There is no question that Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s undefeated record is something to be admired, and it is a tremendous feat that should be considered one of the greatest streaks of any kind throughout sports, in general. Although, there are some that argue his record does more harm than good based on the idea that Floyd protected his record by avoiding the toughest fights possible in hopes of keeping his “0” intact.
There is a case to be made that Mayweather’s career has shaped the mindset of younger fighters, but ultimately it boils down the maturity of a fighter’s character in determining how he’ll handle his first loss.
Shawn Porter is on the verge of discovering what he is made of when he steps into the ring on Friday and fights Roberto Garcia at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. This will be Porter’s first fight since suffering his first career loss back in August of last year against Kell Brook. Porter-Garcia will be the co-feature on Al Haymon’s “PBC” series broadcasted live on Spike TV, which features a bout between Andre Berto and Josesito Lopez.
Porter is facing the perfect fighter to reestablish himself and to test his ability to bounce back from defeat. Garcia is rugged enough to give Porter difficulty, and he can pull the upset if you give him an opening. However, Garcia is flawed enough that Porter can gain some confidence and have the kind of showing that will prompt him back into the spotlight.
In an interview published on Thaboxingvoice.com, Porter spoke about the positives that he could take away from his first loss, which proves that he has at least gone through an evolution of some sort that could affect his maturity level to some degree.
“I’ve been boxing since I was 8 years old. Since 8 to 27 [years old], I’ve had ups and downs my entire life in and out of the ring so even from that standpoint it’s not hard to accept a loss and understand that you’ve got to be better, you got to understand what’s going on in that situation and what you need to improve on,” Porter said.
Porter admitted that the loss affected him and that he went through some darker days, but he has found a way to rebound mentally, and that redemption will be showcased physically in his next fight.
It can’t be completely known whether or not Porter’s realization is genuine until we see him in the ring on Friday, but the fact that he has found the lack of correlation between Mayweather’s undefeated record and all-around greatness is profound. He isn’t saying that Mayweather’s record is meaningless, but he knows that one loss or several doesn’t define a fighter’s potential.
“I did have my days where I was a little down, and I said, ‘you know what, it’s not the end of my career, it’s not the end of my life.’ People take a look at guys like Floyd Mayweather Jr., and they feel like if you lose its the end because he hasn’t lost yet. That’s not it at all.”
