Would you pick anyone in history to KO Floyd Mayweather Jr from 96-2015 at 130-154 when he was at that weight? If so who?
Duran had an excellent chance from 135 up, Sugar Ray Leonard could have at 147 and Tommy Hearns at 147
Ray Robinson , Thomas Hearns , and Ray Leonard either stop him out right (Hearns) or gives the ref no choices but to stop it. Roberto Duran , Aaron Pryor, Prime Deloyhoa , prime Chavez, prime J.Jackson, Trinidad, would have a better than average chance of stopping May Jr. There best versus his best. There's a few others also like Napoles, Curry, and Cuevas that could do the trick. But the reality is theirs not enough gold in Fort Knox that could force May Jr. into a boxing ring with that type of competition from Jr.welter and above.....
No I wouldn’t pick anyone to do what’s never been done. There are a few guys with the ability, but no one I would pick to do it.
He would be vulnerable at 154 and even 147 based on match ups and styles ... Hearns and Leonard come to mind .. I can see an explosive Terry Norris at 154 ... Floyd was an all time great fighter with out question but the 130 - 140 version was stronger than the 147 - 154 even though he was still great at 147.
Hearns and Sugar Ray Robinson Keep in mind Floyd was hurt against Corley and BADLY hurt against old Mosley. Both Hearns and Robinson were certainly better boxers and at the same time harder hitters than these two.
Jose Napoles, Henry Armstrong, Carmen Basilio, Roberto Duran, Ray Robinson, Ray Leonard… that’s just the highly likely (not guaranteed) without thinking too much into it. In the 30s-50s I feel Mayweather jnr would just be an opponent name mostly, fighting from 135lbs-160lbs. So many guys around then could’ve beat him in my estimation.
A lot of people picking Hearns (and I agree he would be in the small group with any chance to pull this off!), Hearns could just be trying to be nice or humble, but he seemed to think Floyd would/could last the distance if they fought: On what his strategy would be in a fight against Mayweather: “Against me, I would have to respect him. I think that he could go the distance with me. I would have to out-think him and definitely out-jab him. He’s a shorter man, so he can’t get to me. “I would have to keep the jab on him and keep him at a distance and force him to use his head movement all of the time. Somewhere down the line, I would probably hit him with a couple of right hands. “I would probably get him with a good right hand if not an average right hand. If I was to go to the body, you know that might play into what he is probably trying to do strategically. “I think that if I got closer to him trying to land a body shot, that would be what he wants. So I think that my best thing would be to stay on the outside and just box him. But I think that he could go the distance with me.” https://www.ringtv.com/168729-hearns-on-mayweather-pacquiao-against-himself-leonard-hagler/