) ? 23 wins and 2 draws in his first 25 pro fights)
Morris Mohloai (SA welterweight champion)
Cassius Baloyi (WBU super-bantam and featherweight and IBO and IBF junior lightweight champion) ? Won his first 25 pro fights
24 ? Sydney Bensch (Transvaal middleweight champion) ? 21 wins and 3 draws in his first 24 pro fights
Joe Gumede (SA bantam and featherweight champion) ? One draw
Jake Tuli (SA fly and bantamweight and Empire flyweight champion) ? Won 23 and drew one of his first 24 pro fights
Eddie Pierce (SA light-heavyweight champion)
Levi Madi (SA featherweight champion) ? 3 draws
23 ? Corrie Sanders (SA and WBU heavyweight champion ? Won his first 23 pro fights
Vuyani Nene (SA junior flyweight champion) ? Won his first 23 pro fights
Giovanni Pretorius (SA middleweight champion) ? Won 22 and drew one of his first 23 pro fights
22 ? Willie Toweel (SA bantam, feather, light and welterweight and Empire lightweight champion) ? Won 21 and drew one of his first 22 pro fights
Gerrie Coetzee (SA and WBA heavyweight champion) ? Won his first 22 pro fights
21 ? Welile Nkosinkulu (SA bantamweight champion)
Phillip Ndou (SA featherweight and WBU junior lightweight champion).
