Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather remains adamant that his fight against Andre Berto in Las Vegas on Saturday will be his last. American great Mayweather is unbeaten in 48 professional bouts and victory over Berto would see him equal Rocky Marciano’s career record of 49-0. Many believe the 38-year-old will not be able to resist attempting to break Marciano’s mark, but Mayweather says his health is more important.
“If you stick around too long, anything can happen,” said Mayweather. “I’m not really worried about losing, but I want to have a sharp mind. You can make a lot of money, but you still want to be able to walk and talk. Number 49 is my last fight.” Mayweather’s unbeaten streak goes back to 1996, when he joined the paid ranks after winning a bronze medal at the Atlanta Olympics.
And the five-weight world champion, who will defend his WBC and WBA welterweight titles against compatriot Berto at the MGM Grand, says he does not need to fight on to prove his greatness. “People said throughout the years I was a coward, I was scared, I couldn’t beat Manny Pacquiao,” said Mayweather, who beat Pacquiao in the richest fight in history in May.
“They gave him so many accolades, called him an all-time great. But all these people had to eat their words. “If he’s an all-time great, then what does that make me? If they’re saying he’s the fighter of the century, what does that make me? “I’m going to be ‘The Best Ever’ until the day I die.”
Two-time world champion Berto, 32, goes into the fight as a big underdog but Mayweather, perhaps wishing to bolster disappointing ticket sales, claims he has a genuine contest on his hands.
“He feels like he has nothing to lose, and when you’ve got a guy that’s put in that situation, it makes him work that much harder because he’s got a chance to be one of the top guys in the sport when I’m through,” said Mayweather. Meanwhile, British boxer George Groves says taking on the WBC super-middleweight champion Badou Jack could be his last chance to gain a world title.
Groves, 27, was twice beaten by fellow British super-middleweight Carl Froch and brushed off criticism from the now retired former champion before the fight against the 31-year old Gambian-Swedish boxer, which is on the Mayweather undercard. After Nottingham’s Froch said Groves was “more or less finished” following their last contest in 2014, Londoner Groves told the BBC: “I don’t think he was the fighter he once was after that fight because he retired!
“I don’t care what he says, he’s not a fighter any more, there is no rivalry. He’s a pundit now and his opinions need to be interesting. “It’s a must-win fight. I’ve had two attempts at a world title and fell short so I will leave nothing to chance. This time round maybe I won’t get any more chances so I’ve got to make it count.”— BBC.