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There is a very good chance you missed it, but Friday may have been the beginning of the end for boxing as a relevant sport in America. Boxing, which once stood as symbol of America's strength and nationalism, has been pushed to the back of the sports stage over the past decade despite the efforts of one the sport's greatest competitors.
Floyd "Money" Mayweather decided to hang up the gloves after having one the most dominant careers the sport of boxing has ever seen. Mayweather retires after only 39 professional bouts. However, like other sports legends of our time, he will be leaving on top and on his own time. Floyd was masterful in the ring, winning every one of those 39 bouts, 25 of them by knockout. In fact, of his 14 fights that went the distance, only the controversial De la Hoya fight ended in split decision.
The tremendous rise of MMA and UFC has pushed boxing from the forefront of American sports over the past five years. While boxing may not have always been a big draw, Mayweather and his smooth arrogance in the ring always was. Those who are not fans of Mayweather will argue that he was a product of a weak boxing pool. While at some levels this is true, Mayweather never lowered his intensity level and always gave his fans and foes all he had. Mayweather brought attention to his sport through his participation on "Dancing with the Stars," and his rumored $20 million payday to wrestle in the WWE.
In the past, fans were drawn to high levels of boxing in all weight classes, whether it was heavyweights like Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, or smaller fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Roy Jones Jr. However, during the past few years, Mayweather had no other boxers with which to share the limelight. It seems the only boxing match that fans are even remotely interested in is Mayweather vs. De la Hoya.
While Floyd Mayweather may not be a household name like Kobe Bryant, Peyton Manning or Alex Rodriguez, his dominance in his sport is undeniable. Mayweather is one of the most dominant athletes of our generation, and should receive more love as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter the sport has ever seen.
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