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Everyone has heard of Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr., and every boxing fan has heard of his record (47-0 26 KOs). But to call him TBE (the best ever), is just disappointing, primarily based on what he has not done and probably won’t do.
It’s important to first acknowledge what Mayweather has accomplished in his career and for the sport itself. He has won 47 professional fights, 26 coming by way of knockout. He has not lost a professional fight, nor have any of them been decided as a draw. This record is something that no other boxer in history can brag about.
He has advertised the sport in a way that no other boxer in this era has accomplished through his Money Team celebrity members and his personal flamboyancy of his fame and money. It should be agreed that whether you like the “Money” man or not, he’s doing a great job keeping what some critics claim as a “dying sport,” alive.
Mayweather is currently ranked as the highest paid professional athlete in the world by Forbes, and is ranked the No. 1 pound-by-pound boxer of the world by many others. This, along with his fight record, would sure make it seem like he is TBE, but many boxing fans still have one issue that needs to be resolved: Manny Pacquiao.
The Filipino is currently ranked No. 4 on the pound-for-pound list by Ring Magazine, but actually comes in second place if we’re looking at welterweights–making Pacquiao and Mayweather a match made in heaven for all boxing fans.
Watching them fight over social media instead of in the ring, however, is eerily close to watching two school boys threaten to beat each other up, but then backing out because their moms said they couldn’t.
It also doesn’t look so great on Mayweather’s resume.
After his most recent fight–a second victory over Marcos Maidana–Mayweather announced that he has two fights remaining in his career, which will take place in May and September of 2015. Having Pacquiao lined up for one of those two spots is a debatable topic, and here is why this affects Mayweather’s TBE title.
Photo edit by Crown Boxing
There shouldn’t be a debate over whether these top two welterweights will fight or not. It should just happen. When the public looks for someone to call “The Best Ever,” that name should also personify a character that is constantly seeking out challenging fights, not making Mayhem 2 because he didn’t believe he beat Maidana well enough the first time around.
The dance around the Pacquiao fight makes Mayweather look scared, which is a bad look for someone who claims to be the best ever. In order to carry the TBE title, the holder must also be fearless.
The 47 wins and 26 Knockouts all the sudden fall short when Mayweather’s fans see him skate around the Pacquiao fight for the last several years.
TBE is more than just fight records and flexing for pictures. It’s about having confidence in the name and putting it to the test in order to constantly prove to the fans that the fighter claiming to be TBE really is, The Best Ever.
If Mayweather really is entitled to walk into the ring with these letters on him, then the boxing community needs to set their standard a little higher.
