By Lyle Fitzsimmons
By anyone’s measure, it was a historic night.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s unanimous decision over Andre Berto 10 days ago at the MGM Grand was the 49th straight win in an unbeaten career, and preceded confirmation of what he’d insisted through five weeks of promotional run-up – that he was retiring after 19 years and five weight-class titles.
“It’s official. I am done,” he said, moments after equaling Rocky Marciano’s version of baseball’s 56-game hit streak. “I’ve accomplished everything in this sport. There’s nothing left to accomplish. You have to know when to hang it up. I’m knocking at the door. I’m close to 40 years old.”
Indeed, at 38, the “Pretty Boy” now known as “Money” has precious little to prove in the ring.
He’s been a champion at every weight increment from 130 to 154 pounds, and has competed for one belt or another in all but six of his 31 bouts since capturing title No. 1 as a 21-year-old in 1998.
Additionally, he’s participated in some of the highest-grossing events in the sport’s history – including a May 2 pay-per-view extravaganza with Manny Pacquiao that generated a record 4.4 million buys.
But even though he’s been a fixture on the main stage for nearly two decades, it wasn’t impossible to learn a few things from Mayweather’s latest – and perhaps last – appearance in the Nevada desert.
Here are five things gleaned from another Mayweather weekend:
The Best Ever? No. But maybe The Best 38-Year-Old Ever.
In his heart of hearts, Mayweather is probably aware that he’s neither the best fighter ever, nor even the best fighter of his own lifetime. But so long as the “TBE” logo helps move merchandise racks full of $40 items, he’d be a fool to drop the act.
Still, when it comes to fighters at age 38, you’d be hard-pressed in history to find one so good.
Lest anyone forget, Hall of Famers like Ali, Leonard and Tyson were battered husks of themselves by the time they got within two years of 40, and even wonders like Bernard Hopkins and Archie Moore were far from consensus acclaim as the pound-for-pound best when they reached the halfway point to 76.
Find a way to get that on a T-shirt and the world will beat a credit card-bearing path to your door.
He can’t draw 1 million against just anyone
Mayweather has helped generate seven-figure pay-per-view buys alongside a laundry list of opponents, including better than 2 million for fights with both Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez – and the aforementioned 4.4 million for the springtime blowout with Pacquiao.
But though his presence has been money several times over, the matchup with Berto – who’d lost three of six fights and was just the 22nd-best welterweight in the world according to independent rankings – was almost universally jeered going in. And though Mayweather was his usual dominant self against the former two-time 147-pound title claimant, it prompted precious little afterglow, too.
The subsequently reported numbers bore out the lack of enthusiasm, indicating that the four-bout show garnered somewhere between 400,000 and 550,000 buys – well below Mayweather’s typical standard.
Making the turn to babyface
One of the most noticeable constants of Mayweather’s recent appearances at the MGM Grand has been the reaction of the majority crowd when he appeared in the ring – or even on in-house video screens.
Boos. Loud, raucous boos.
Whether it was Alvarez’s partisan Mexican crown, Maidana’s decibel-challenging Argentines or Pacquiao’s Filipinos (and nearly everyone else, thanks to his global popularity), the noise needle had been buried in the red for the opponent when fight night against Mayweather arrived.
The roles were clear: The foe was the good guy. He was the villain.
This time around, though, it was different. In no small part because Berto – a solid pro, but not a household name – doesn’t have a true fan base to call his own. But also because the majority of the 13,395 on hand seemed to buy into the idea that it’d be the last time Mayweather would be available for public viewing, and they’d better appreciate him while they had the chance.
Indeed, the crowd came to its feet for the final 30 seconds of the final round, and by the time the decision was read, it was the first time in a long time “Money” had reveled in a home-field advantage.
Mainstream media malaise
What a difference four months makes.
While May’s encounter with Pacquiao generated such a widespread media response that a giant supplemental area was set up in a tent alongside the arena, the turnout for Berto was docile by comparison. No need for a tent. In fact, barely a need for the multiple tables in the venue itself.
In fact, the back and forth between Mayweather and the media after the fight was so ambivalent that the fighter himself tried to generate more questions by saying “Ask all your questions, guys. It’s the last time you’ll be seeing me.”
Believe him or not, he sold retirement well
Mayweather’s insistence notwithstanding, you’d have had a better chance finding a temperance rally on the Strip than finding anything more than a random individual who believed 49 will really be the finale.
But if you based your opinion solely on Floyd’s demeanor at the presser, it’d be hard to argue with him.
He looked every bit of 38 years old. He sounded weary of the process. And there was zero wavering in any of his contention that he’d not be back for a 50th appearance.
Maybe that’s part of the deal going forward. But there have been plenty of others who’ve quit and stayed quit that looked far less convincing than Mayweather did.
Leonard Ellerbe might be right, after all. Maybe the guy really can act.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.
