Over his reign in boxing, Floyd Mayweather has made more money than anyone, beaten everyone in his path—rather convincingly, too—and crafted a legacy as one of the sport’s greatest boxers. No doubt about it.
But some of Mayweather’s success is a product of the times. In other words, much of his competition was not exactly Hall of Fame material. Conversely, in the 1980s, one of boxing’s prime decades, there were five boxers who would have handled Mayweather rather easily if he had competed in their era or they in his.
mayweather is a boring not exciting fighter…
I thought I was the only person that thought this way? Mayweather has the belt because the fight game is weak as water!! And he cant punch!!
Loving the objectivity. Look,do your self a favor and take Hagler off the list. No way the fight would happen,he's a middleweight for one. Also,you were in accurate when you said Floyd fought close to 159 fight night. That's a lie. He unofficilaly weight in at 150 pounds. The same as the official weigh in.
Tyshawn, that was his weigh-in weigh. After the weigh-in, almost all fights gain some weight and get off the regimented diet. So, it's not a "lie." What would be the point of lying. Also, this is just for conversation sake, for fun. Hope you're not taking it too seriously.
I feel the only close fight would be with Pernell Whitaker because both are showmen in the ring and try not to get hit, I would still take Whitaker on points.
Ray Leonard is intelligent enough to beat Floyd, I don't think he has the offense though. Duran should NOT be on this list. He had neither the physical nor mental endurance. Pernell, in his prime, he'd beat Floyd by decision.
Clarke Illmatical you don't think Ray Leonard had the offense? You're kidding, right? Ray had he fastest hands in the game and knockout power in both hands.
His unofficial weight in was also 150. Floyd is on record saying he woke up at 146,and had to eat to gain back some weight. So like I said,he officially weighed in at 150. He unofficilaly weighed in at 150 as well. Canelo had a very well documented 15 pound weight advantage vs Floyd.
Curtis ok it's not a lie,just wrong Information.
Tyshawn, I stand corrected. THANKS!!! Yes, Canelo had a serious weight advantage but Floyd skillfully, masterfully cut him up. If there was a chance for Floyd and Hagler to meet, considering the HUGE payday that fight would draw, Floyd would gain a few pounds and Hagler would lose a few to make it happen. That's a guess, of course.
Olympic style of fighting, winning by points, in other word amature!!!
Runweather does not exist in the correct definition of boxing. And many call him great on his 45 – 0- 0 achieved by coward runs faster than any runners in the whole world. Braindead and stupid boxing policies.
You are spot on here Curtis Bunn from pov of boxing correct definition. You are as clear as maths logic. My head hat to you pal. Big Congrats!!! We have to amend the current crooked world boxing rules established by corrupt lun_tics. Coward run aways never exist in the definition of Boxing. Boxing is all about 100% engagement infront of an opponent using your brain, reflexes, skills, techniques, speed, physical power and strategies to exploit, subdue, outmaneuver and win over an opponent. This is what is called BOXING! This is to share correct knowledge to our honored Guests over here.
Mayweather provides exciting snoozefest…
killing boxing into submission :3
boring topic…he is not that invincible…there so many boxers that can beat him in his era but the problem is…he avoided them…even if those mentioned named of this lousy writer…Floyd still ducking them.
Floyd hasn't ducked anyone, from what I recall. Pacquiao took himself out of the fray by getting blasted. Who did he night fight that he should have?
I disagree Clarke. Duran was a solid puncher who would stalk his opponents and then hit them with crushing body blows. We would have done what Canelo lacked the experience to do. Cut off the ring then muscle Mayweather into the ropes and pound away. Duran couldn't do this with Leonard because Sugar could punch also. When it's said and done Duran would've knocked Floyd out because he wouldn't have respected his punching power.
Curtis Bunn they weighed both guys back stage before the fight and showed the weight. Mayweather was actually 1/2 pound lighter and was 150, Canelo was 165. Hagler is simply too big for Mayweather.
If you think Mayweather is boring you aren't a boxing fan.
only MANNY PACMAN PACQUIAO can hand him his defeat..so floydy have a balls fight Pacquiao….
