L. Merchant: "Today's breed of boxing fans put more emphasis on UNDEFEATED records"

I have always felt this way. Generally a fighter will learn more from one loss than than he would from 10 easy wins. Many of the true greats have lost early and improved on their mistakes. Anyways more boxing fans look back and discuss Emanuel Augustus than Sven Ottke.

The path to greatness is to challenge yourself in a fight you might actually lose and the odds are stacked against you. Undefeated don't mean much if you don't fight the top guys of your era. Unfortunately some ppl are ready to write off a fighter if he loses. Either he is washed up, garbage, a hype job, on the decline, etc. One thing though, an undefeated record has became a good promotional tool

the way i see it is... lets say errrm pavlik... pavlik lost to martinez.. martinez is now awesome... if pavlik beat martinez (and didnt have a loss to bernard so he was undefeated) martinez would have been too small etc... and he wouldnt have been tested or whatever... the point is if you are undefeated and have dominated your opponants people will say you havent fought good opposition because there is no measuring stick. the way i look at it is through a mix of skill and record.. imo you dont need someone to lose to measure his skills and the fact is i dont care how the old timers get butthurt the fighters of today are just as good as the fighters of yesterday, just as fast, just as quick and just as human.

the reason why floyd is great, is because he is so skilled and has proven his skill time and time again--and him having the confidence that no fighter can beat him makes him that much more endeering---he doesn't underestimate any fighter--he busts his ass in the gy for every fight, training twice a day at times----going oout of the box---that's why he's great---the ****ing kid became a world champion in less than 2 years after his debut, dominating the world champion---he fought 2 tough fights with castillo and the first one, he wasn't even 100%, yet he still won a close, hard fought fight---the second fight with jose, he beat him again--and he was 100%--- floyd being undefeated doesn't make him great, but it is important to me that he is undefeated because it goes to show you, that floyd busts his ass to keep that 0----and he doesn't want to be like any other fighter who loses, and then comes back to win----he wants to be the most dominant fighter ever, beating whoever is in his path---that takes great skill, great will, great confidence---all of which floyd has----that's why he's great, and the best in the sport---people tend to forget he came up from a smaller weight class and hasn't lost yet---beating guys who've fought at their natural weight class, or guys who have been at that weight class for most of their careers---that takes a brilliant mind, and a highly skilled fighter, and floyd possesses a brilliant mind and he is the most skilled fighter the sport has seen, possible ever imo----he loves his 0, and why shouldn't he? he's earned it---he's earned all of his wins----that's the confidence fighters need to have--- that's why floyd talks about losses so much, because he values his unbeaten record, and trains like he does---that's risky and that's bravado---he didn't get to where he is by fighting bums--he's fought world champion, top champions, former world champions, highly skilled fighters, pressure fighters, brawlers, he has outboxed fighters, out brawled fighters, ko'ed and tko'ed fighters, while dominating a bout before doing so---so his undefeated record is very important, because it gives him his drive and motivation---every fighter has a different motivation---floyd's ultimate goal is to retired undefeated, and he has every right to want to do so---he has the confidence to say no fighter is better than him, past or present, and his record is a good argument in his favor---past fighters, present fighters, up and coming fighters should have this type of drive---yes, floyd loves money----but he's been around the sport all of his life---and he knows what it takes to win---and that's the most impressive thing about him---he can beat you in so many different ways---it a one on one combat sport---if you don't have the underlying motivation, floyd's is his 0, then you're in the wrong sport---he wants to be the best---he feels he is the best---and he's won 6 world championships in 6 weight classes in just under 11 years, while staying undefeated--- he can have all the confidence in the world, when he's accomplished this---he can be cocky, arrogant, dismiss other fighters, because he's a fighter who prepares himself for victory---it's not like he bullshits his way to victory---he's a brilliant fighter---he can beat you mentally, right after telling you how he will beat you, and how you fight, and then you fight him, and you do exactly what he says you do, and how he won't work against him, and he's been right 40 times---which is why he's yet to be beaten--- so stop all of the ducking and running bs----coz he doesn't fight the way you like---i wouldnt' fight the way you like either---most of you dumb ****ers on here and larry merchant's dumb ass have never laced up gloves and got in the ring yourselves---so how can you criticize a guy's fighting style, when you wouldn't have the confidence to go in the ring and fight, let alone fight like he does---- it's always easy to bash him, when you can't do what he does----while you're working at a fast food joint, dreaming about being rich and the best at something, he's in the ring, getting rich and being the best at what he does--- i always say, if you want to see non stop action and don't like how floyd fights, then go to a gym, hire a trainer, and get you ****ing ass in the ring and fight like you want to watch fights---until then, your opinion and criticism of floyd is just that---it holds not merit----when that "boring" mayweather has yet to lose a pro fight, has garnered millions of dollars, has been in magazines as the best fighter in the sport---- you tell me how a coward becomes labeled the number 1 p4p fighter in boxing, and only lost that spot once he retired--and he's been on the p4p list majority of his career---in the top half of it---that's a runner and a coward to you people? you people don't know shit--- floyd is one of the greatest fighters this sport has ever seen---past, present, and future---and his record proves it----

Thank You. SMFH at some of these dudes. Keep shaking it because Oscar doesn't have a better resume than Mayweather.

