Floyd makes his case as the GOAT

I have Leonard in my Top 10. Maybe even nudging Top 5.

 

But not many of the guys you mention " literally **** his pants" as @C.J. said. I am not sure I want my GOAT having smelly pants.

 

I do rank Pac above him, even objectively. Flyweight to at least ATG jr. welter. Oh, yes. Pacquiao is the one that is underrated.

 

I would not argue with a Top 10 rating

 

I think they are both very close in ATG ratings. However, Floyd beating Pac in direct confrontation gives him an edge in my view.

 

Mayweather loves to complain about boxing when he has profited of many of the said issues. Cherrypicking, there being too many champions, delaying fights, glorified exhibitions etc. He brags about beating more world champions than anyone else but its only because there are more belts now than ever before. Boxing has changed, and the guys in the past simply couldn't fight as many champions as he did - they simply didn't exist. The era of the fabulous 4 was far tougher than Floyd's and I have no doubt he would have picked up a few Ls if he fought back then.

With that being said I think Mayweather was a great fighter who would be competitive in any era of boxing. He's shown he can make adjustments in rematches and adapt to a variety of styles. I wouldn't call him the GOAT but he's certainly in the top 10/5 of all time.

 

I always had him losing Castillo 1 by a point, but you can't say much about such a close fight. No problem with any of his other decisions.

Yes, that he walked away from cheating with the IV against Pac was infuriating, though, and an obvious case of doping. And, of course, such a thing could count against him.

 

I can’t work out why exactly Mayweather’s career is so underplayed on this forum. He’s not a likeable bloke no but there are far worse.

Roberto Duran and Ray Leonard at their best were very very fine fighters, certainly amongst the best ever yes. But so was Mayweather.

How many times was Leonard on the floor post 1982. Imagine if that was Mayweather.

How many excuses are pulled out for Duran. Imagine if that was Mayweather.

Imagine if Mayweather was blown out in 2. Imagine if a 34 year old Mayweather lost to Norris like that.

Imo the fact we have to judge Mayweather with very different criteria to Leonard and Duran is very telling.

When achievements and p4p skill are very similar, consistency and longevity simply have to come into play. In which case Mayweather is in a different class.

If your ATG list says Duran and maybe I’d hear Leonard are greater because they were better in their prime I could accept that.

But then we have to stick Mayweather over someone like an Ali with the logic. Ali put down multiple blueprints for what not to do against fighters who likes to get aggressive like Norton and Frazier. And even when he won it involved holding/spoiling/running and getting hit a load. Mayweather put on clinics against the likes of Hatton/Maidana who put the pressure on. They won their early rounds till Mayweather got the timing and that was that. I’m sorry to say but just totally different level of skill and talent yet most lists would rightly (?) have Ali ranked as a greater fighter than Mayweather.

 

This.

His official record says he was undefeated and never knocked down.

IMO, he lost to Castillo in their first fight and he was knocked down by Judah.

He was very good, arguably the best of his immediate era 2010 - 2020 and you could make a case that he was the best of the 2000 - 2010 as well, although I have Pac as best in that decade.

Regardless of who you want to blame, He didn't fight a prime Pac in 2009 or 2010.
He didn't face Paul Williams nor Margarito, though I believe he would be a favourite over Marg and a very slight favourite over PW.

I think Duran's resume is clearly better, becoming "the man" in three of the classic divisions...LW, WW and MW.

Of recent boxers, I also rank Ali, RJJ and SRL above Floyd, as well as a few from the past, including SRR, Greb and Armstrong.

I have Floyd at 14, sandwiched between Leonard at 13, and Pac at 15.

 

As would I.

 

Top 40? Probably

Top 20? Probably not

Top 10? **** off

 

A good way to seem biased is to focus on the past prime version of a fighter.

But, yes, Floyd got hit less and lost less, but would the same be true if he had faced so many ranked fighters and missed no one? Ali kept doing so in his 30's while Floyd didn't seem keen on Khan, Brook and Porter. And Margarito and Williams before that.

Ali is seen as greater by many in short because he has a higher number of good to great wins. Then of course Floyd mostly met bigger fighters, was undefeated and had fewer tough and close fights.

So, yeah, a case can be made for Floyd, but you don't have to be biased in your assesment of other fighters to make it.

 

But did Floyd LEGITIMATELY beat Pac in direct confrontation? Remember IV gate. How many of Floyds wins were actually wins or Vegas decisions?? There are too many dark clouds over Mr Mayweather for my liking
Plus does the bona fide Best Ever have to inundate the internet telling people how great he thinks he is??
For me Pac beats Floyd by a mile

 

What about Maidana 1 ?? Floyd was in tears afterwards complaining Maidana beat him up & roughed him up but the ref did nothing to stop him????lol. Isnt this the Fight Game ?? Since when should a referee stop a fighter legally beating on his opponent ? Trouble was Floyd was used to Joe Cortez being his Mother Hen wasn't he..
Ellerbe fixed that for the rematch he hired Kenny Bayless who literally stopped Maidana from fighting at all not forgetting those pillow gloves Floyd made him wear Plus Floyd should have lost by DQ to Judah & to Ortiz.
Roger for him entering the ring & attacking Judah an automatic DQ. then Floyd cowardly cold cocking a defenseless Ortiz. Floyd was protected from day 1

 

Saying Floyd would be favorite over Margarito ? Havent we seen videos proving Floyd was afraid of Antonio?
I was ridiculed when I told the forum Margarito would beat Cotto in their first fight. Most likely by KO. I had many members apologizing for that Antonio was fixing to repeat the stoppage of Cotto in the rematch but that NY doc saved Quitto from quitting on his knees AGAIN!!!!