Tyshawn is right, Mayweather weigh in weight and fight night weight was reported as the same 150lbs. He is a brilliant defensive fighter, even better than Sweet Pea Whitaker who before was the hardest guy to hit boxing had ever seen.
This writer doesn't know wtf he's talking about…Mayweather weighed 150 on fight night.
TIME WILL TELL IF MAYWEATHER IS REAL OR NOT. MAYBE FIXING IS BEHIND THE SCENE.
Remember Curtis, Benitiz cut was from an accidental head butt when he fought Leonard. He gave Sugar Ray all he could handle.
Keith Mason i'm a boxing fan, not a boring boxing fan! gayweather even doesn't want a piece of Manny!
It's a stupid article.
Clarke Illmatical Duran did not have the physical or mental endurance ? LOL
Curtis Bunn Floyd said he weighed 146.5 on fight night, he had dropped weight.
Frederick, I thought we went over this already? Really? That was one-fifth of the piece. But you'd rather harp on that? Really? SMH. OK, there would be a weight difference between Hagler and Mayweather. That said, if Floyd gained five pounds and Hagler lost four, they would be equal in weight and Hagler would win. If all this were possible, of course. And with the money involved, no way both of them would not make the weight to make the purse. . . Also, Mayweather was 15 pounds lighter than Canelo and still schooled him. So, it's really not about size, but talent, skill, heart.
Except for that drunkard Ricky Fatton who was the last person Floyd sent to the canvas? Sharmba Mitchell back in 2006! Forget the sucker punch. I'm just so glad I didn't have to pay for last Saturday's BORING fight! What a snoozefest! Is this what boxing's come to?? Pitter pat points??
prime Leonard will destroy Mayweather Jr., As a matter of facts Mayweather Senior was K.O. by Leonard with the same fighting style shoulder roll.
Keith Mason I've been a huge boxing fan since the 70's and I can't think of anyone who would beat me in a boxing trivia. I appreciate boxing skill but that's just one aspect of the sport. There's strength, speed, ferocity, excitement. I would never watch a replay of a Mayweather fight. Unless I was having trouble sleeping!
Curtis Bunn Curtis Bunn…He avoided Margarito, Cotto and others who are in their prime! Floyd knows that when a boxer keeps on whipping everybody's *s$ he has always ways to find an excuse. Then when a fighter is fading then he will fight. You may say, look he just fought a primed fighter? WHo? Is Canelo a threat to Mayweather….A BIG NO! Have you heard Mayweather saying he's thankful to his TEAM for handpicking? Of course you didn't!
show the world FloYD and challenge Pacman…dont be a coward.
show the world FloYD and challenge Pacman…dont be a coward.
Excellent article. But he forgot Aaron Pryor. I think Pryor would kill Mayweather. The '80s saw the best welterweights and middleweights come and go. Pryor, Leonard, Duran, Hearns, Whitaker, and Hagler. Mayweather just appeared at a time when fighters like them are nowhere to be found. Pryor and Duran can swarm Mayweather like crazy. Leonard has enough speed to match Mayweather and has better punching power. Hearns can catch him with his left hooks and stinging jabs. Whitaker can make him look funny. And lastly, Hagler can kill him.
Marcus Smith Mayweather is boring. I believe the fighters mentioned above can beat Mayweather. But I was really surprised why Pryor wasn't mentioned. I thought Pryor had the best style to beat somebody like Mayweather. Myself, I thought Leonard avoided Pryor.
Hagler and Mayweather could have fought each other. I think Mayweather has enough speed to make it a fight. But to win against Hagler would have been a different story. Hagler will always be the best.
Curtis Bunn His weight was his downfall. How in the world did his trainer allowed him to rehydrate that much. It slowed him further more.
grapebook25 Boxing is business. It's not a macho man competition. I admire Mayweather not only for his skills in the ring but he does good business math as well.
