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By Cliff Rold - Whether last Saturday was his real farewell or not, the end of the Floyd Mayweather era is at hand. Maybe (probably) he comes back for a fiftieth win. He’ll be 39 by then. Assuming he’s at most one and done, a question emerges with his exit.
Is this the end?
No, not the end of Mayweather; he’ll be around somewhere. The question is whether Mayweather represents, symbolically if not quite literally, the end of the “U.S. era” in boxing.
Since the turn of the twentieth century, the U.S. has been the dominant force in professional boxing. Even today, we have the most major titlists of any country in the world. The September 2015 issues of The Ring credits the U.S. with eleven, followed by Japan with eight. A quick scan through the back issues finds the U.S. edge in 1992 at 17 with next closest being Mexico at six.
The gap has closed considerably.
The most symbolic element of dominance has always been the top of the scale. Fans love to debate stuff like ‘pound for pound’ lists, but in terms of action in the ring, the king stays the king. [Click Here To Read More]
Is this the end?
No, not the end of Mayweather; he’ll be around somewhere. The question is whether Mayweather represents, symbolically if not quite literally, the end of the “U.S. era” in boxing.
Since the turn of the twentieth century, the U.S. has been the dominant force in professional boxing. Even today, we have the most major titlists of any country in the world. The September 2015 issues of The Ring credits the U.S. with eleven, followed by Japan with eight. A quick scan through the back issues finds the U.S. edge in 1992 at 17 with next closest being Mexico at six.
The gap has closed considerably.
The most symbolic element of dominance has always been the top of the scale. Fans love to debate stuff like ‘pound for pound’ lists, but in terms of action in the ring, the king stays the king. [Click Here To Read More]
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