Mayweather Jr. tries to break the 48-0 jink

“Boxing is a sport. We allow each other to hit each other, but I’m not treating my opponent like an enemy. We’re doing a job to entertain people.” MANNY PACQUIAO

By Alex P. Vidal

LOS ANGELES, California -- Some of the world’s undefeated world boxing champions met their Waterloo in duels nobody expected them to lose.

A few of them almost hit pay dirt at 48-0 but lady luck proved to be not on their side.

Larry Holmes was the first man to come near the 49-0 world record of Rocky Marciano.

He was 48-0 (34 KOs) when defeated by Michael Spinks for the IBF heavyweight title in Las Vegas on Sept. 21, 1985.

Holmes’ shocking loss was voted as “upset of the year” by boxing’s bible, The Ring Magazine.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (47-0, 26 KOs) needs two more wins to fulfill what Holmes had failed to do.

If Mayweather Jr. will roll past Manny Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) on May 2, he will be a win shy of equaling Marciano’s record.

If the Fight of the Century, touted as the richest and biggest pay-per-view show in the history of combat sports, will end in 12-round draw, Mayweather Jr.’s record will decline to 47-0-1 and a chance for a Marciano record sweepstakes will go down the drain.

A loss to Pacquiao will further impair Mayweather Jr.’s ledger and knock him off from the race to eclipse Marciano’s amazing winning streak.

The heat is on for Mayweather Jr. and other uprising future world champions with immaculate records.

FAIL

Some of the big marquee names in prizefighting history who failed to sustain their unblemished records were considered as “indestructible” before tasting their first defeats.

It was Frankie Randall who ended the unbeaten record of Julio Caesar Chavez by whipping the legendary Mexican by 12-round split decision for the WBC super lightweight title in Las Vegas on January 29, 1994.

Chavez was 48-0 (42 KOs with one draw) and was a win away from equaling Marciano’s record.

Gene Tunney was 39-0 (26 KOs) when Harry Greb (107-8-3, 48 KOs) beat him for the American light heavyweight title in New York on May 23, 1922.

After the loss, Tunney racked up 29 wins, including a pair of decision revenge wins to Greb in New York on March 23, 1923 and in Minnesota on March 27, 1925.

Tunney, who defeated Jack Dempsey in the controversial “the long count” for the world heavyweight title in Chicago on September 22, 1927, retired in 1928 with a record of 68-1-1, 48 KOs).

Wilfredo Gomez was 32-0 (32 KOs) when TKO’d in the 8 by Salvador Sanchez for the WBC world featherweight title in Las Vegas on Aug. 21, 1981.

“BOOM BOOM”

Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini was 20-0 (14 KOs) when stopped in the 14^th by Alexis Arguello for the WBA world lightweight title in New Jersey on October 3, 1981.

Edwin Rosario was 24-0 (21 KOs) when halted in the 4^th by Jose Luis Ramirez for the WBC world lightweight championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Nov. 3, 1984.

Hector Camacho was 25-0 (10 KOs) when he lost on points to Greg Haugen for the WBO super lightweight crown in Las Vegas on February 23, 1991.

George Foreman was 34-0 (31 KOs) when he was upset by Muhammad Ali for the WBC/WBA heavyweight titles in Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30, 1974.

Humberto Gonzalez was 30-0 (25 KOs) when upset via KO6 by Filipino Rolando Pascua for the WBC light flyweight champion in Inglewood, California on December 19, 1990.