Clarke Illmatical Leonard had no offense? Are you kidding me. And Duran shouldn't be on the list? You mean the guy who can hit you from nowhere. But you are dead right about Pernell. He can make anybody look bad.
These would be good fights (except Duran). Having said that these are far from foregone conclusions. Mayweather is a defensive master. Why people want to shrug that off is beyond me.
you forget aaron pryor…he will kick mayweather ass….that is non stop aggression…nobody wanted to fight him even leonard.
Meh, I'm not convinced. I'm not a team Money guy. I'm not saying these guys wouldn't have made interesting choices, but it seems that for all intents and purpose Mayweather is on Ali level in terms of skill. Go back and read interviews of people who fought Ali and read those of people who fought Mayweather. People aren't just surprised he's good their literally in awe.
There's an easy way to compare it's call punch speed. We know distances we can easily tell how quickly Mayweather punches and jabs vs his opponents. I doubt any of these guys would be able to get the punches they want. as consistently as Mayweather does.
The reason Mayweather isn't being hit isn't body speed alone, his hand speed makes you hesitate. Then again Mayweather has admitted his team has done a lot of nit picking opponents. For now though I'll put my money on Mayweather.
One boxer who can beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. today……THE ONE he avoided and is so allergic even to mention the name…..Manny Pacquiao…he he he…
Duran would get schooled by Floyd.
Only the purist and those who really love the sweet science will appreciate Floyd Mayweather. Why not let Rigondeaux bulk up and fight Mayweather? (That'll be a delight!) I'll put my money on Whitaker if Mayweather Jr. was to fight on the 80s. Sugar Ray Leonard would put some work on Floyd Jr. but I don't believe that he can beat the crap out of "Money" (the same manner he beat Philly shell Sr) that easily. Anyways, off-topic: my dream match-ups of Rigondeaux vs. Mayweather; Canelo vs. Cotto; Danny Garcia vs. Juan Manuel Marquez at 142 lbs; Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather and Ruslan Provodnikov vs. Timothy Bradley II would probably be just a dream.
correct…
Because we hate the present and want the masters of yesteryear to outdo it, even though its impossible.
Of all the names mentioned, Sugar Ray is probably the one who will give a sustained beating on Floyd. He has the reflexes, volume punching, speed, stamina, chin and mean streak. I think he will put Floyd in a defensive shell the whole fight. Hearns also has a good chance in beating Floyd but Hearns does have a fragile chin and Floyd does well with tall fighters (see Corrales). If the Hearns right hand misses, Floyd will check hook him. A young Hagler who has the speed will bully Floyd all night, but the Hagler who fought Sugar Ray will be outpointed. Same thing with Duran.
mayweather will became a hall of famer soon but the boxing lover fans can't remember his legacy of the game…
floyds shoulder roll not effective vs the lefty fighters have power like manny
floyd scared to fight the pacman..cozz of the stands differences
only 3 lefty opponent have face w/floyd………..judah…corley….ortiz…
floyds shoulder roll not effective vs the lefty fighters have power like manny
floyd scared to fight the pacman..cozz of the stands differences
only 3 lefty opponent have face w/floyd………..judah…corley….ortiz…
floyds shoulder roll not effective vs the lefty fighters have power like manny
floyd scared to fight the pacman..cozz of the stands differences
only 3 lefty opponent have face w/floyd………..judah…corley….ortiz…
floyds shoulder roll not effective vs the lefty fighters have power like manny
floyd scared to fight the pacman..cozz of the stands differences
only 3 lefty opponent have face w/floyd………..judah…corley….ortiz…
Everybody thought Leonard would educate Duran, and I do believe Leonard was much better than Floyd. Everybody thought Hagler would KO Duran. And we now know they were all wrong.
Reyoc's Cruz Shoulder roll technique had been there for a very long time. In fact, it is an old time trick. Lefties are too difficult for shoulder rolls to be effective. When you roll your shoulder from an orthodox fighter, you generally roll away from the right hand. But against a lefty, you are not rolling away from his left hand. In fact, a lefty will just time you as you bring your head up again.
