May The Weather In Boxing Continue To Shine Without Floyd

There is no doubt that Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. is one of the greatest boxers of all time and arguably the greatest of this generation. Many fighters claimed to have the formula to crack the code that is Floyd’s defense, and all have failed. Retiring with an undefeated record Floyd has proven time and time again that he truly is an amazing fighter. Despite his greatness as a boxer there is a huge persona that comes along with it. This is to be expected for a boxer of his magnitude. While active, it always seemed as though Floyd was bigger than the sport of boxing. A lot of attention was drawn to his lifestyle, arrogance and flash. I never had an issue with Floyd’s whole persona and his constant need to be in the spotlight but I often thought the sport of boxing would benefit from his retirement. A large portion of people that tuned in to the many Floyd Mayweather pay-per-views weren’t watching to see a boxing match, they were watching to see him lose. Floyd Mayweather fights were like a holiday, you wait till the end of the fight to see if you’re going to get the present you always wanted, but Christmas never comes. Different fighters, different trainers, same outcome.

The sport of boxing was revolving around Mayweather. He created an invincibility with his undefeated record. It seemed as though having no losses was a necessity as a boxer and historically this hasn’t been the case. So much attention was drawn to the persona, the lifestyle, the undefeated record but not enough to the actual sport for the casual viewers. In September it will mark two years since Floyd last stepped in the ring, and the sport of boxing is looking great. With Floyd gone fighters and their promoters are less afraid to put undefeated streaks on the line. Last year the bout between Leo Santa Cruz and Carl Frampton two undefeated fighters, was one of the best fights of 2016. This past weekend Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia both put their undefeated streaks on the line and delivered a fantastic boxing match at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn New York. It feels as though today in the world of boxing, people aren’t trying to find the next Floyd Mayweather, everyone is looking for the next great fight.

Hall of fame fighters have taken losses. Muhammad Ali, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones Jr. the list goes on and on. A loss on a record will never take away from their greatness as a fighter. This is something that fans of boxing are learning to appreciate again. There is no other sport where a loss can mean the end of someone’s career the way it is in boxing. Now with no Floyd to show off how great it is to be an undefeated fighter, it is the fans of the sport that are the real winners. When it all comes down to it, people will always remember a good fight more than they will remember a good record.