If you Googled “greatest boxers of all time” right now, the first thing you'd see is the following list from BetMGM:
Muhammad Ali
Joe Louis
Sugar Ray Robinson
Rocky Marciano
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Manny Pacquiao
Jack Dempsey
Roberto Duran
Henry Armstrong
Willie Pep
Now, as a young fan, I haven't seen that much of some of the boxers listed above. However, I am a big enough fan to have seen a lot of available footage and studied their records and history.
Consequently, I think the list is reasonable.
Why am I telling you all of this?
Because I want you to start off your week in pursuit of your own greatness, and one of the things I've noticed about contemporary boxers is this burning desire to go undefeated.
To be fair, it's not unreasonable that someone wishes to avoid a loss. But avoiding a loss in boxing usually comes with a few strings attached. It often involves hand-picking opponents and dodging the toughest challenges in the division in order to preserve one's record.
Therein lies the problem.
To be the best, you have to beat the best. And you can't beat the best if you're not even willing to face them.
Furthermore, greatness is not rooted in the record; it is rooted in the magnitude of the occasions to which one rises, and even more so in the resilience if it doesn't go as hoped.
On the list above, only Mayweather Jr. and Marciano have an undefeated record.
This isn't to suggest that either boxer cherry-picked their opponents or ducked anyone, but you may notice that neither of them cracks the top three.
So, as you forge ahead and face your obstacles, remember that no one became illustrious without facing a few hurdles, and the ones at the summit had to trip over those hurdles first.
As long as you keep going, you give yourself the opportunity to get there.
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” — Michael Jordan
“Every champion was once a contender that didn’t give up.” — Gabby Douglas
“I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.” — Serena Williams
“I am grateful for all my victories, but I am especially grateful for my losses, because they only made me work harder.” — Muhammad Ali
Stay awesome.
- Greg