Prime Sugar Ray would be interesting.. both are ring generals that don' really need to KO opponents. They just need to win rounds. I give the edge to Sugar Ray for the height and more reach…. would have been interesting to watch. Won't be an all out war though, hehehe. Roberto Duran or Hagler… much more exciting.
I am glad somebody remembered this great fighter. He is among the greatest pressure fighters anyone can come across.
Keith Mason Excuse me? You made me laugh.
he is not an exciting fighter.
Keith Mason http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiaswwJBd9k
Clarke Illmatical http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiaswwJBd9k
Alfred Palang http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiaswwJBd9k
Floyd Gayweather is the P4P Queen.!
i used to watch El Gran Campeon, Julio Cesar Chavez. my vote would be on him.
I love Pernell Whittaker!!! But this is all thoeretical. Unfortunately due to nostalgia things arent always in perspective. I cant assume those fighters would win, cant assume he would win. But he is of that ilk. Thats why they fight.
What I can conclude is pound for pound he is the greatest fighter I have ever seen and I grew up on boxing. Tyson, Roy Jones, Pernell Whittaker, Hopkins, Ward, James Toney, etc.
My father said he is the greatest fighter of his time watching boxing. He has been a fan since the 70's. Chavez, Leonard, Hagler, Duran, Ali etc.
That doesn't mean that any of these fighters couldnt win a fight. Any fighter could lose. Look at the history of the fighters above fighting each other. Leonard was the underdog a few times.
Sugar Ray Robinson is by far the greatest in my eyes. Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Ali where the greatest heavyweights in my eyes.
I also watched Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Floyd Mayweather Sr. I had Maywether winning 3 of the first 5 rounds. Then he did fairly well in 2 other rounds before he attempted to rope a dope or was outworked by Leonard in the last 1 minute of those rounds. Floyd is obviously better than his father. His father with no punching power faired well for a few rounds.
Hagler is much to big for Floyd. I dont believe the fight would ever happen. Floyd started at 130. He cant even make the 154 weight limit. Hell his power didnt carry to 147 he could hurt people 140 and below easy. Some at 147.
Hearns is DEFINITELY a threat in my eyes. Watching Leonard Duran is interesting because of how much Leonard moved against Duran. I havent seen Floyd move that much in a long time. Would Duran force Mayweather to move. His Defense is superior to Leonards but Leonards power caused Duran to pause not sure if Mayweather could do the same at 147. Love to see it.
Pernell Whittaker is my favorite fighter from the list.
I would love to see any of these fights but Floyd is too good to assume that he would lose to any of these guys. Their would be trilogies because of the talent.
Hagler though is out of the question. Floyd has never made it up to 154 for the 3 154 fights that he has had.
I once had a conversation with Pernell Whittaker and he told me two clear points. 1). Being a lefty with defensive skills made him impossible to hit and he never got enough credit for it until he retired.2). Once in the ring " he was from the way" (hood) meaning that at some point in the fight, many fighters quit mentally because they were there for the money and didn't want the pounding. It may not look as if he hit hard but his opponents knew.His grit is why I believe he would win.
Pernell is one of my favorite fighters of all time. Talk about a chess match… Mayweather Jr. Vs. Whittaker. I was hoping he would have been able to help Zab more
The ref stopped the fight at the end of the last round. Floyd Sr. Pne 3 of 10 and save for a few late flurries would have won 5 out of 10 rounds in my book. Leonard did het him at the end though. Floyd Jr. Is worlds better than his father so this doesnt really help your case.
Are you kidding? That ship sailed long ago and I’m sure Manny’s even glad he didn’t board it. Floyd called him out on many occasions and the reason it didn’t happen is because Manny wouldn't agree to Olympic style drug testing… why?
Manny has lost his last two fights, (one could argue his last three) the most recent a devastating knock out by Juan Manuel Marquez. In four fights Manny was unable to decisively defeat Marquez yet Floyd easily beat him after a two year layoff. Pacquiao has FIVE defeats on his record and should have several more if not for the gifts he received in the Marquez fights. Mayweather has none.
