Floyd Mayweather changed the game. And, depending on who you asked, it wasn’t always for the better. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
Before the former five-division champ would go on to have an undefeated career through 50 pro bouts, there was nothing wrong with losing a fight. All of the greats lost at some point. Mike Tyson lost his first fight to James “Buster” Douglas in 1990. Muhammad Ali came up short for the first time in his career at the hands of Joe Frazier in 1971. Ray Robinson also came up short in 1951 when he took on Randolph Turpin.
Despite their shortcomings, they all shared one thing in common, they dusted themselves off and got back in the win column.
Jermell Charlo has followed the mold of those who came before him. In 2018, he lost a close unanimous decision against Tony Harrison. In 2022, he was forced to settle for a split decision draw against Brian Castano.
Each time the 33-year-old came out on the wrong end, he made the necessary adjustments and bounced back. From his point of view, a tattered record isn’t important. It’s all about what you do when adversity comes knocking on your door.
“It’s not about how many times you fall,” said Charlo on BigBoy TV. “It’s about the comeback.”
Although Charlo has proven that he can come back and win the big fights when things initially don’t go his way, come September 30th, he may get only one bite at the apple.
On the night, the current undisputed junior middleweight king will pack on 14 pounds of muscle when he moves up two divisions to take on Canelo Alvarez. Of course, winning is the only thing on Charlo’s mind. However, having suffered defeat before, he isn’t worried about what would happen if things played out the complete opposite way of what he’s envisioning.
As Charlo takes a look at boxing’s landscape, he notices that a number of fighters have managed to hold onto their perfect record. While it’s impressive, Charlo believes that at least some of those names aren’t testing themselves against the best. Also, in part, Charlo is convinced that the majority of those fighters are attempting to emulate Mayweather, something Charlo despises.
“Everybody trying to be Mayweather. The era has changed. Mayweather went through it but he’s one of a kind.”