Is Floyd at welterweight "by far the best" considering Pea fought Buddy McGirt & ODLH at 147? The welterweight McGirt was an excellent fighter, would give Floyd a real fight IMO. Oscar too obv. Also, does Floyd have "more height" and is he "stronger at the weight" than prime Oscar De La Hoya?? I think not.
Mayweather's out of retirement, I think it's about time we got Whitaker out of retirement to settle this **** once and for all.
I'm serious. I just think Whitaker has a style that Floyd would find unbeatable. His attributes are the perfect attributes to give Floyd nightmares. We have seen this over and over again in boxing history, one fighter in another fighter's Kryptonite, like Frazier-Foreman or Barrera-Junior Jones. It's not hatred to think a stylistic factor makes one fighter beat another 10 times out of 10.
McGirt isnt as good, slower and not as skilled. Oscar is fast but hes telegraphed the way he comes forward in straight lines you know what hes going to do before he does it I didnt say he as stronger/taller than Hoya, just taller/stronger than Pea. As an overall boxer Mayweather is a tougher ask than any of those men
I cant think of two fighters in history that possess these type of styles which are heavily based on defense, that have or would offset the other so one sidedly like you suggest. The fights you mentioned had one fighter (Foreman) far bigger and stronger, and one with a height and reach (Jones) advantage, and all being more offensive styled fighters. Whitaker is shorter has less of a reach and would find it harder to reach Floyd who uses his feet and reach very well by almost boxing off the backfoot. Its an interesting and puzzling style matchup realistically, which I can only see one fighter having an advantage by being able to dicate the fight, Whitaker keeing it at close range, or Mayweather at distance.
If only we could get Froch and Andrade in the ring together to see something like this play out. Sort of.
And it doesn't really matter which other fights anyone mentions of them both at the weight, Mayweather is hands down quicker.
I can mind having a chat about Whitaker and Mayweather with Sweet Pea a couple of years back and even he conceded that Mayweather had quicker hands at any weight.
Do you think this would be a decisive factor though? I really don't see there being any great difference between their handspeeds on the inside, with maybe Floyd having a slight advantage on the outside. A big enough advantage to make the fight a close one? Can't see it myself. Pea has the reflexes and jab to neutralise any speed advantage Floyd may have IMO.