Thankyou , and in a weight division that JMM was in his prime (albeit that fight they were probably both past it)
Which in-prime ATG in their best weight class could have he fought? It is an honest question, because even if he had beaten Pacquiao in 2010 (had they fought), one could argue that welter was not the best division for Pacman, although many would consider that an extremely great win legacy-wise. Sorry for the slight off topic.
Ok No he wasnt, but at least they were in each others prime weight division No its ok, not off topic. I think if he fought Pac in 2010 and won it would be a much closer to prime in prime divison, as it was he didnt . I think the very clear thing here is that as you said who could he have fought? Which means there was noone at ATG level for what 15 years in his weight divisions who were actually in their prime? Sooo, actually a relatively easy ride compared to what Pac, Oscar, Mosely, Cotto, Barrera, Morales, Marquez , faced no?
Yet Mayweather went AWOL when the 147 division heated up. Not saying Williams beats him but he’d be a greater challenge than the fighters he faced at 147 prior to his early “retirement”.
I will address your question in its separate parts. It IS in fact a loaded question, which numerous others have already pointed out. None is the only answer. You can in fact be an all time great with just good names on your resume even if they weren’t prime, because the time window involved to get two prime for prime guys in with each other is insanely small. Floyd is not nor will he ever be TBE. He had to give himself that award after fight 48 Personally I don’t have him even as an all time great. To be that you have to fight the best close to their primes. Mayweather is a superb fighter. He could teach a trigonometry class a thing or two about angles. He is so good defensively he can leave opponents dazed without even throwing a punch. His unbeaten record includes 10 world titles in five weight categories. And he will almost certainly go down as a fine boxer of this era. But when you talk about being the greatest ever, as Mayweather does, the goalposts shift. Breaking Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record was not be enough; no one says the Brockton Blockbuster is the greatest heavyweight of all time, despite the fact he retired unbeaten. No, the very greatest fighters stretch themselves, by seeking out the most dangerous opponents in their prime. Did he do that? No. He waited six years so that he could face a much less supersonic version of the Pacquiao who tore through Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. He waited until 2007 for de la Hoya who had lost two of his previous four contests (and one of the wins, against Felix Sturm, was widely disputed) Floyd is the best at making money, but as far as the best ever? Gtfo.
Didnt like him, but acknowledged his skill. Sad, that he didnt face fighter like Hearns in his career, hehe
By weight class, here's a list of the notable fighters around at the time that Mayweather fought in each division. Jr. Light: G. Hernandez Diego Corrales Acelino Freitas Joel Casamayor. Fought 2, both of whom were considered number one at the time. Hernandez could be considered worthy of a top ten spot at 130lbs, but the flip side was that he might have been considered past best. Lightweight: Jose Luis Castillo Leonard Dorin Paul Spadafora JLC was considered the clear number one, and FMJ fought him twice. Jr. Welterweight: Kostya Tszyu Ricky Hatton Miguel Cotto Fought Cotto and Hatton in higher weight divisions. Fought Gatti instead of KT, who subsequently signed to fight Hatton, lost and retired. Window of opportunity was pretty narrow, but that's one HOF'er/near-ATG that he missed. Given KT's career trajectory, you have to wonder if he would have been considered prime had FMJ fought and defeated him in place of Hatton, though. Welterweight, at various points. This is a list of WW titleholders and champions fighting around the time Mayweather was active. Zab Judah Carlos Baldomir Ricky Hatton Marcos Maidana Paul Williams Shane Mosley Manny Pacquiao Joshua Clottey Andre Berto Kell Brook Shawn Porter Paulie Malignaggi Juan Manuel Marquez Timothy Bradley Antonio Margarito Keith Thurman Robert Guerrero Victor Ortiz Devon Alexander Adrien Broner Junior Middleweight: Oscar De La Hoya Miguel Cotto Canelo Alvarez There were definitely some ATG's there. There weren't many campaigning at their very best weight in their absolute prime. Pac in 2010 would have been the closest, but as you say, a Mayweather victory over Pac at that point might have been dismissed by some on the basis of Pac coming up in weight and arguably being at his best at Feather through Lightweight. Tough to catch an ATG at or near their absolute best, at their optimum weight.
I think that easy ride is not the exact expression, but I agree that a case can be made that those fighters faced in-prime opponents near their best weight class (win or lose). However, I'm pretty ignorant of what Floyd did below 140, so I wouldn't be sure about him. Thanks! That's a pretty comprehensive answer.
Rustico Torrecampo was leagues below both JLC and Maidana skill level and he knocked Pac the **** out. BTW PBF never lost to JLC or Maidana and is 2-0 against both.