Final challenge for super-hero and super-villain

Floyd Mayweather, known as a serial assaulter of women, is aiming to end his career with a perfect 49 wins, no losses record. Photo / AP

One’s revered, one’s reviled, but two stars have equal claim to enduring fame.

Two legendary athletes approaching the end of their illustrious careers could stand in the winner's circle for the final time this weekend - but that's where the similarities end for Roger Federer and Floyd Mayweather.

Federer will this afternoon take the next step in his best chance to earn an 18th grand slam title, clashing with compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the US Open semifinals, and Mayweather will tomorrow enter the ring for what he claims is the last time, fighting Andre Berto in a bid to extend his record to 49-0.

Any retirement plans for Federer have remained firmly under wraps but he is 34, and only two men in the Open era have won grand slams at such an advanced age. And while the Swiss star has appeared near the top of his game at Flushing Meadows, the end must be nigh as he has won only one of his last 22 grand slams.

Mayweather has remained victorious to the end and, if he follows through with plans to retire after Sunday's bout, will leave the sport level with Rocky Marciano for the most victories by an undefeated champion. (That he'll call it quits after win No49 is a huge "if", by the way, because of the obvious lure of round numbers.)

Federer and Mayweather have claims to being the best to ever grace their fields and, even if that status can be disputed, they are at least in the discussion. Yet while Federer is adored by most fans and respected by the rest, few will have the same feelings about Mayweather.

And although it hardly takes a discerning eye to discover why Federer is revered and Mayweather is reviled, should the character of the two men matter so much when assessing their resumes?

Federer, gracious in defeat and humble in victory, would have perhaps the highest approval rating of any great champion. Mayweather is a brash, egotistical, serial batterer of women. Sporting history will record only one with good grace, and whether that's fair is open for debate.

Roger Federer, gracious in defeat and humble in victory, is going for his 18th grand slam title. Photo / AP

Mayweather's criminality is abhorrent - seven separate physical assaults on five different women that resulted in arrest or citation.

But even before his rap sheet became mainstream in the build-up to his "fight of the century" against Manny Pacquiao, he was widely loathed by many boxing fans.

Mayweather, to be blunt, was a bit of a dick, flaunting his wealth and running his mouth much more frequently than he dismantled opponents inside the ring. There, once the bell sounded, Mayweather was always majestic, picking apart weaknesses and boxing with more brains than anyone in his generation.

In the ring, Mayweather the athlete resembled Michael Jordan: a competitor to an almost sociopathic extreme, doing absolutely anything to win and worrying little about making friends.

But where Jordan was notoriously dispassionate when dealing with supporters and media - famously quipping, "Republicans buy shoes, too" - Mayweather never attempted neutrality once he found fame.

Instead, he wanted to tell anyone who would listen that he was TBE, the best ever, even if boxing fans would argue that's far from the truth.

Switzerland is famed for its neutrality, and it's impossible to recall Federer embroiled in any serious controversy. His squeaky clean record off the court will cement his legacy just as much as what he accomplished inside the lines, but the degree to which the former matters seems disproportionate.

Roger Federer and Floyd Mayweather are both brilliant athletes, regardless of whether we see their final triumph this weekend. It's almost unfortunate, then, only one will be remembered fondly in retirement.