Floyd Mayweather said he’s not concerned about equaling Rocky Marciano’s record of 49 consecutive victories without a loss. It’s a mark in boxing akin to Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak in baseball. Mayweather, unbeaten in 44 fights, will match Marciano’s record if he completes his six-fight deal with Showtime without a defeat.
“We’ll take one step at a time. We’ll take one fight at a time,” Mayweather said yesterday. “We only hope for the best. Once we reach 49 that’s what it is.”
The second fight of the contract is set for Sept. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas against the unbeaten and highly-touted Mexican Saul Canelo Alvarez. It’s probably the biggest fight that could be made now that Manny Pacquiao was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez last December.
The two boxers were in Times Square in Manhattan yesterday to kick-off an 11-city tour to promote the pay-per-view bout. When the subject of Marciano was raised, Mayweather paid homage to the former heavyweight champion from the 1950s.
“He’s one of the guys that paved the way for me to be where I’m at,” Mayweather said. “But I’m in a totally different era where it takes six months to build a pay-per-view. Back then, you had guys fight once a month or the same guys fought four or five times. It’s a different era. … All I want to do is continue to be the best that’s put in front of me in my era. That’s the only thing I can do.”
Matching Marciano’s record likely will become the driving motivation late in the multi-fight deal. Should Mayweather get past Alvarez, there seem to be few other fighters who pose enough of a threat to sell a major fight on their own. Catching Marciano will become the sell.
For now, Mayweather, who dominated Roberto Guerrero last May, has his hands full with Alvarez, a young, hungry champion, who can punch. Some were surprised Mayweather, who has 26 knockouts, agreed to the bout so soon after defeating Guerrero. But a potential $40 million pay-day and the need to reward Showtime for its commitment earned Mayweather’s signature. It’s also wise to get Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs) before he becomes more seasoned.
“It’s about getting to the pinnacle of the sport and facing one of the best guys out there,” Mayweather said. “I said I was going to very active to stay sharp so I can stay on the top of my game. I want to give the people excitement and test myself against the best guy they’ve got out there in the sport of boxing.”