In the case of Floyd “Money” Mayweather, there seems to be no such thing as enough. It’s not enough for Mayweather, 50-0 and soon to turn 43 years of age, to be named The Fighter of the Decade, the “retired” superstar insists he is also The Athlete of the Decade. Only he isn’t – NBA star Lebron James is.
The Associated Press recently named James The Male Athlete of the Decade, above notable athletes such as Usain Bolt and Lionel Messi, and Floyd ain’t at all happy about it. As he made clear during an interview with Drink Champs:
“I love LeBron James but when we talking about Athlete of the Decade, that’s me,” Mayweather said. “We talking about from 1996 to 2020 – and I’ve never received Athlete of the Decade. At the top of Forbes and I’m my own boss. No Gatorade behind me, no Sprite behind me, no Nike behind me. These are billion dollar companies and we like to call it placement. So if they paying, you get what you want if you’re paying enough. Just honestly, I’m The Athlete of the Decade – and last two decades, actually.”
It’s true Mayweather achieved all that he achieved without the aid of any big company sponsoring him, but what, really, has this to do with his overall ability as an athlete? Sure, Floy’d his own boss, but this doesn’t elevate his impact or his overall ability. Mayweather’s ego is bigger than ever, it seems, even though he has not done anything of note in his field since back in 2015.
Mayweather may or may not fight again (50 Cent recently said his former buddy has to as he is fast running out of cash), but it’s highly unlikely Mayweather will take a risk; instead a probable crossover fight with an MMA star or maybe another high-paying exhibition. But the lack of risk Mayweather has undertaken during his career is perhaps one of the reasons he has not had the lofty accolades he feels he deserves.