All that aside, styles make fights and even though Manny is a tough, powerful, left handed pressure fighter (the best recipe for beating floyd) he makes a lot of mistakes with his aggressive style and is open to a good counterpuncher (see Marquez). Mayweather is a great counterpuncher and you can’t make mistakes with him. Could Manny have beaten Mayweather in his heyday, maybe… if all the stars alined perfectly that night. Could he do it today in his diminished state? no way.
In Sugar Ray Leonard’s defense, contracts were signed with Pryor to fight for Leonard’s undisputed welterweight championship title in the fall of 1982. Sugar Ray suffered a detached retina while training for a fight with Roger Stafford and subsequently retired.
@ Eric Decker…If so, with all the stats you mentioned favors Floyd Mayweather Jr., then there's no reason for Floyd not to fight Manny Pacquiao…all he has to do is fix his balls and fight Manny….as simple as that…
All that you said relies on one word…"if"….
Keith Mason , Exactly! I think people forget the name of the sport is boxing, not back-alley brawling.
If Manny can manage to get few wins under his belt (he should be able to beat Brandon Rios in China next month) and prove he still is an elite fighter it could be possible.
Tommie Herns would have destroyed mayweather he was a powerful hitter he would knocked money out
Just stop with all of the Mayweather hate and recognize greatness when its staring you in the face. All five of the above mentioned fighters were great champions with more punching power than Floyd. However, I believe Mayweather is more skilled than all of them. His pin point accuracy, defense, footwork, conditioning year round, ringsmanship, and overall ability makes him very difficult to beat. He would not just stand in the middle of the ring and let these guys pound on him. Did Pernell Whitaker just stand around and let the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez punish him at will. No he did not. Pernell put on a boxing lesson , but was robbed of a victory. Any past or present boxer in his weight classes would have trouble beating him. He conserves his energy and methodically picks apart his opponent. You can call it boring, but I call it the sweet science. Of course the fighters of the 70's and 80's faced stiffer competition. It was the golden era of boxing in all of the weight classes. But Floyd has defeated 20 world champions in his era and barley got touched. Only Cotto bloodied his nose, because he went toe to toe with him. Most of his other fights were complete shut outs. The first Castillo fight and the De la hoya fight were the only close battles in his long career. I choose to recognize all of these hall of fame fighters as the greatest pound for ound as some point in their careers. But for my Money, I like Money Mayweather over all of them.
Not a boxing fan but I watched a replay of De La Hoya vs Pac from '08. It's obvious the reason FM won't fight MP. It would be a boring fight cuz they have the same fighting style. Both have KO power but they both move a lot & wait for opponent mistakes. FM has a better resume, which is why he has no need to fight MP. I believe of those 20 champs he beat, 8 will be in the boxing HOF. Nuff said…
Everybody say he has no punch but he masters the name of the sport Boxing!!!!!! Only a fool thanks his power means everything lets remember Leonard was also faster and a better boxer then all those fighters. Terry Norris showed his ass something different tho. I don't respect people who think knockouts make a Legend or define a true great. Cause the greatest of all time wasn't a puncher either Ali
well it's clear curtis bunn doesn't know shat about boxing.
lol ok….first off, u said hes beat 20 world champions…..today that means shit, HOW MANY BELTS ARE THERE LIKE 100, an how many of those names will go down as all timers….delahoya, cotto, juan manuel marquez , the only ones I can think of an idk for sure if mosley will but we’ll see…..second off, no doubt hes an all time talent, but a lot of his success is a product of his competition….how in the world does competition no matter, its everything…this era cant even touch the 80s, yes theres more overall depth no question about it id say theres a lot more good people in this era then the 80s, but back then whoever was around was great….. also Floyd hasn’t fought someone as versatile an all around like sugar ray leonard, with the combination of speed, power, skill, defense, footwork, heart(the guy came back from a detached retna to beat marvin haggler) I cant even think of any opponents hes fought that’s half of sugar ray…….i do think he woulda beat Roberto duran cause his straight forward style, an he prolly could even out smart pernell, the 0ther 3 r issues…..off course well never know though so whatever but to say hes more skilled then all them is laughable……sugar ray is a gold medalist who beat 4-5 top 20-30 all timers,u know how good u have to be to do that, Floyd cant say that that's for damn sure…most of sugas loses came when he lost to Norris an Camacho way way past his prime an only lost to duran cause cause he tried going toe to toe rather then box him….
