Mayweather And His Legacy

[The Old LefHook]

Lil' Floyd does not get much legacy. I began to wonder: is there even a single category in which MW is TBE.

I think I came up with one. Someone like Nino Locche can out-defend him, which is usually considered his best category.

But hold up, pard. Cherrypicking is a boxing skill, too, and I dare you to find someone more adroit at it than Lil' Floyd. He never made that misstep that all others made except Marciano and Calzaghe.

MW fought better opponents than Calzaghe, so I reckon he is the more accomplished cherrypicker. Mayweather'm, the midgets' master, is cherrypicking's all time champ.

[The Old LefHook]

If you were not even the greatest at any single weight class, of course you cannot be TBE.

I could not pick Lil' Floyd over Duran or Pryor at lightweight and super lightweight, and obviously he is not the best welterweight ever. What does that leave? I am not even sure he could whip Camacho or Sanchez. They are of that super-busy variety, but much better than the super-busy pugs who gave Floyd such fits.

[GhostofDempsey]

Any fighter who needs to tell the public they are the greatest or best ever most certainly isn’t. His legacy will be timing his opponents careers so he could catch them when they weren’t at their best. Still a household name but a shell of their former self. His PR team was also quite adept at hyping opponents and selling them to the public as elite level competition. B-rate fighters wrapped in A-level attire. Smoke and mirrors, PT Barnum would have been proud.

[Anthony342]

Any fighter who needs to tell the public they are the greatest or best ever most certainly isn’t. His legacy will be timing his opponents careers so he could catch them when they weren’t at their best. Still a household name but a shell of their former self. His PR team was also quite adept at hyping opponents and selling them to the public as elite level competition. B-rate fighters wrapped in A-level attire. Smoke and mirrors, PT Barnum would have been proud.

[travestyny]

History will show he was the top fighter over 2 decades. How many other boxers can say that?

[Anthony342]

History will show he was the top fighter over 2 decades. How many other boxers can say that?

I don't know, you tell me because I'd only be guessing. Ali, Joe Louis, Lennox Lewis perhaps? Sugar Ray Robinson?

[travestyny]

I don't know, you tell me because I'd only be guessing. Ali, Joe Louis, Lennox Lewis perhaps? Sugar Ray Robinson?

Sugar Ray Robinson is the only one I can think of. I believe they began giving fighter of the decade starting in 1990...but going back, Ray Robinson would have won it in the 1940's and 1950's.

Here's the Ring's list:

1910s: Canada Sam Langford
1920s: United States Benny Leonard
1930s: United States Henry Armstrong
1940s: United States Sugar Ray Robinson
1950s: United States Sugar Ray Robinson (2)
1960s: United States Muhammad Ali
1970s: Panama Roberto Durán
1980s: United States Sugar Ray Leonard
1990s: United States Roy Jones Jr.
2000s: Philippines Manny Pacquiao
2010s: United States Floyd Mayweather Jr.


Being that Floyd was the runner up for the 2000's, he would have been the top fighter from 2000 to 2019 (decade wise. Perhaps we can cut it at 2015..?). I couldn't find any evidence of the past winners being runner ups the previous decade.

[Anthony342]

Sugar Ray Robinson is the only one I can think of. I believe they began giving fighter of the decade starting in 1990...but going back, Ray Robinson would have won it in the 1940's and 1950's.

Here's the Ring's list:

1910s: Canada Sam Langford
1920s: United States Benny Leonard
1930s: United States Henry Armstrong
1940s: United States Sugar Ray Robinson
1950s: United States Sugar Ray Robinson (2)
1960s: United States Muhammad Ali
1970s: Panama Roberto Durán
1980s: United States Sugar Ray Leonard
1990s: United States Roy Jones Jr.
2000s: Philippines Manny Pacquiao
2010s: United States Floyd Mayweather Jr.


Being that Floyd was the runner up for the 2000's, he would have been the top fighter from 2000 to 2019 (decade wise. Perhaps we can cut it at 2015..?). I couldn't find any evidence of the past winners being runner ups the previous decade.

To paraphrase Twin Peaks, that's a damn fine list. I would've thought Louis because of being heavyweight champ in the 30s and 40s, Ali for being the top heavyweight in the 60s and 70s, Lennox for being a dominant heavy in the 90s and early 2000s. Was gonna say Ray Leonard, but didn't think he was around enough in the 80s to make fighter of that decade, interesting. He ended up fighting 12 times that decade, so there ya go.

[travestyny]

To paraphrase Twin Peaks, that's a damn fine list. I would've thought Louis because of being heavyweight champ in the 30s and 40s, Ali for being the top heavyweight in the 60s and 70s, Lennox for being a dominant heavy in the 90s and early 2000s. Was gonna say Ray Leonard, but didn't think he was around enough in the 80s to make fighter of that decade, interesting. He ended up fighting 12 times that decade, so there ya go.

Yea, there might be more who are comparable to Mayweather because we know that his greatness didn't go beyond 2015 though he was named fighter of the decade for the 2010's. Would be a good project to see if there was a fighter as dominate for 16 years besides Ray Robinson, but either way there won't be many. I think his legacy is pretty secure.

Also, I LOVE that they have Sam Langford there. Dude needs his respect!

[Willie Pep 229]

I thought this thread was about Mayweather's legacy, not who was the P4P best at any one time.

Mayweather's legacy is easy to discern, 1/2 billion dollars.

Dempsey put 126,000 in a stadium one night, (and made over $800,00 for that night's work) . . . Floyd Mayweather walked away with close to 100 million (PPV) for one night's work.

In prize fighting that's what legends looks like.

You guys keep thinking that great boxing skills are mandatory to being an ATG prize fighter, there not.

This is prize fighting with emphasis on the word prize; we keep score by counting the dollars.

"Money" is one of the greatest prize fighters ever.