Floyd Mayweather Will Preserve Undefeated Record Before Retirement
Regardless of whom he faces to close out his career, Floyd Mayweather will retire will a round "zero" occupying the loss column.
It was another fight...another 12 rounds...another uncontested Mayweather victory via decision. On Saturday, Sept. 13, Money enhanced his record to 47-0 with an easy victory over Marcos Maidana.
Mayweather has made a habit of outlasting his opponent through a full tactical fight, much to the chagrin of viewers hankering for a knockout. He made sure Maidana could not charge him as viciously as last time, as shown by ESPN Stats & Info:
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It wasn't the most eventful match, but as he told Showtime Sports after the win, every victory counts the same regardless of the formula:
After defeating Maidana twice in Las Vegas, it's time to move on to his next opponent. Either he'll beat a marquee star the fans want him to face to everyone's disappointment, or he'll clobber a relative no-name to everyone's disappointment.
The public will clamor for Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao until it get its wish, or the window officially closes. Boxing's two biggest names would generate the sport's grandest entertainment spectacle. The dangerous sport would briefly become relevant once again, until the two veterans inevitably fall short of meeting the wild, uncontrollable expectations for such a dream match.
Pacquiao is eager to clash, poking at Mayweather through an AFP interview (via Yahoo Sports).
"He's all talk," Pacquiao said. Until now he has not yet agreed to fight me. Instead of blabbing, he should face me atop the ring."
In that AFP report, he tried to get inside Mayweather by making a statement even he unlikely believes.
"To me, Maidana won that fight. Mayweather's face and lips were swelling compared to Maidana's unblemished face," Pacquiao said.
Great drama doesn't guarantee a great match. At this juncture of their careers, Pacquaio is not a potent threat to hand Mayweather his first loss. His speed has waned, and his punch has softened. During 12 rounds, Mayweather's defensive prowess would win out once again.
Mayweather's knockout drought is well-documented, but Pac-Man hasn't obtained a KO since May 2, 2009, when he ended Ricky Hatton's night during the second round. He doesn't have the goods to knock out Mayweather, which is probably the only way to dethrone the pound-for-pound king.
Against Brandon Rios, Pacquiao filled the savvy veteran role. Versus Mayweather, he'll play the aggressor after waiting years to land a punch on his foe, a desire which his careful opponent will exploit.
Amir Khan is an intriguing opponent, but the 27-year-old won't be the one to knock off Mayweather. After all, Danny Garcia beat him by TKO two years ago. He's a fresh opponent and a step up from some other alternatives, but Khan won't generate a different result.
So who exactly can beat Mayweather? The best shot of him suffering a loss would result from him sticking around for too long. While he'd relish the chance to reel in more unfathomable paychecks, he also cares about that undefeated record too much.
He won't dangle that streak around long enough to put it in dire jeopardy, and that's why he plans on retiring next year, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael.
"I only got two more fights left (after the Maidana rematch) and after the next two fights I just want to build the Mayweather Promotions brand," Mayweather said a week before defeating Maidana.
That's only two more chances for someone to swing for Mayweather's mark. Let's not kid ourselves: Pacquiao won't be one of those two adversaries.
As alluring as it is for an underdog to give him his comeuppance, it won't happen. To everyone's disappointment, Mayweather will leave the boxing ring as the top of the hierarchy.
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