What undefeated has a better resume than Floyd today? He was using Floyd as the best example of the undefeated and he's right. Oscar and Shane both have better resumes. They also both have 5+ losses. In Oscar's case one of those losses was to Mayweather. And Oscar had everything in his favor from the weight, glove size, and the date. No he does not have a better resume. I'll wait until Saturday to see if Shane can make that claim.

So what's Larry Merchant's point? That most boxers lose their undefeated records? There's a shocking a revelation. No, that's not the point. Geez. The obvious point of this article is to thorw out there the idea that the great "0" is a symbol of superiority nowadays when it wasn't necessarily so in the past. If anything, an undefeated record prompted more questions than answers. Was it really that difficult to figure out?

**** does he know, "boxing is a business". All that matters is how much money they make.

What undefeated has a better resume than Floyd today? He was using Floyd as the best example of the undefeated and he's right. Oscar and Shane both have better resumes. They also both have 5+ losses. Nope I said all. You know any undefeated who today that has a decent resume?? Now you asked if all?? we'll floyd's the best example I can find because he has the BEST undefeated resume. Well say Floyd then. When you said ALL, I thought of a the YOUNG fighters that were undefeated and some of them have fought some good competition even at this early stage of their respective careers. Alexander comes to mind, Bradley comes to mind. etc. Thank You. SMFH at some of these dudes. SMH at you, be clear when you post. You stated..."all undefeated fighters..".

I just hate when someone lose now he overrated, washed up, past prime, shot

Listen to Larry.

Larry is the man!!

“In the old days, if a fighter was unbeaten the response from fans was ‘Who has he fought?’ and ‘Is he being protected?’” Merchant said. “Fighters were not judged by their records. They were judged on who they fought and how they fought them. real fu*king talk that how it should be now

What undefeated has a better resume than Floyd today? He was using Floyd as the best example of the undefeated and he's right. Oscar and Shane both have better resumes. They also both have 5+ losses. Thank You. SMFH at some of these dudes.

What undefeated has a better resume than Floyd today? He was using Floyd as the best example of the undefeated and he's right. Oscar and Shane both have better resumes. They also both have 5+ losses. Thank you.. SMFH at some of these dudes.

So you were ONLY referring to Floyd when you made your last comment? Nope I said all. You know any undefeated who today that has a decent resume?? Now you asked if all?? we'll floyd's the best example I can find because he has the BEST undefeated resume.

So you were ONLY referring to Floyd when you made your last comment? What undefeated has a better resume than Floyd today? He was using Floyd as the best example of the undefeated and he's right. Oscar and Shane both have better resumes. They also both have 5+ losses.

Excerpts from a recent Ring Magazine article... ----------- http://www.pound4pound.com/Photos/HBO/2008/merchant.jpg Merchant, who has followed the sport since the 1940s, says there is little doubt that unbeaten records mean more to fans now than in decades past. “In the old days, if a fighter was unbeaten the response from fans was ‘Who has he fought?’ and ‘Is he being protected?’” Merchant said. “Fighters were not judged by their records. They were judged on who they fought and how they fought them. “In the modern era, records are used as marketing tool or as a means of attracting the attention of casual fans who may not follow the sport very closely. There’s a young fighter from Mexico, Saul Alvarez, on the undercard of Saturday’s fight. He’s 19 years old and 31-0. The record makes you curious. Fans see that record and wonder how good he really is. That’s a natural thing.” If Alvarez continues his winning ways don’t be surprised if fan curiosity gives way to blind adulation and the young welterweight starts drawing comparisons to Mexican greats of the past. Undefeated fighters gaining premature greatness has almost become a tradition in recent decades. Mike Tyson, the sport’s biggest star when he was its undisputed, undefeated heavyweight champ, was put in the company of Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali before Buster Douglas shocked him and the rest of the world. Boxing’s next star, Oscar De La Hoya, was compared to Sugar Ray Leonard until he lost his “O” to Felix Trinidad. Between his decapitation of William Joppy and his humiliation at the hands of Bernard Hopkins, many fans wondered how Trinidad, 40-0 at the time, would have fared against the likes of Robinson and Carlos Monzon. Marco Antonio Barrera was compared to Julio Cesar Chavez as he rolled to a magnificent 43-0 record. Then he rolled into the right hands of Junior Jones. Many called Naseem Hamed, 35-0 with 31 knockouts going into his showdown with Barrera, the hardest punching featherweight in history before he was undressed by the Mexican boxer. There are a dozen other examples but the story is the same. Undefeated fighters seem unbeatable and on par with the great ones of the sport, then they lose a fight and suddenly the all-time great comparisons cease. http://www.ringtv.com/blog/1870/mayweather_and_the_mystique_of_the_undefeated_record/ good stuff :fing02:.....Larry is on point!!

2 reasons 1) Casual fans (Roger Mayweather's voice) "don't know shit about boxing." 2) Mayweather is spouting about his undefeated record in almost every interview. When you have the best fighter putting importance on something, people will follow. It's like 50 Cent touting first week record sales when he was #1.

compare floyd's resume who has the best undefeated resume today to Oscar's?? tell me what you see. So you were ONLY referring to Floyd when you made your last comment? Soo true.. You look at all Undefeateds today and look at their resume and compare them to De la hoya's, or Mosley's. and there's a giant gap in competition.