But this article is not about the Freudian theory. This is about individuals who had made reputations of themselves as fearsome fighters. These 25 fighters of last 25 years are not inside the ring or cage to win on points. They are not in there to sting you with punches or kicks, instead, they are there with the full intention to hurt you or knock you out cold. Win or lose, going against them always guarantees pain.
Every globally recognized sport has its own fair share of
bizarre incidents and hateable characters. We have Lebron as NBA’s most
recognized choke artist, the polygamous Tiger Woods for golf, and the enhanced Sosa’s
and Mcgwire’s of baseball. These personalities are amazing players of their
chosen sport but they do have flaws and had made decisions that shook the
sporting world.
In boxing right now, we have Floyd Mayweather Jr. His last
fight against Victor Ortiz is just another testimony to Floyd’s outrageous personality
as a leading sports figure. His beautifully executed left-hook, right-straight
combination knockout of Ortiz is overshadowed by the fact that Ortiz (and
referee, Joe Cortez) seemed to be caught off-guard when it happened which made
people think of Mayweather’s win as either cheap or a cheat.
Outside the boxing ring, the top pound-for-pound fighter has a remarkably untiring sociability without a hint of arrogance. This made him endearing and marketable as he does not only sell tickets and pay-per-views, he has also become an effective product endorser.
He purses around 25 million dollars with his usual two-fights-a-year schedule. Add the ever increasing endorsement deals and bonuses, he has become one of highest-paid athletes of this generation and a constant presence in Forbes’ richest athletes list.
His recent deal with HP is proof that he can carry a brand that is not even remotely related to the sport. Watch the HP Veer commercial below.
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