Would a Mayweather Jr. Loss Be Best for Boxing?

In boxing, there are three types of champions.

The first type of champion is the guy that wants to fight the best. He isn't interested in titles or rankings as much as he is challenging himself. An example of this type of champion is Shane Mosley.

Not only is Mosley actively calling out Manny Pacquiao, he is willing to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., and has even mentioned boxing's boogieman, Paul Williams.

The second type of champion is the guy who fights whoever his promoter puts in front of him. He trains hard to put on a good show for the fans. He leaves the matchmaking to his manager and promoter.

An example of this type of fighter is Vic Darchinyan. Now Darchinyan has been known to call out a guy or two, but for the most part he fights whoever Gary Shaw puts in front of him.

The third type of champion is the guy that follows the path of least risk/highest reward. This type of fighter is concerned with making the most money against the fighter that poses him the least threat.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. falls into this category. While a successful strategy for the fighter's wallet, it leaves many fans disappointed in both the choice of opponents and in ring performance.

The first and second type of champion I have described are the type of guys that have given us this revival of sorts that boxing has experienced in the last year or so. Thanks in large part to the success of MMA and the UFC, boxing's superstars have been forced to give up being the type of guy that follows the path of least resistance.

Guys like Winky Wright, Vernon Forrest, Roy Jones, and others are learning this lesson. The days of fighting anybody and making millions are to a large extent, gone. Name recognition no longer guarantees a guy a million dollar payday everytime out.

While this shift in the boxing paradigm has hurt aging fighters, it has helped the sport and its fans by creating compelling matchups.

Winky Wright was forced to comeback and face a young lion in Paul Williams. Paul Williams wasn't Wright's first choice, but Wright wanted a big payday.

Vernon Forrest is on the verge of no longer being relevant, having recently being stripped of his title for refusing to fight Sergio Martinez. Roy Jones in recent years has shown heart and a willingness to take on guys he should have fought in his prime.

With Mayweather's return to boxing, the low risk/high reward strategy is back in full effect. Mayweather and his advisers chose the guy they believed poses the smallest threat to beating Mayweather while creating the type of payday Mayweather is accustomed to.

This is not to discount Juan Manuel Marquez as an opponent, but there were actual welterweight opponents available. Shane Mosley is the champion at welterweight, yet Mayweather looked past him.

Mosley doesn't fit into Mayweather's formula yet, because he poses a great deal of threat to Mayweather. While Marquez can certainly beat Mayweather, odds are he would have to do so on points. Mosley not only could outpoint Mayweather, he has the power to place him flat on his back as well.

Since stepping up to welterweight, Mayweather has yet to face an opponent he didn't feel 100 percent he was going to beat. Now every fighter should believe they are going to win every fight, but Mayweather doesn't even consider fights he could possibly lose.

Need evidence of this? Watch this interview with Brian Kenny from ESPN. Mayweather seems to scoff at the mere idea of fighting Shane Mosley, as if Mosley were some journeyman. Miguel Cotto was only briefly mentioned once in the entire interview. Paul Williams? Forget about it.

If Mayweather should get by Marquez, and he should, my guess is he wants to fight Pacquiao next. Assuming that Mayweather/Pacquaio can be made, I give Mayweather and excellent chance at winning that fight as well. Which leaves us with Mayweather doing one the following:

1. Retiring Again

Feeling he has once again reclaimed his spot as boxing's pound for pound best, and made millions in the process, he calls it quits again.

This will probably only last long enough for a new fighter to emerge, one that Mayweather feels he can beat. As long as he has the 0 in the loss column, I doubt he will ever really retire. He will always have one more big payday looming.

2. A rematch with Oscar De La Hoya

Just because De La Hoya has retired doesn't mean we will never see him in the ring again. If Mayweather can create enough demand with wins over Marquez and Pacquiao, this fight can be made at junior middleweight. It's not the fight boxing fans want, but its the fight Mayweather wants.

3. Rematch with Pacquaio

Pending this fight does not end in brutal one sided fashion, a rematch would most certainly be in order. Mayweather would certainly oblige, especially if he wins.

4. Calls out Timothy Bradley, Edwin Valero, or Andre Berto.

This is only if the option two or three are not viable. Bradley is a good fight for Mayweather to pick up a title belt and give a young fighter his first loss. Same with Valero and Berto. None pose significant threat to Mayweather, making them all viable candidates.

The most glaring omission to these choices is a fight with Shane Mosley. I don't believe Mayweather will fight Mosley until he is convinced Mosley poses him no threat, whether it be thru age or a bad outing for Mosley.

Why Mayweather needs to lose

A loss by Mayweather to either Marquez or Pacquiao might be a blessing in disguise for boxing fans. Without the 0, Mayweather loses some standing. Without the 0, Mayweather loses some clout. Without the 0, Mayweather can no longer hold fans hostage.

If Mayweather loses to Marquez, he has to take the stiffest challenge available. If he is unable to secure an immediate rematch, he has to throw all caution to the wind. A fight with Pacquiao would be out of the question at that point. The only acceptable fights for him would be against Cotto or Mosley.

If Mayweather were to beat Marquez but lose to Pacquaio, the same rule applies. If he is unable to secure a rematch with Pacquaio, he will be forced to redeem himself by taking the sternest available test. Again its Cotto or Mosley. His ego will allow him to do nothing less.

For the sake of fans, I for one, am hoping for a Mayweather loss. If only for the hope that it transforms him from following the path of least resistance, to taking on all comers. I know this is a pipe dream and maybe nothing changes with a Mayweather loss. The one thing I do know is that if Mayweather keeps winning, he will keep reducing the threat level.

One can only hope Mayweather does the right thing and takes on all comers if he beats Marquez and Pacquiao.

I certainly won't be holding my breath.