Floyd Mayweather‘s 50-0 record is a stuff of legends in the modern era of boxing. The Michigan native surpassed Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 milestone, retiring as an unmatched icon. He redefined the sport, inspiring countless aspiring boxers to lace up their gloves and perfect the game. However, Terence Crawford believes that the record has a downside.
Recently, the Omaha native sat down with NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe in a detailed conversation regarding modern boxing. As the conversation moved forward, the focus shifted to how young fighters prioritize undefeated records over facing top opponents at the right. And Terence Crawford thinks Floyd Mayweather’s untouchable 50-0 legacy might be driving this trend.
Terence Crawford highlights Floyd Mayweather’s win over other legends
During the conversation, Sharpe pointed out that Floyd Mayweather, in his later career, often chose less challenging opponents or timed his fights well to protect his perfect record. The NFL veteran then asked, “When did the ‘O’ become the end-all and be-all,” citing examples of legends like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, and Tommy Hearns, who are revered despite losses. Terence Crawford pinned the shift on Mayweather. “I think Mayweather. He made it big to the public. Like 47 have tried, 47 have failed, and then it got all the way to 50.” He also mentioned the likes of Andre Ward and Joe Calzaghe, both of whom retired with 32-0 and 46-0 undefeated records, respectively.
Credit: Imago
The Nebraskan argued, “When people look at him (Floyd Mayweather), they be like, ‘Man, that dude never lost.’ People can’t say that when you look at Ali, Roy Jones Jr., all the greats back in the day. They lost.” Despite it being an unrealistic ideal, that is something he believes fighters like Mayweather or Calzaghe have over legends like Muhammad Ali or Roy Jones Jr. He added, “But that’s something that Joe Calzaghe, Andre Ward, Floyd Mayweather, they can say, ‘I never lost.’”
Crawford, undefeated himself at 41-0, believes young boxers now chase undefeated records over tough fights. Furthermore, he believes the harsh nature of social media also plays a huge role, where one loss can turn fans against a fighter. “Back in the day, they didn’t have social media, you know what I mean. So all that wasn’t in their face, but now it’s in their face, they see it, they hear it, and it’s like you know who wants to go through that. So fighters is like, man, they picking and choosing,” he concluded.
It’s striking to hear this from Crawford, who’s also unbeaten. However, the Omaha native believes he has had to pave the way for himself through years of slow and steady grind because it never came on the back of big wins.
No one passed the torch
During the same Club Shay Shay interview, Terence Crawford noted how, unlike other fighters, he never had that passing of the torch moment. He would have gotten it against Manny Pacquiao, but Top Rank squashed that fight immediately. “I didn’t have the Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Sugar Shane Mosley, and those guys. Those were marquee names in the sport of boxing to pass the torch. Nobody passed the torch to Terence Crawford,” he lamented, claiming that he had to do it all by himself.
The Nebraskan asserted that no one did him any favors: “I paved my way. I didn’t piggyback off of any fighter. I fought my way up to the top.” He looked back at the era-defining bout Floyd Mayweather had against Oscar De La Hoya and how it made Money a superstar. “When they met up, you know Floyd was the B-side and he beat De La Hoya and then he started rising to the top,” he said.
While Mayweather got his career-defining fight, Crawford was denied his shot at Pacquiao, leaving him resentful toward promoter Bob Arum. However, after years of struggles, he has secured a legacy-defining clash with Canelo Alvarez before bowing out. If he wins that, he will become another modern-era boxer to retire with a perfect record. Would that change his view on perfect records? Time will tell. Share your thoughts below. Do chime in with your thoughts down below.
The post “People Can’t Say That”- Terence Crawford Gets Real on Floyd Mayweather’s Most Popular Criticism appeared first on EssentiallySports.
