Floyd Mayweather Jr., celebrates his unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao, from the Philippines, at the finish of their welterweight title fight on Saturday, May 2, 2015 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
After swatting away Manny Pacquiao in a much-heralded bout, Floyd Mayweather improved his record to 48-0, and has hinted that he may fight again in September. His contract with Showtime expires after his next fight, and Mayweather has consistently hinted that he will hang up his gloves once his deal is completed. But with a chance to go 50-0; one-up Rocky Marciano’s near 60-year-old record, and an opportunity to put a final stamp on an undeniable legacy, could we see Mayweather go for 50 wins? Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debate the question.
Riley: We’ve seen enough of Mayweather to understand his brilliance as a fighter. Finishing his contract and walking off into the sunset with a potential 49-0 record would still be impressive, no matter the caliber of his next opponent. If he could somehow generate nearly 75 percent of the same drama for his next fight as he did in the build up to the Pacquiao bout, then his payday may be sizable enough for him to retire. Undefeated records obviously go out the door with any blemish on them, and despite his still incredible shape and stamina, Mayweather is approaching the age where skills begin to slip. Seizing a win over his next opponent will be hard enough, whomever Showtime deems worthy enough to upset the champ. Mayweather’s goal was to finish his contract, and he’s a few months away from doing just that.
Green: Okay, here’s what’s going to happen: Floyd is going to end up fighting some lucky opponent, probably Amir Khan, for his 49th bout. Khan isn’t in Mayweather’s league and won’t threaten the undefeated boxer at all. But then again, who is in Mayweather’s league? No one. Nonetheless, this will look like another easy fight for Floyd, per usual. And then he will tell the world he’s retiring. Only we know he won’t be retire without that perfect 50-0 record, and will probably end up rematching with Pacquiao for his last hurrah. It’s too tempting to go after. And because fight no. 49 is the final bout under his contract with Showtime, Mayweather will have the opportunity to shop around his 50th fight to the highest bidder. He’ll make a fortune off the fight, like he always does, and finally walk away as the richest, undefeated athlete in the history of American sports.
Riley: Mayweather has been a successful brand and been highly marketable for years now, so getting to some fancy number won’t make him any more of a cash cow than he already is. He was already receiving high attention when he was 28-0 or 18-0, and adding another notch won’t suddenly stop critics from being criticle or ranking him higher. He’s had a fantastic career and if he wanted to walk away now at 48-0 he would still be as celebrated as if he was 50-0 or 100-0. More fights mean more risks, and for a man who has created a career off defense and being able to dodge danger, I can’t see him risking his unblemished record any further once his contract is over.
Green: More fights mean more risks, but they also mean more dollar signs. One thing you have to respect Floyd for is his business savvy. He knows how to generate money and lots of it, at that. This fight against Pacquiao generated the most money in boxing history. I’ve seen reports claiming that more than $300 million was made during this fight. Imagine how much could be made during a rematch with Pacquiao for Mayweather’s 50th and final bout? There would be one last chance for Pacquiao to try to end Floyd’s perfect record. I know I’d watch that. Will you? I think we all would.