Path to Greatness: The Case of Floyd Mayweather

Mayweather unleashes a punch at Connor Mcgregor during the bolt 

By Munyonzwe Hamalengwa

Mayweather defeated Connor Mcgregor in a boxing fight today August 27, 2017.
This is his 50th victory against no loss, the best record in boxing history. He had equaled Rocky Marciano’s record of 49 wins without a loss in 2015′, a record that had stood for 60 years. The rec of 50 wins may not be broken for decades. Mayweather has promised to retire for good after this fight.

Mayweather’s story on the rise to greatness is truly inspiring. He comes from a broken home which was full of drug abuse, alcoholism and violence. He didn’t finish high school. His father was sent to goal when Mayweather was barely sixteen and didn’t see him until he was 21. More than 10 people were sleeping in one room at the broken home of Mayweather.
Bit his family had one rich vein in their DNA and that is boxing. Both his father and uncle and other relatives were boxers. Mayweather’s father took him at a very young age to see him box and therein grew in Mayweather, jr., the interest to box.
And despite all the human weaknesses, temptations and foibles and distractions, he competed at the highest level for 20 years without a loss. Despite all the ugly living Mayweather grew up in, he is reported to live a spartan life: no alcohol and no drugs.
For me what I derive most from Mayweather , is the self generated power of positive thinking buttressed by very hard work to achieve self set goals. At 21 years old, Mayweather went by himself to HBO, the biggest sporting promoting company
in history. He went by himself to negotiate a boxing contract. The offered him the bigest contract at the time for his level of popularity and experience: 5 million $ for 4 fights.
Mayweather rejected this lucrative contract telling HBO that he is going to be the greatest boxer in history and that he would never be defeated and consequently he could not accept that “slave wage”. Now in America, this phrase, slave wage is laden and loaded with historical experiences and meaning. The year was 1999.
Mayweather was only 21 and negotiating with this big corporation, alone. The story about this contract negotiation was relayed not by Mayweather, but the President of HBO who was amazed at this brash young fellow. He left $5milllion on the table with the sure belief that he deserved more and was prepared to gamble and sacrifice a bird in hand for birds in the forest!
Once that contract was rejected, Mayweather plotted how he could be his own promoter and there developed a new business model in self sponsorship in order to avoid slave wages in boxing. Today’s earnings reportedly places Mayweather in a
rarefied field of topping the billion $ mark in sports earnings. He claimed in 1999 to HBO that he would be the best ever in boxing and that he would never lose a fight.
Every boxer has so far lost before reaching number 49 except him and Marciano.
Now he alone in history has reached 50 wins and no losses. Is the yardstick of the best ever is to go undefeated, then he is the best ever. He told HBO that he will never be defeated in 1999. Today he retired undefeated after 50 wins. There are many inspiring stories in this world, this is one of the greatest and inspiring stories in the power of self belief and rewards for sacrifice and power of positive thinking, ever. Now go and find other such inspiring real stories and share them with all of us.