WE WANT OUR MONEY BACK!

Posted on | June 28, 2008 | No Comments

Boxing press exclusive

we Want our money back!

By greg Goodrich, boxing press editor in chief

(BP): On June 6, 2008, Boxing’s reigning Pound-for-Pound Champion Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, Jr. (39-0) officially announced his retirement from the ring, via fax. In the process, Mayweather joined an elite list of seven former World Champions who retired undefeated and with their respective titles. He joins World Paperweight, Flyweight and Bantamweight Champion Jimmy Barry (58-0-10); World WBC, WBO, WBA Minimumweight and Junior Flyweight Champion Ricardo Lopez (51-0-1); World NYSAC and NBA Heavyweight Champion Rocky Marciano (49-0); World Police Gazette Champion Jack McAuliffe (34-0-6); World WBA, IBF Super Middleweight Champion Sven Ottke (34-0-0): and World EBU Middleweight Champion Laszlo Papp (27-0-2). For sake of fairness, 30 other fighters have retired undefeated, with titles.

Sixteen are bare knuckle pugilists from Figg’s Manly Art of Self Defense, Broughton’s Rules Governing Prize Fighting, and the London Prize Ring Rules eras: English Heavyweight Champion Benjamin Brain (7-0-1); American Lightweight Champion Arthur Chambers (8-0-1); English Middleweight Champion Tom Chandler (3-0-1); English Featherweight Champion William ‘Nobby’ Clark (2-0-0); English Heavyweight Champion Tom Crib (7-0-0); English Welterweight Champion Jim Dunne (2-0-0); English Heavyweight Champion Jack ‘Duggan’ Fearns (2-0-0); American Lightweight Champion Owney Geoghegan (11-0-1); English Heavyweight Champion Jack Harris (2-0-0); America Heavyweight Champion Jacob Hyer (1-0-0); American Heavyweight Champion Tom Hyer (2-0-0); English Heavyweight Champion Tom Lyons (1-0-0); English Heavyweight Champion Henry Pearce (7-0-0); English Heavyweight Champion Tom Pipes (2-0-0); English Lightweight Champion Jack Randall (16-0-1): and English Welterweight Champion Young Dutch Sam (16-0-0).

Seven are Marquis of Queensbury titlists: WBF Junior Bantamweight Titlist Samson ‘Dutch Boy’ Gym (43-0-0); IBF Junior Featherweight Titlist Ji-Won Kim (16-0-2); WBO Welterweight Titlist Michael Loewe (28-0-0); IBF, EBU Junior Welterweight Titlist Terry Marsh (26-0-1); American Featherweight, Lightweight, PC Welterweight, Middleweight Titlist Young Mitchell (35-0-6); EBU Bantamweight Titlist Augustin Senin (42-0-1): and IBF Flyweight Titlist Pichit Sitbangprachan (24-0-0). Seven are modern day, minor sanctioning body belt holders: Montana, N/S Dakota Middleweight Belt Holder Tom Gleason (6-0-3); WBCCA Junior Featherweight Belt Holder Jemal Hinton (22-0-0); WBCCA Heavyweight Belt Holder Ike Ibeabuchi (20-0-0); WBU Heavyweight Belt Holder George Kandelaki (24-0-0); UBCIA Lightweight Belt Holder Edson Nascimento (47-0-1); Commonwealth Heavyweight Belt Holder Horace Notice (16-0-0); and South African Bantamweight Belt Holder Mzukisi Skweyiya (21-0-1).

Ever since Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, Jr. retired, writers have been researching how many other champions retired but later returned. Other insiders have been surmising why Mayweather retired and when he will return. Fans have been debating if Mayweather is walking away as a negotiating ploy for his September 2008 rematch with Oscar de la Hoya. Others contend Floyd can’t retire before facing undefeated WBA Welterweight Titlist Miguel Cotto. Yeah it’s only been three weeks, but I want my money back.

Did Floyd retire because he is bored, has made enough money, has no more worthy challengers and wants to walk away while on top, with all of his faculties in place? Truth be told, none us know, and will never know unless he chooses to return to boxing. I was asked by a Radio Host how Floyd’s retirement ranks in the annals of history and quickly began compiling a quick list of similar athletes and fighters who retired from their respective sport while on top. Obviously it’s a short list.

The first person that came to mind was the great Jim Brown, who made nine consecutive pro bowl appearances; was the NFL’s all time leading rusher (12,312); held the single most rushing yards in a single season (1,863); had the most all time touchdowns (126), most rushing touchdowns (106) and most all purpose yards (15, 549): and accomplished all of that before he retired at the age of 29. Brown retired from football because Art Modell- the owner of the Cleveland Browns- demanded that he report to training camp rather than finish filming The Dirty Dozen.

