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Floyd Mayweather Jr. looks to tie the 49-0 record of the great Rocky Marciano when he faces Andre Berto on September 12th, 2015 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Marciano Curse
On the cusp of tying the great Marciano’s unbeaten 49-0 record, Mayweather looks to erase once and for all what is known in boxing circles as the “Curse of Marciano”. Former champions Larry Holmes, Chris John and Paul Spadafora were in the same 48-0 boat as Mayweather, but all of them lost and failed to put themselves at par with one of boxing’s most hallowed records. But unlike those three, Mayweather has the biggest chance of equaling Marciano’s feat.
A Big Underdog
Boxing experts have criticized Mayweather’s choice of Berto as his next and perhaps final opponent. And rightfully, so because Berto has not done anything in the last five years to earn this fight. Sure, he started his career at 27-0 with 21 KOs, but he’s lost three of his last six bouts, including two to Robert Guerrero and Victor Ortiz whom Mayweather handily beat in the past. Because of these, Berto is one of the biggest underdogs in championship boxing history at 50-1. Even Buster Douglas was given a better shot at beating Mike Tyson in 1991, as he was a “mere” 42-1 underdog pick. With Berto being a longshot, Mayweather looks ready to ride into the sunset undefeated in a career which he calls TBE.
Last Ride?
Mayweather has repeatedly said that this will be his final fight as it is the final installment of the six fight contract which he signed with Showtime in 2013. Despite that, experts are looking at one more fight for Mayweather after this, not just to separate himself from Marciano at 50-0 and give his claim as TBE a boost, but to finance the luxurious lifestyle that he lives. Mayweather’s bank account is thicker than ever but he needs to keep it fat if he continues to spend $4.8M for a sports car and carry stacks of cash when he travels. Mayweather has said that there is nothing left to prove but in hindsight, there are millions more to earn once he becomes a promotional free agent after this fight and regardless of the PPV outcome of Mayweather-Berto.
Who Takes This?
As early as when this fight was made official, nobody gave Berto a chance. In fact, Mayweather opened at Bovada as a ridiculous 100-1 favorite. But don’t count Berto out because at age 31, he is not over the hill although his recent record looks to say that. He has nothing to lose but everything to gain and that’s a recipe for a shocker. Stat-wise though, Berto doesn’t throw enough punches to bother Mayweather. Although he clearly packs the punch that could hurt Money May, the question is whether he can land it consistently or land it at all. Mayweather is the master of the sweet science. He hits and doesn’t get hit. We all know how he neutralized sluggers like Pacquiao, Canelo and Cotto. There is no reason Berto will be any different. Experts are picking an easy 12-round win for Mayweather with high probability of a shutout in all three scorecards.