Clarke Illmatical SUGAR RAY DOESNT HAVE THE OFFENSE????? u made me laugh hard , hes known as one the greatest t offensive fighters…Quick hands, amazing feet, power, I mean what are you even saying man….he also had a workrate an mean streak I seriously don’t know how u can say he doesn’t have the offense but pernell could win who was always defensive minded first….floyd could win that one because he would just needa come aggressive an pernell would play defense…..sugar ray had the speed an power to get mayweather off his game plan an get a little more defensive minded….not that itll ever be proven but anyone whose ever watched sugar ray knows he had a tremendous offense…
Alfred Palang that's cause leonard abonded his gameplan an chose to go toe to toe with duran….that's why second fight he embarrassed him
I would switch duran for benetiz……weve seen Floyd dissect fighters with durans style, wilfredo benetiz atleast had the defensive style to through money off
Floyd is ok but he never ever tried or attempted to become a LINEAL Champion.. There was always another world champion in his weight class he never challenged. Pac is one of the few who won the Lineal Title.
leonard, pryor, benitez, duran, chavez sr, sweet pea, marvelous hagler, hitman, alexis arguello, would all pummel floyd. And if floyd would would man up and leave catch weights behind and meet Salvador Sanchez at say 126-130 he would get whipped by sanchez too. Gotta say that 80s duran was well past his prime. you arent in your prime on your 73rd fight like when he beat ray, yet he still pulled it off. People say ray embarrased him in the second fight but up to the infamous round ray was only ahead one point not quite a beat down right. and this with druans promoters giving in to all of rays pussy ass demands: bigger ring, quick rematch because he heard duran had ballooned to 230lbs, and fighting at rays weight, in his home country. Duran was man enough to give him a rematch. but ray did not give him a rematch until 89 when duran was like 40. ray did the same to hagler no rematch. maybe ray should be the one named no mas. since Duran had already proven all the world wrong when they doubted him in montreal he did not have the same fire, intensity anger and motivation in the second fight. for some people here to say duran could not hang with floyd is ludcrious and shows complete misunderstanding of boxing. watch round 15 of the montreal fight and see how he made ray miss all round long to show him he could box too. made ray look silly punching air. he taunted ray before ray tuanted him in new orleans. you dont have to like duran but be objective. there is a reason the majority of sports casters, media rank him the best pound for pound since sugar robinson. and if leonard had a wrong game plan in fight one then maybe duran had a wrong game plan in fight 2. duran quit from stomach cramps from dierutics he had to take to meet leonards demanded. weight. he did not quit because he was afraid of ray. he fought men much bigger than ray. Iran barkley, davey moore .
I understand the respect some of y'all have for the greats, but I'm ah straight up say it, Floyd Mayweather Could beat any of the greats, I have seen all their fights & who they fought & how they fought & my opinion Floyd could beat Em.
Chris Munz
HOW MANY HALL OF FAMERS DID ALI BEAT?
Clarke Illmatical
FLOYD SPARRED WITH SWEETPEA WHEN HE WAS STILL A KID AND TORE HIS ASS OUT THE FRAME. HATE TO SEE WHAT HE WOULD DO TO HIM AS A MAN.
chicken joy floyd is so coward of all time.defence of floyd is running..
chicken joy floyd is so coward of all time.defence of floyd is running..
