Floyd Jr. is an elite fighter of this generation. His defensive skills are perhaps equal to any fighter of any generation. It is also probable that he would have been competitive to the past greats of the squared circle in any era. The one drawback that may prevent Floyd from being compared to the super great fighters of the past such as SRR, Leonard, Grebb, Armstrong, Joe Louis and Ali is that “Money” Mayweather has been hesitant to test himself against the very top fighters of the current era. That is not to suggest that Floyd would not have succeeded in beating the current crop of top fighters. But for a fighter of any era to be compared to the greats of previous eras, he must be willing to risk the danger of losing. The one area where Mayweather comes up short is that he has not tested himself against all comers. Being a great fighter is more than having the skill to be a great fighter. It is that intangible thing of having the belief and courage to put oneself out there against the best. Fighting once every year or year and a half while he was in his prime will not endear Floyd Mayweather Jr. to future boxing historians.
It will not be taintted it is tainted... He hasn't been hesitant he didn't... legacy don't pay bills my man
Is there anybody out there closer to Floyd skill level besides Cotto or Pac??? Please don't say Martinez, Martinez is a bully trying to make money off of big names, why doesn't he go up to heavyweight and fight the klitschko's??? He's basically telling Mayweather to do the same ****, May started as a frikkin featherweight.
I've always wondered who exactly were these legendary legacy building fighters that Floyd Mayweather avoided. Are there a few fights that could have been made that he didn't take, of course, but 15years from now when he's retired and he's on the Hall of Fame balled nobodies going to interject because he choose to fight Carlos Baldimor instead of Antonio Margarito. It's very rare for Boxing fans to remember exact history; like how nobody remembers SRL waited nearly 4 years to fight Marvin Hagler and it was only after he fought John Mugabi and looked pedestrian. Or How nobody remembers that Mike Tyson faced Larry Holmes after a two year retirement....most people only remember the fact that they fought. 15years from now people aren't going to question Mayweathers legacy because he fought face Jose Louis Castillo and Diego Corrales instead Joel Casamyor. Are there a few fights I would have loved to seen him take...sure..but I'm not going to say his legacy is tainted because he's still faced some very good fighters.
nope his legacy will not be tainted. history will look at the cotto fight as a great victory. All floyd needs is a win over pac to be a top 20 ATG
I keep thinking if the roles were reversed and had Mayweather been ranked number 1 pound for pound and fighter of the decade, Pacquiao would have fought him by any means neccessary. And so would all the other greats. This doesn't seem to bother Mayweather. Now ask yourself why.
if he fights and beats pacquiao it won't be tainted at all. all of that will go out of the window. if he doesnt fight and beat pacquiao, it will be. same goes for pacquiao
WOW!!! That Floyd M. is a hell of a man. Fighting a guy that was beaten half to death twice. First Antonio M then Pacman. What a punk.