Rank the toughest opponent for Mayweather: Duran, Benitez, SRL, Hearns?

I don't know about all that. It would be a great fight but Duran proved on the biggest stage that a little bit of movement will get him out of his game, how do you think he'd keep his cool against Mayweather?

 

It's between Hearns and Duran. I personally think Hearns is the anti-Floyd: crushing power, speed, ranginess and great boxing skills. Floyd is going to have terrible trouble outboxing him and Hearns' average chin is not going to be troubled by Floyd's power at that weight.

 

I take it you've never seen Duran at lightweight? watch the Violmar Frenandez fight ,he has a win against Arguello and against Duran he ran like a purse snatcher before he was killed. He was twice the mover that Floyd was.

 

Hearns knocks him out. He's the worst match up for Mayweather.

SRL and Duran outpoint him.

Benitez and him could go either way.

 

Floyd wasn't beating any of them but Hearn's is the worst style wise and size wise .. Ray was simply bigger and better .. Duran would be a tough fight for both .. Benitez at 147 would be very close ..

 

Duran outworks him, and would probably make him pee his pants a little at his ferocity. UD

Hearns has more than a punchers chance (as he was a really good boxer, too), but I think he'd get very frustrated missing and being blocked. Mayweather would be oily and smart, gets a comfortable UD.

(Hearns I) Leonard would keep up with Mayweather no problem and probably make him look almost as bad as Duran would at the end of the fight. I give Ray a UD, but it would be closer than against Duran.

Benitez matches his slickness, but is more clever. Ends up SD, for Benitez. I think Wilfred would at times run rings around him and make him look real bad.

 

He’s 0-4 but Hearns may be the biggest “mission impossible” although I think he takes a sound loss against Duran too.

 

Duran at 135

Floyd would probably go the distance and lose a decision. Duran brings a lot of things in this matchup that would trouble Mayweather. A prime Duran was a man of focus, commitment, and sheer will. He would force this fight to be waged in the trenches where Floyd's skill at infighting is criminally underrated, but in Duran we are looking at the acme of infighting excellence.

Floyd's reaction time and counterpunching would be largely nullified by the mauling Duran would subject him to. Duran's hand speed was not the equal of Floyd's, but it was more than respectable, and coupled with his feints he would more than hold his own at mid range. Duran's feinting, broken rhythm attack spurts, work rate, and his outstanding chin (which some people seem to underrate because of the Hearns fight) would mean Floyd would have a lot on his plate to deal with and adjusting to Duran's furious assault would take time. Although I think he would fight on something like even terms after the 6th round. But those first six rounds would be too much to overcome. A competitive, perhaps even close contest I see going 7-5 or 8-4 for the Panamanian.

Benitez at 140

A slow fight is one that Mayweather excels at. In a chess match with low or average punch volume, Mayweather is nearly impossible to outpoint. This would be a tough fight to score, but I like Mayweather to sweep the late rounds and win 8-4.

SRL at 147

Sugar Ray's handspeed and combination punching would be a problem for Floyd. Still, I see this being a very close fight with many adjustments on both sides. Split decision for Sugar Ray.

Hearns at 147

This is just a bad matchup for Floyd. If he chose an out of character aggressive strategy he might cause Tommy some issues, but that would be unlikely. The speed, power, and reach of Hearns jab coupled with the constant threat of the follow up right hand would make it a long night for Floyd. The lack of power by Floyd coupled with a defence first mentality that would be amplified by the aforementioned Hearns advantages would make a KO of Hearns extremely unlikely. Hearns 8-4

Duran at 147

Montreal Duran is not God....but "something similar". Floyd would be smothered like a water boarding interrogatee. Duran 8-4

 

Hearns is his biggest threat, I see Floyd beating Duran due to superior speed

 

The only one I agree with you is Hearns, but I favor Floyd over all the rest, especially Duran, who lacks the speed to beat Floyd.

 

@greynotsoold
Kamikaze uses summon:

 

Duran does not beat Floyd. And Hearns will KO Floyd.

 

he doesn' t beat Leonard: Floyd wouldn't, couldn't, beat Ray Leonard if his father helped him.
Floyd isn't beating Duran, not at 135, not at 147. He would win because he is faster? Put that in your pocket and give me a reason.
A fight with Hearns would be a stinker. I don't believe that Hearns would come out trying to bomb Floyd; he didn't against Leonard. He would box him and use his jab and win.
Benitez is the weak link in the group. I personally think that Benitez may not be all that good, though he had his moments. I think much of the same about Floyd.
See, Floyd had a strength in that he believed that he was going to win and he came out and controlled the fight accordingly. That was an ace strategy against Ortiz and Guerrero, etc....But, when you fight a Duran or a Leonard or a Hearns, they have that exact same belief. They will not let themselves fall for his bs and will not be discouraged by a potshot right hand. They will make him fight for it, and Floyd cannot outfight Duran, Leonard or Hearns.

 

If Floyd wasn’t willing to fight Manny Pacquiao in 2009, in what would’ve been the most lucrative, the most anticipated welterweight fight since Leonard / Hearns on a worldwide scale, with Manny being shorter, less reach and far more war-torn, then what fornicating world do you live in that you picture Floyd being willing to fight Duran, Leonard, Hearns and Benitez?!
The greatest fantasy of these fantasy fights aren’t the fights themselves but Floyd actually signing the contracts!

 

His best chance is against Duran at 147. (If you included Duran at 154, I'd pick Floyd straight up.)

He likely loses to Duran at 135. That wasn't Mayweather's best weight.

Floyd loses to all the others.