Robert Nutter your boy is a glass balls
Robert Nutter hahahaha..nigger w/a glass balls
Robert Nutter wahahahahaha
Robert Nutter nigger like you have a glass balls..coward lil chicken joy
Ali had poor fundamentals and his defensive skills were nowhere near that of Pernell Whitaker or Wilfredo Benitez. The most skillfull fighter that I have ever seen in my 43 years was Pernell Whitaker. Chop Chop hurt Floyd bad twice in their fight and so did Shane Mosley. Pernell"s toughness and aggressiveness, coupled with his amazing skills would have given Floyd hell. Plus Pernell was a southpaw, lightning fast and high punch output would make it a nightmare for Floyd. Floyd would have avoided Pernell like the plague, just like he avoids Pacquiao.
First of all, anyone can lose a fight. Pernell Whitaker can match Floyds as far as talent and boxing skills. Pernell was a south paw, very aggressive with a high boxing IQ. Pernell was also tough as nails. Trinidad in his prime at 147 could not stop a past his prime Pernell. Pernell was as tough as they come mentally and is probably the most skillful boxer in history and that includes Floyd. Floyd would really have a hard time beating any southpaw with speed much less Pernell Whitaker. For anyone to even say otherwise is crazy. Too many Floyd groupies these days. I can almost guarantee you that Floyd would had avoided Pernell.
Clearly. U no. Nothing. About. Boxing
You mean Mayweather can survive Leonard? Hearns? Benitez or Sweet Pea? Duran or Pryor? Forget about Hagler? Hagler was too big. No one ever beat Hagler in my book. Not even Leonard. Hagler will kill Mayweather within 6 rounds. Pryor was my favorite back then but he had his own personal problems. The volume of punches Pryor he threw scared everybody in the welterweights. No one wanted to deal with him. Even Leonard and Hearns avoided him.
I agree that both Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns could have beaten Floyd Mayweather Jnr. Between the two, Hearns would more likely knock Floyd out. I'm not so sure about Leonard (recall his fairly competitive fight with Mayweather Snr.). Sweet Pea and Floyd could have been the most entertaining fight, tactically speaking. I think Floyd would have had the edge over Pernell mentally and in terms of physical preparedness. Mind you, the mental side is critical at this level; so is conditioning. As for Roberto Duran, I doubt if he would have had the patience to deal with Mayweather's tight defence and constant countering. May 2, 2015 would likely provide an indication as to how Floyd would have handled Duran (even though I rate Duran above Pacquiao). I don't understand the inclusion of Marvin Hagler because he was a big middleweight. Mayweather came in at 150.2 for the Canelo fight, his biggest weight ever, I think. Unlike Leonard and Hearns, Mayweather simply doesn't have the physical frame (weight, height and reach) to compete with the best middleweights, even thought I think he could trouble (the smaller) GGG. But that's another story for another time, perhaps after May 2? Who knows?
Leonard didn't beat Hagler! Hagler was robbed…..
let's not forget Meldrick Taylor.
floyd beat pernell up in sparring as a child.
Fact is all the people you named got beat without question. Floyd has never been close to losing or even knocked down by a punch as a professional, so miss me with all these wouldas and couldas….RESPECT THE GREATNESS CHUMP!
Hearns , Leonard and Hagler for sure would have knocked Mayweather out I have my doubts about Whittaker and Duran stopping him.
So true Aaron Pryor would have knocked him out also, Hearns , Leonard and Hagler for sure would have knocked Mayweather out I have my doubts about Whittaker and Duran stopping him…apparently the writer of this article never hung around Kronk Gym in Detroit where champions were trained Lennox Lewis, Micheal Moorer, Evander Holyfield and yes Thomas the Hit Man Hearns. by the late Emmanuel Stewart.
Correct no question apparently the writer of this article never hung around Kronk Gym in Detroit where champions were trained Lennox Lewis, Micheal Moorer, Evander Holyfield and yes Thomas the Hit Man Hearns. by the late Emmanuel Stewart.
apparently the writer of this article never hung around Kronk Gym in Detroit where champions were trained Lennox Lewis, Micheal Moorer, Evander Holyfield and yes Thomas the Hit Man Hearns. by the late Emmanuel Stewart.
No question Aaron Pryor would stop him in his tracks..apparently the writer of this article never hung around Kronk Gym in Detroit where champions were trained Lennox Lewis, Micheal Moorer, Evander Holyfield and yes Thomas the Hit Man Hearns. by the late Emmanuel Stewart.