Barry Sanders announced his retirement in July 1999 when he faxed a letter to the Wichita Eagle, his hometown newspaper. Sanders was a cinch to break Walter Payton’s then all time rushing record of 16,726 yards. In only ten years, Sanders gained 15,269 rushing yards; had 2,921 receiving yards: and held 109 touchdowns (99 rushing, 10 receiving). Sanders was a ten-time All Pro. He too left money on the table. He was even forced to pay the Detroit Lions 5.5 million dollars back, plus interest. The reason why he retired? Sanders admitted he quit because he could not stand losing.

Legendary golfer Byron Nelson walked away from the sport at the age of 34, after having won 63 tournaments in a little over a decade. What’s most analogous to Mayweather is that Nelson distanced himself from equally great rivals Ben Hogan and Sam Snead. Though all three were hall of fame material, only Nelson won a record 11 straight PGA tournaments and a total of 18 tournaments in 1945 alone. Nelson holds the all time most consecutive top ten tournament finishes (65). In the course of one year, Nelson set the record for most first place finishes (11), most second place (8) finishes, lowest 18 hole score (62) and lowest recorded 72 hole score (259). Nelson walked away from the game to pursue personal interests- working on his ranch in Texas.

Rarely in boxing does a fighter retire for good, much less walk away from the limelight and fistic fortune while undefeated. For every Welterweight, Junior Middleweight, Middleweight, Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion like Sugar Ray Leonard who retires five or six times- and lose their status as the best- there are only a few fighters like Undisputed Middleweight Champion Marvin Hagler who left the sport in a controversial loss but content in thinking they won no matter what the judges said. For every fighter like WBA Junior Bantamweight Champion Khaosai Galaxy (49-1) who lost early in their career- and then never lost again- there are a fistful of fighters like Undisputed Cruiserweight and Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield who just can’t quit no matter how hard we make it for him- and keeps losing time and time again.

No matter why Mayweather left; when he may return: or if he prematurely retired, this much is true. It’s only been three weeks, and I want my money back. Even if Floyd left boxing for all the right reasons, he may or may not return to the ring for any of the wrong rational. Floyd’s uncle and former trainer Roger Mayweather summarized his nephew’s decision as follows: he won six titles in five weight classes; retired undefeated: and no one else ever did that. And he’s got 70 million dollars. Humn… he’s got money in the bank, and doesn’t care what we all think.

If Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, Jr. stays retired, he will have accomplished a feat far greater than having won six titles in five weight classes, and retiring undefeated. He will have proven that no amount of money is worth risking your health. He will have proven that no matter how many fights he had, he clearly won them all. He will have proven that a man can be taken at his word and even mean what he says, and say what he means. He will have proven that a fighter who has done it all doesn’t need to prove anything else to anyone ever again or anytime erstwhile he’d never leave the sport. Yes, it’s only been three weeks and I still want my money back!

It says here the allure of the limelight; the competitive drive that all great athletes posses; and the gargantion amounts of money that can be earned on a limited basis will draw Floyd Mayweather, Jr. back to the ring. Whether or not he can take a page from former Undisputed Heavyweight Champions Gene Tunney and Lennox Lewis and be content in having beaten everyone he faced, remains to be seen. He may be the next Joe Louis, who just can’t give up the thought that he can’t be beat, and won’t lose if he brings his A game. Boxing history is filled with sad antecdotes regarding fighters who fought one time too many. It’s only been three weeks, but I still want my money back!

We should accept his retirement as a good thing, even though we will miss seeing him fight the best and beat them. We would be wise to remember we are not the ones getting up early, putting in grueling hours; punishing our bodies to physical exhaustion and risking our own personal health for the personal enjoyment of others. His life is his own to live, and whether he fights, raps, wrestles or walks away, he has earned the privilege and right to leave the sport of boxing on his own terms. Yes, it’s only been three weeks, and I will always want my money back!

Glossary of Terms- Bare Knuckle Champion: a non-gloved fighter who won an American or English title. World Champion: a gloved fighter who held the Police Gazette, NYSAC, NBA/WBA, WBC, IBF, or WBO titles, and whom was regarded as the best in his division. Titlist: a gloved fighter who won his title, but did not defeat the regarded champion in his own weight class; and whom failed to win at least two major belts. Belt Holder: a gloved fighter who was awarded an interim title or whom was given the abdicated, retired or vacated title of the established champion in his class.