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Retired boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. just lost one of the most impressive accolades he achieved during his amazing boxing career on Sunday after Thailand’s Wanheng Menayothin retired from the sport with a perfect 54-0-0 record.
Until the 34-year-old WBC strawweight boxing champ retired, Mayweather officially had the best all-time record among the few boxing champions in history who retired without blemishes.
Mayweather retired 50-0-0, but Menayothin finished his career 54-0-0.
Menayothin Bested Mayweather in Total Wins Back in 2018
Menayothin had already officially surpassed Mayweather’s 50-0-0 mark back in August 2018 when he won a twelve-round decision over Pedro Taduran to run his record to 51-0-0.
But since Menayothin kept on fighting, it was still possible the fighter would eventually suffer either a loss or a draw that would vault Mayweather back into first place again among all-time great undefeated champions.
Instead, Menayothin retired with a perfect record of 54-0-0.
Menayothin’s final fight was a 12-round decision victory over Simiwe Konkco in October 2019. According to Boxing Scene, Menayothin stated:
“I have decided that it’s good to stop boxing. My parents, siblings have never been in boxing. I’m decide everything for myself. I know how I feel. No one knows my body as much as I do. Everyone needs money. But I would like to heal my body. Congratulations to everyone who supports me. Thank you for all the strength that you have always given me.”
The fighter notched 12 total title defenses in his career before hanging up the gloves in June 2020.
Other Notable Undefeated Boxing Champions
Of course, Mayweather and Menayothin aren’t the only boxing champions in history to have retired undefeated.
Other notable boxing champs to earn the honor include former super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe (46-0-0), former strawweight king Ricardo López (51-0-1), and former heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano (49-0).
Most recently, Andre Ward retired 32-0.
Regardless, when Mayweather retired in 2017 after beating UFC star Conor McGregor in a boxing match, the American did so having just bested Marciano’s mark for being the boxing champ who retired as champion and scored the most total wins without suffering any kind of blemish (loss or draw).
Now Menayothin retires setting the new mark at 54-0-0, at least among fighters who competed during the modern age of boxing that began in the early 1900s.
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Mayweather Will Likely Be Ranked Higher Historically
Regardless, Menayothin likely won’t be ranked by historians nearly as high as Mayweather.
The American was the preeminent fighter and biggest box office draw of his era. He defeated a slew of notable legends along the way and was a mainstream crossover megastar the likes of which boxing rarely sees.
On top of that, Mayweather will be remembered as one of the all-time great pound-for-pound champions.
Menayothin has enjoyed an amazing career, and achieving a 54-0-0 record isn’t something that should be discounted.
But Menayothin never unified titles, never moved up in weight to try to win another one, and never fought outside his home country.
So Menayothin might be among the best boxing champions in his country’s history, but he’s nowhere near the same level as Mayweather from a historical perspective.
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