Money’ Mayweather Retires: Your ‘What Does This Mean’ Checklist

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The decision by Floyd Mayweather Jr, the pound for pound best boxer in the world, to announce his retirement on June 6, 2008 will send shockwaves through the boxing world. As always, with a decision of this magnitude there will be winners and losers and wide ranging affects on many other boxers and people within the sport. SecondsOut.com now attempts to answers all of the questions created by ‘Money Mayweather’s’ retirement.

Why did Floyd Mayweather Jr retire now?

Between his wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, Mayweather had seven months out of the ring and now has had another six months away since his last fight. That’s a lot of time spent with his family and friends to discover how enjoyable living can be without the demands of being a boxer. With money, fame and professional boxing achievement, Mayweather has no doubt learned that life can be pretty sweet doing exactly what he wants, when he wants.

31 year-old Mayweather has recently involved himself in other activities away from boxing such as in the WWE and on ‘Dancing With The Stars’ and found that there is money to be made without having to put his body on the line.

As was seen in the ‘24/7’ pre-fight HBO documentaries, Mayweather despite his talents has not been immune from injuries. We know that his hands and back have given him trouble during his career. One thing that could have affected Mayweather’s great speed and movement inside the ring as he aged was injury.

When Lennox Lewis retired as heavyweight champion of the world in 2004, he set a new precedent for the best boxers in the modern era, showing that there were many benefits to be had in retiring on top with a world championship belt around their waist.

Consider Roy Jones Jr as the perfect example of how fighting on too long can hurt a great career. Jones could have retired as the best boxer in the world after he beat John Ruiz in March 2003 to win the WBA heavyweight world title. If Jones had retired then whilst being pound for pound No.1, people would have long considered him one of the best boxers of all time. Now, after three back to back losses in 2004 and 2005, Jones’ legacy has been severely re-evaluated to the point where some critics will tell you now that he was never that good.

By retiring on top as the best boxer in the sport, Floyd Mayweather Jr’s already impressive Hall of Fame legacy will only be enhanced.

How good is Mayweather’s record? After winning an Olympic bronze medal in 1996, Mayweather’s professional boxing record stands at 39 wins, 0 losses and 0 draws with 25 wins by knockout. He won the WBC world title at junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight and junior middleweight. He also won the IBF welterweight world title, which gives him six world titles in five weight classes. That’s impressive in anyone’s estimation. What was Mayweather’s best career win? While his points win over Oscar De La Hoya in May 2007 was the ‘biggest’ fight of his career, it was not his best win. De La Hoya, while still a very good boxer at the time, was past his prime. You can argue that Mayweather’s knockout stoppage of Ricky Hatton in his last fight in December 2007 was his most impressive win. Mayweather beat a strong, genuine junior welterweight who was undefeated at the time and one of the top ten boxers in the world. Looking through Mayweather’s career, he consistently beat very good boxers such as De La Hoya, Hatton, Carlos Baldomir, Zab Judah, Sharmba Mitchell, Jose Luis Castillo, Jesus Chavez, Diego Corrales and Genaro Hernandez, as opposed to toppling all time greats. Only Hatton and Corrales were unbeaten going into fights with Mayweather. One of Mayweather’s greatest achievements was rising through the weight classes and beating physically bigger men. What was Mayweather’s toughest fight? It is generally considered that Mayweather’s first fight with Jose Luis Castillo in April 2002 was his toughest. Mayweather received a unanimous twelve round points decision. Judge Anek Hongtongkam 116-111, Judge John Keane 115-111 and Judge Jerry Roth 115-111, all scored for Mayweather. But the crowd booed the decision. HBO’s unofficial ringside judge Harold Lederman scored the fight for Castillo 115-111. CompuBox had Castillo throwing and landing many more punches and power punches than Floyd that night. In total punches landed and thrown, Castillo was 203 of 506 to Mayweather’s 157 of 448. In power punches Castillo led 173 of 377 to Mayweather’s 66 of 151. There was such a outcry for a rematch that it occurred in December 2002. Mayweather won again on points and this time he appeared to deserve it.

