Were does Floyd Mayweather rate P4P all time?

Best of his generation slightly ahead of Pacquiao

 

So you've missed all the debate that Floyd was their superior because they lost?

 

I'd hesitate to call him the best ever adjusting simply because Sugar Ray Leonard exists and managed to do a full stylistic 180 against Hearns, and the smaller adaptions he made against Duran, Hagler & Benitez were every bit as wily as Floyd's, but Floyd never went from a silky smooth outboxer to a combo throwing Pitbull by necessity - and definitely not against a guy like Hearns.

But yeah for sure, one of the many, many talents Floyd has is that he was extremely coachable. For all his arrogance and bragging, he was always calm and very willing to change whatever wasn't working.

I think at 147 and 154, he's a good bit more beatable, but below 140, I think there's maybe 4 guys who'd pick over him? Napoles, Armstrong, Whitaker and Duran I think.

 

What do you think about Ike Williams at 135 or even Benny Leonard?

Benny might not be ready for the overall speed and athleticism of Floyd but I temper it with just how cerebral and proven against a glutton of top fighters he was.

Ike is someone who I think could very well have all the tools to deter Duran. I think that could be the greatest LHW match up.

Why do you see Pete beating Floyd?

 

I tend not to think about guys we don't have a comparable amount of footage of, there's glimmers of brilliance for guys like McFarland, Gans & Benny but I feel as though I can't get a true understanding of them as fighters from what we have; and the inclination I get from the footage is that they're just not quite the right guys to beat Floyd. Although, I'd say they'd represent a style we didn't see Floyd against too often.

I don't think Ike Williams is the right man to get it done, either. He's great at cutting the ring, and used his punches well at closing the space between him and his man, but I can't look past him losing the series with Willie Joyce. Joyce seems to be a bit like a bigger, more traditional but not as talented version of Pep. If he finds himself unable to Joyce, I imagine Floyd is also able to stop his combos in their tracks and move his way to a decision. If Ike caught him how Mosely did tho, I think Ike can get them out of there.

It's a hunch mostly, I imagine them having an incredible technical battle which would likely have many different swings and every round being close; but I tend to think Whitaker has the better jab, the better defence and would benefit from being a southpaw. I imagine his jab and output nicks more rounds in a close fight.

 

Wonderfully summised.

Here's one to ponder - how does PBF do versus Saddler at 130?

Does Saddler carry enough power and mantis to make it too much of an uncomfortable night or does Floyd do everything that Pep did well, but with more power and efficiency?

 

I tend to think Floyd's probably a little bit too big for Saddler, but you never know.

I think Saddler is probably the fighter who interests me the most technically, in any weight division.

 

He hasn't got the resume to be rated that highly.

Look who makes a traditional top 10.

He beat no prime ATG's.

Hatton wasn't a great fighter.

Canelo had barely beaten anybody, and had struggled with Lara and Trout.

It's not enough to oust the other greats.

 

He literally said that one of the worst things to happen to Roy, was him burning muscle post-HW.

So how did he forget Tarver?

 

That and the massive weight jump, success in multiple eras, record against pfp fighters and hofers, and many titles won. This is a guy who easily won his "passing of the torch" fight against a guy who would win a 175 title and followed it up by outclassing the best pfp fighter other than himself while being 38 years old.

You won't see it happen again.

 

Tarver's left hand, bro.

 

Context:


No prime ATG wins.

A lesser resume than other greats.


A guy who would win a 175 belt?

Against a shot fighter?

We saw what happened against a prime LHW.


Floyd was great.

But he'd never have achieved the same amount of success in a stronger eras with better opponents.

That should be obvious to anyone.

 

Yeah.

Again, he'd already accounted for that with what he'd typed previously.

 

1. Canelo=Prime ATG
2. Kovalev was having the best year of his career when Nelo iced him.

Deal with it.