It is generally easy to determine a fighter's prime - take a look at the fighter's resume or still better - watch their fights. But what do we do to find Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s prime? He won in the late 90s, in the entire decade of 2000s and then again in the 2010s. He finished his career with a perfect 50-0 record and looked to be as sublime and sneaky in the 2010s as he was in the 2000s. Sure, there were some moments where he looked to be in real trouble (cough Castillo cough), but at the end of the fight, he would always prevail. Canelo Alvarez was clueless in their fight, Marquez was outclassed, and the great Pacquaio too could not end the streak. So, when exactly was Mayweather's prime? Or does the concept of prime apply at all to 'Money'?
Mayweather never managed to deliver another near perfect combination of mobility and Ring generalship as he did against Corrales. He was moving all night and controlled the Ring and the terms of the fight flawlessly. He also hadn't broken his hands yet, and could deliver some hard combinations that he would rarely showcase as Money May. Add factors like him being at his fastest due to fighting at his natural weight class before bulking up, and I don't see how it's a contest. His defence was also every bit as excellent as it ever was, he was just more aggressive. Money Mayweather was brilliant at compensating for what he lost as time went on, but he was never as complete again as he was against Corrales. One was a very great fighter, the other was up there with almost anyone who ever lived.
