Part of the reason that May 2nd is such a colossal event, is mostly due to the fact that for a long time now, boxing enthusiasts believed that only Manny Pacquiao has the right arsenal to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. Of course aside from their competitive edge, both men have developed very unique personalities over the years, and paired together with their history, they make a great story for the sport of boxing.
One of the more popular questions nowadays, is what would happen if Mayweather Jr. lost the fight?
“I think it will make him more human and maybe increase his marketability and popularity. I always thought that idea — now, you don’t want to lose — but the fact that he would lose was not the death kind of thing that he thought it was, that he thinks it is. I mean, all the great ones lost,” explained Top Rank’s Bob Arum.
I believe that Arum might have hit the bull’s eye on this one. While it would be painful to experience and admit for Mayweather Jr., it would give him the drive to redeem himself to his fans, and would push him to reach greatness beyond that zero that holds on to so firmly.
Mayweather Jr. losing the fight and being involved in a re-match against Pacquiao, would generate hype and profits well beyond any other, including their upcoming fight in May.
“His whole identity is that zero. He’s still a great fighter if he loses, but people will look at him completely different, and especially at his age, I don’t know how he would come back from that,” said Freddie Roach.
That very zero is indeed a very important number in the sport of boxing, and while it should not necessarily define a fighter, it should certainly be protected. Legends in boxing are chiseled not only by their characters and fights, but by their resumes as well.
While Freddie Roach believes that Mayweather Jr. might not be able to recover from a loss, Bob Arum seems to think that it would be good for the sport and Floyd himself, and even land more money in everyone’s pockets.
