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NBA, Basketball Herren, USA Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers Feb 7, 2023 Los Angeles, California, USA American boxer Floyd Mayweather attends the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 20230207_lbm_sv5_035
via Imago
NBA, Basketball Herren, USA Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers Feb 7, 2023 Los Angeles, California, USA American boxer Floyd Mayweather attends the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 20230207_lbm_sv5_035
Floyd Mayweather Jr. has had one of the storied careers in boxing. To everyone, the scion of an eminent boxing family remains a champion. Unbeaten in his prime and cursory career as an exhibition fighter. His amateur career was equally illustrious. But unbeknownst to many, he had his share of losses during the phase. Many still feel he was robbed of the infamous semi-final in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Did he benefit from the lessons learned during those hard-pressed days? His professional record of fifty wins against nil losses may bear testimony to that education. He became a professional that same year when he won the Olympic Silver in 1996. Again, the multi-division champion had the distinction of facing off against some of the era’s biggest names.
The losses that shaped an unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr.
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Unlike most boxers his age, Mayweather Jr. is still active and agile. The Grand Rapids, Michigan-born boxer, who turned forty-six this year, is probably at the right juncture from where he can oversee the trajectory of many upcoming and promising fighters.
That’s why early today, he shared an important life lesson. The message which included a Mayweather quote was posted by talkSPORT’s online boxing editor Michael Benson.
Floyd Mayweather: “Fighters are so worried about losing. I'm here to let everybody know that as an amateur I lost fights. You live and you learn. Winning and losing is part of competing vs the best. The best should fight each other, no different from what I did.” [@BetOnline_ag]
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) April 20, 2023
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A careful perusal of his career will show that starting the 2005 fight against Arturo Gatti, which fetched him the WBC Super Lightweight title, Mayweather Jr. went through a spell that saw him exchange shots with the likes of Zab Judah in 2006, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton in 2007 in the century’s first decade. The beginning of the second decade saw him fight Shane Mosley, Victor Ortiz, and Miguel Cotto from 2010 to 2012, respectively. Finally, from 2013 to 2015, when he retired for the first time, he fought Canelo Alvarez, Marcos Maidana (twice), and Manny Pacquiao.
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Thus the last decade of his career was virtually spent combating boxers who were as good as, if not better than, he was. The loss of eight fights early in life stirred up that hunger in Mayweather Jr. Even one victory after the other never fully satiated and continued as someone possessed. Therefore, paying heed to the words of one of the greatest boxers ever of our time is sure to benefit many fighters in the making. What’s your take on Mayweather Jr.’s advice? Do let us know your views and opinions in the comments below.
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