Could Floyd have been top 10 ATG?

Floyd should have lost to Castillo in the first fight. It would have been the best thing for him. From that point on he wouldn't have been as *****-terrified of losing his '0'. He might have taken a lot more chances and lived up to his potential.

 

Nicely said. That's my thoughts as well. Mayweather hasn't been willing enough to sort out the best competition to improve his legacy.

 

Why shouldn't he be with he has already done? By the standers that all the other boxers are put up to he should be in the conversation for top 10 at the very least.

 

except for the actual, you know, beating boxers part. i think donald curry was just as skilled as many in the top 40 all time. doesn't mean he's fit to be mentioned along with emille griffith. he doesn't have the resume and neither does mayweather

 

probably yes..he could be at the top five if he was not so
cautious in his fights. He was on a warpath when he came.
he was so determined to be in the throne that he once left
yet something derailed him from doing so. It seems there
was a pause in the return of floyd in the boxing scene . I wish that he could overcome the hurdles of life now.:thumbsup

 

I seriously doubt it. He was a genuinely amazing fighter at his very best though, but then, there have been a whole bunch of those guys who don't rate near the top 10 either.

 

:naughty

floyd > benitez

 

:good

 

opposition. IT's easy to look good against mismatched opponents. How did Floyd look against his best opposition, and who were they? Castillo, Hatton, Hoya, Mosley... Castillo beat him according to most people. Old Hoya took him to a split decision. Old mosley almost knocked his head off. Why didn't he look like superman against these guys, who weren't paricurally notable opponents at the time aside from the names. Floyd certiainly has the skills to be considered one of the greatest, but I'm not sure he has the intangibles.

 

If Floyd turned pro overseas at age 16, he would for sure have won some belts at the lighter weights. Also, if he chose to clean out 147 some 3 years ago and get some wins and belts at 154, definitely yes! Floyd could be a belt holder in 10 weight divisions under those circumstances. That is Top 10 material for me.

 

Could he, yes. Will he, no.

Imo him and pac are both in the same bracket of greatness atm, that is somewhere in the top 20-11. If they fought each other and the winner beat martinez then either would have a solid top ten argument. As it is both will probably take meaningless fights for big money.

 

I think he could have come close. The only thing I have against Floyd relative to say Duran, or Hagler or those type of fighters, is he doesn't like to actually get hit, or to go to war. Now I don't mind him not liking it, who would, but with it comes a certain mentality. He could possibly have been something like a Duran with better skills if he really and truly applied himself. But as things stand now we don't really know if he could ever even take a good clean punch the way Barkley hit Duran, or from the likes of a middle weight. We know SSM hurt him, but no shame in that and he recovered rather nicely, but if for example he fights Pac, win or loss, he's likely going to have to take punishment. And the truly great fighters are up to that challenge. As things stand now his career reminds me a bit of Roy Jones. You think man that guy has all the talent in the world, but... With someone like Duran there is no buts. Yes he lost, but he challenged himself, and that's the whole point. To be truly great, you have to challenge yourself to the point that you could potentially loose. I'd love to see Mayweather in a fight where he's the underdog and he pulls out a win. Do that a couple of times, and you're truly a great fighter.

 

i'd say that in our era, he had the best chance of cracking the top 10, but didn't push himself to the limit / risk his record.

 

Mayweather is already the greatest ever boxer.

Bwahaha

thank you thank you I'll be here all night!

Seriously, he might have been, if he had faced everyone, I'm sure he'd be a much better boxer today than he is, and if he had won all his fights, then you know, at least the argument could be made... But as is, I can't even say he's greater than the boxers he ducked, and there was much ducking... Gayweather ruined his legacy by not wanting to fight serious opposition. If he had not, he probably could have been exposed too.

Take Dawson, looked great beating old men, but looked bad vs big head Pascal, who then got beat up by old man Hopkins... Mayweather already looked not so great against many fighters. Like they say, better keep your mouth closed and let people think you're an idiot than opening it and proving to everyone that you are. Now people are asking if he could have been an ATG, if he fought the people he ducked and lost, people might not be asking this question today...