Floyd Mayweather: Business Man Before Fighter

Floyd Mayweather‘s selection of Andre Berto as his final opponent has raised questions in the minds of boxing fans.

Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather Jr. (48-0, 26 KO’s) is one of the wealthiest athletes on the planet. His record setting earnings from the Manny Pacquiao fight alone are more than most athletes will accumulate in a lifetime.

While some praise the savvy and business acumen of Mayweather, several others criticize the tactics he employs in the ring.

Many were disappointed that he “ran” from Pacquiao, rather than going toe-to-toe with the former champ.

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Those that have closely followed Mayweather’s career were not surprised to see the prototypical style of arguably the greatest defensive boxer of all time.

The intriguing aspect of the entire debate is the failure to recognize that what Mayweather gets criticized for as a boxer would be considered praiseworthy on Wall Street.

Mayweather is master of minimizing risk and maximizing reward.

The announcement of his next opponent, Andre Berto (30-3, 23 KO’s), is evidence to the fact.

Berto is another fighter, on the long list of fighters, that is not in the class of Mayweather.

Whether it was Canelo Alvarez that he fought too soon, or Pacquiao that he fought too late, Mayweather is in the business of beating people that consumers believe can dethrone the champ – or at least hope can dethrone him.

Berto is another fighter, Mayweather believes, will fit the mold.

While Berto does not have the experience or name recognition of some of Floyd’s recent opponents, there are always questions that can surface to tantalize potential viewers.

Is Floyd getting too old? How much longer can he keep his speed?

It’s questions like these that help create demand for Mayweather bouts.

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At the heart of the criticism against Floyd is our romanitisizing of athletic competition.

It goes back to the days of Roman gladiators, when the most famous athletes were literally slaves. There wasn’t tremendous wealth on the line, just the roar of the crowd.

But Mayweather isn’t a gladiator, I wouldn’t even consider him a fighter.

‘Money’ is a boxer and a businessman.

That’s not always popular when people pay to see a fight. Especially when they pay in hopes of seeing a different outcome.

Despite the criticism Mayweather is receiving for selecting Berto, he seems intent on selling this fight as an exciting or potentially competitive fight. Something most boxing fans know isn’t true.

This is Business 101 for Mayweather. It’s another attempt to have a massive payday, while taking little chance of derailing his aspirations of finishing his career with an unblemished record.

But will fans be willing to buy in this time around?

Are the hopes of seeing Mayweather lose or the chances of this being an interesting fight be enough to draw the Pay-Per-View numbers he is accustomed to?

Time will tell if Mayweather supporters or haters will come out to see the controversial champion.

As a boxing fan, I would love to see this fight and watch Floyd operate for the last time.

As a consumer, I wouldn’t want to spend money on a fight with an obvious outcome.

Bottom Line: Fans may not be interested in seeing another one-sided Mayweather fight.

Fortunately for Mayweather, giving people what they want, is not a part of his business model. Floyd is in the business of making money and winning boxing matches.

A business that has been wildly successful for almost 20 years.