True
That's cause he chooses his fights and refuses to fight anybody he thinks could beat him. Truth is, if these guys were around today Floyd would just refuse to fight them.
What about Alexis Arguello and Aaron Pryor?
Where you been? Floyd – lineal championship in three different weight classes. Pacquiao lineal championship in four different weight classes.
After watching last night fight, Mayweather vs Pacquiao, I am convinced that Pernell Whitaker was a better fighter. Yes Pernell lost. Yes Pernell has been knocked down, but that's because he took risk to make fights more exciting. Pernell Whitaker was unique and had unreal skills. After last night fgiht against Pacquiao, I think a lot people would agree with me. Pernell Whitaker moved his upperboddy to avoid punches, Mayweather Jr. runs and grabs and throws one punch at a time. Even late in his caree, with his battle with drugs and way past his prime, Pernell Whitaker held his ground and fought a great fight against Felix Trinidad. He did this with a prime Trinidad.
Yeah right. The Floyd that ran and grabbed against Pacquiao. Everydody agrees that the fight wasn't worth the money. Pernell Whitaker was truly great and performed truly great. I can also say the same for the other great fighters. Floyd defensive skills are not as good as Whitaker's. He used upperbody movement, Floyd runs and grabs.
Clarke Illmatical Hahahaha! His uncle Roger Mayweather would greatly disagree with you. In the words of Roger Mayweather, "Roberto Duran was a beast."
John Ortiz
FLOYD WAS TOO YOUNG BUT HE DID SPAR PERNELL…AND YES IT WAS EASY WORK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zcFre5Z0vs
So last night, Mayweather run, I mean won. It doesn't matter anymore. As long as he got his holding and running technique down packed, noone will ever beat him.
To many people, they think what Mayweather does is boxing. For those people who think it is, I'm sorry to tell you, you've been misconstrued.
If you think holding your opponent every time he's landing 4 or 5 quick shots to your body and jaw, then coming back with a hard right that makes his head go back is boxing, think again.
Because when you hold your opponent for as long as Mayweather holds his, that gives you time to get some air, and prepare yourself for that good punch while the poor guy is suffocating gasping for air with his head wrapped in his arms. It's called HEAD PULLING.
THAT IS NOT BOXING. It's sneaky, dirty, but not against the rules. And that's what Mayweather takes advantage of. He's an opportunist.
For those of you who think it's boxing, I suggest you watch ESPN Classics. There you would see real fighting; no holding, no running, STRICTLY BOXING.
Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Alexis Arguello, Carlos Palomino, those were boxers.
GOOD NIGHT.
Black Moses you have to live with yourself, we don't. If you can live with yourself knowing that Mayweather's a punk who likes to hold his opponent whenever he's getting hit, then runs around the ring like a bitch every time he lands a punch, then "power to the people" like your avatar says. Power to your people. The ignoramuses that walk around life believing Mayweather's a true boxer.
John Ortiz Knowing when to go outside of fundamentals was key to a lot of Ali victories. Especially against George Foreman.
Fundamentals are great, but havingi the ability to change tactics, mid fight and do it well is something unaccounted for.
No one said Floyd couldn't be hurt, but both of those guys ultimately lost. High punch output doesn't matter if you can't hit.
A lot of what Floyd does is motivated by getting more money. He fought Pacquiao at a time that he was at his peak in terms of people hating him. Now people are going to pay just for the chance to see him lose. Inside the ring for me personally top 10.
Outside the ring in terms of the ability to stay in character and work the financial side. Number 1.
By that logic Ali wasn't a boxer.
So what happened with THE ONE? I found myself rooting for Manny just so it would be a slightly competitive fight and not the total embarrassment it turned out to be for Pacquiao. Can we now finally put that question to rest?
If you want to talk about fighters that could legitimately give Mayweather a test or possibly beat him, you have to look to the young guns like Gennady Golovkin. It will never happen though, not because Mayweather is scared but because GGG is just too big for him.