Has Floyd Mayweather Jr. beat a future hall of famer or All Time Great other than De La Hoya (Not in his prime)? Ricky Hatton comes closest, but who else?
Corrales, Castillo, Gatti. These guys all have a chance of getting in the HOF. More based on entertainment value than ability though in fairness.
Castillo yes, Corrales possibly on ability, Gatti no ****ing way. Those guys will be remembered more for entertainment value than what they actually achieved though. None should really join the esteemed company of likes of Robinson and Greb in the HOF.
I always see this "you have to beat an ATG to become an ATG mentality". How was the first ATG made :hey
HOF yes ATG no. there is no such thing as ATG. THe only person who you definately could relate it to is Ali and only because thats what everyone called him (often without considering the actual meaning).
So you wouldn't consider Langford, Greb, Robinson, Armstrong, Duran, Charles, Walker, Pep, Leonard etc as ATG's?
Does it matter? Anyone with an eye for talent can see that Mayweather is arguably the best fighter of his generation, and an ATG himself. Anyone who denies that is either blind as a bat, straight jealous or Mexican.
I think you are confusing his statement, he isn't saying Ali is necessarily better than all of those fighters, he is suggesting that there is no such thing as an ATG, it is just a phrase coined by the mainstream for Ali.
Any fighter who is considered the undisputed best of his generation is almost certainly an ATG. Floyd Mayweather is an ATG.