[IMG]http://www.secondsout.com/AcuCustom/Sitename/DAM/005/Mayweather_Floyd_weigh_close_DeLaHoya_Naoki_***uda _lx.JPG[/IMG] world champion body: HoganPhotos.com

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Will Mayweather’s retirement last?

After Floyd Mayweather Jr easily outpointed Carlos Baldomir in November 2006, he arrived teary eyed at the post fight press conference and announced that he would have one more fight, against De La Hoya, and then retire. That he came back again to face Ricky Hatton suggested that he did not really mean it at that time.

If it was just about the money, Mayweather could have just hung around for the De La Hoya rematch in September 2008 and collected another US$20 million plus payday. But this time Mayweather seems more sincere with his announcement. The media release sent out on Friday was more formalised and appeared thought out.

History has shown that great boxers regular come back from their own self imposed retirements. It happened to the best of the best. Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali all retired only to return to the ring in later years.

Mayweather will turn 32 on February 24, 2009. There is still plenty of time for him to change his mind and fight again, even though he does sound to be certain of what he is doing right now.

Have any other elite world champion boxers retired while at the peak of their boxing careers?

The decision for a world champion boxer to retire as world champion and not return to the ring to be beaten is rare. Respected American boxing historian Marty Mulcahey recently found that in the entire history of the sport, there have only been nineteen boxers to accomplish the feat, Mayweather would be No.20. That’s big.

The most notable names being Gene Tunney, Rocky Marciano, Carlos Monzon, Ricardo Lopez and Lennox Lewis.

Of course, there is still time for Mayweather to return and he will be watched closely over the next two years. Until then, it can be easily argued that he is the greatest boxer ever to have retired on top of the boxing world, undefeated. Only Marciano and Lopez rival Mayweather as being undefeated whilst retiring as champion.

If Mayweather never returns to the ring to compete again, there is no doubt his achievement will be very special.

Did Mayweather leave behind any unfinished business inside the ring?

The only real clear-cut opponent for Mayweather at this time is the undefeated WBA welterweight world champion Miguel Cotto 32-0 (26). If Antonio Margarito were to defeat Cotto impressively on July 26, any call for Mayweather to return from retirement will become diminished, considering that Margarito has already lost to Paul Williams, who lost himself to Carlos Quintana, who himself was stopped by Miguel Cotto, thus creating a circle with Mayweather on the outside.

If Cotto beats Margarito impressively and continues to remain undefeated, there will be increased calls for Mayweather to return to face him.

If Mayweather were to have fought De La Hoya and Hatton again as had been suggested, he would only be going over old ground for massive paydays. In the end, maybe Mayweather realised that there was nothing to be added to his already stellar career by taking those fights.

The biggest money fight in boxing history: HoganPhotos.com

What happens to the No.1 pound for pound ranking?

While it is a mythical title bestowed to the best boxer in the world, with Mayweather’s retirement, the boxer most consider to be No.2 behind him, Manny Pacquiao, will be elevated to the No.1 position.

What happens to the WBC welterweight world title Mayweather held?

Andre Berto vs. Miguel Rodriguez had been sanctioned by the WBC as being for the WBC Interim welterweight world title. With Mayweather’s retirement, that fight on June 21 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee, USA will now be for the vacant WBC world title.

What will Oscar De La Hoya do now?

Richard Schaefer, the CEO of De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, has already said that De La Hoya will retain the September 20, 2008 date and find a new opponent.

Who loses from Floyd Mayweather’s decision?

The sport of boxing has lost its best boxer. That can never be good. HBO PPV loses millions and millions of dollars from the Mayweather-De La Hoya rematch. The WBC loses a massive sanctioning fee. De La Hoya loses another chance to defeat the pound for pound best boxer in the world. So does Miguel Cotto.

Who wins from Mayweather’s decision?

Clearly, Floyd Mayweather Jr benefits the most from his retirement. If he never fights again, he will always be undefeated as a very special boxing great and always be referred to by his family, friends and fans as the ‘champ’.

Is Floyd Mayweather Jr the best boxer of all time?

While he has been a great world champion boxer of his era, the answer would be ‘no’. Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali will always be some of the legends considered to be ranked above Mayweather.