Allure Of The Undefeated Record - Is It Good Or Bad For Boxing?
Boxing is unique to other combat sports due to a particular fixation it has developed over the last few generations.
Talented prospects making their way up the ranks do so with a developmental path already pre-ordained for them to take.
Top-tier talent will usually be tasked with mismatched fights where they are levels above their journeyman opponents to pad their records with a bloated number in the win column, followed by what is most emphasized, a zero in the loss column.
The mania around the undefeated record is a phenomenon that had its seeds sown by the great Rocky Marciano in the 40s and 50s but really had its paradigm-shifting impact with Floyd Mayweather.
The Floyd Paradigm
Floyd was often criticized by fans for cherry-picking and aging out certain opponents in an attempt to disqualify his legacy but he would have none of it.
His most coveted accolade was his undefeated record (50-0) and he made sure you knew it.
Often boasting about how fifty have tried and fifty have failed, Floyd created a paradigm in the modern era of boxing where fighters are set on preserving the shine of their undefeated record, no matter how cut above the curated opposition they are.
Is this new circumstance a net negative for the sport of boxing? Let us dig deeper.
When Everyone Wants to Keep that "-0"
There are many downstream effects of fighters managing their careers in a fashion that will give them the best chance to stay undefeated.
The current state of boxing’s middleweight division is a perfect illustration of these outcomes.
Once heralded as boxing’s marquee division, the middleweight division is now a shell of its former self.
In the modern era, the 160-pound division is filled with undefeated contenders, none of which have fought each other.
Buzz and excitement surrounding the division has stagnated due to this fact.
Legends are forged in fire, not bubble wrap.
Jaime Munguia is an example of the withered state of this weight class.
A young Mexican who has shown flashes of superstardom, Munguia’s handlers have made a concerted effort to cherry-pick his opposition in an attempt to keep him undefeated to the point where he has a perfect 41-0 record littered with journeymen who are not fit to share the ring with a fighter of his caliber.
Fans simply do not know just how special any of these fighters are because we have not seen them put to the test with an opponent who will offer true resistance.
Legends are forged in fire, not bubble wrap.
Conclusión
All in all, the vanity metric that is the undefeated record seems to be a net negative for boxing.
Its influence has seen many fighters shielded from testing themselves with peers of their ilk and has diminished enthusiasm amongst fans who want to see these fights happen.
The biggest draws in boxing prior to this phenomenon never shied away from a loss understanding that the prospect of failure is what makes people watch.
It keeps us interested to see what the outcome will be and can ultimately be a fighter's greatest ally in the long run.
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