We may have seen the last of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. He ends his career undefeated after 49 bouts.
While most retirement news, especially for athletes who are the best at their sport come with a tinge of sadness, Sports Illustrated hints of a "good riddance" tone.
Money May is a constant presence even when he's not fighting. He has made himself a marketing machine and has mastered all possible mediums to sell himself, including social media. He is the most hated figure in boxing and arguably any sport.
"The sport won't miss the negativity," SI pointed out. "Mayweather invites-nay, creates-the negativity with his actions, then fumes when the media actually, you know, covers them."
SI recalls The Money Team and their clashes with the media. "Mayweather, his team, his publicists, even Showtime execs, chide media and fans alike for being too critical of Mayweather. It's unfair, they say, which is ludicrous. Mayweather's abhorrent treatment of women outside the ring and his frequent cherry-picking of opponents in it make it difficult to focus on anything positive."
"He claims to love all the press coverage-'Good or bad, it keeps me relevant,' Mayweather has said-but rarely misses a chance to chide those who doubt him," SI says about Floyd's attraction to controversy. "He expects you to believe he's the best ever (he's not), that he always fights the best (he doesn't) and that the backlash would come regardless of what opponent he picked."
Floyd's latest fight is one example. Fighters like Amir Khan and Timothy Bradley have been chasing him for the past year and there was still no compelling reason to choose Andre Berto over these bigger names.
With Mayweather gone, SI believes the boxing world will focus on new blood. The upcoming middleweight bouts in October and November will showcase Gennady Golovkin and Saul Alvarez. SI believes "boxing will belong to them soon."