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Mayweather? Top 50 All Time? NOT SO FAST...
A week ago, Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather announced his retirement and this time it actually seemed sincere, unlike the other half hearted attempts following the Oscar Da La Hoya and Carlos Baldomir fights. At those press conferences he tearfully said he was done with boxing, but returned each time. This move to retire surprised me and probably many other fight fans considering how much money was left on the table (possibly $30 million) for the rematch fight against Oscar Da La Hoya. Mayweather is certainly not a fighter who turns down money easily. Nevertheless, Mayweather is retired (although I’d not be surprised to see him in the ring within a year) and the debate begins of where Mayweather ranks among the all time greats.
Mayweather, 39-0 with 25 KO's, is certainly a lock to become a first ballot hall of fame career in five years and is one of the better boxers of the last decade. He fought for twelve years, garnered belts in five divisions ranging from 130 pounds to 154, and finished with an undefeated record. Yet, I believe Mayweather didn't do enough, especially at 140 pounds and up, to garner himself a place among the fifty greatest boxers of all time.
Mayweather won his first world title on October 3, 1998 with an eight-round knockout over Gernaro Hernandez, gaining the WBC super featherweight belt. He defended the belt nine times beating notables Angel Manfredy, the late Diego Corrales, Carlos Hernandez, and Jesus Chavez. Mayweather cleaned out the division and beat every notable fighter, so he moved up to lightweight where he won the WBC belt in extremely controversial fashion over Jose Castillo on April 20, 2002. Numerous fight fans felt he lost the fight, so Mayweather granted Castillo a rematch and won again, but this time in more convincing fashion. After that fight he fought only two more times at lightweight.
Mayweather moved up to 140 pounds and quickly won two fights before brutally beating Arturo Gatti for his WBC light welterweight belt on June 25, 2005. After winning that strap he moved up to the welterweight and fought once before defeating Zab Judah and winning the IBF belt on April 8, 2006. Mayweather routed Baldomir for the Ring Magazine title before once again quickly springing for the next division, the light middleweight and beat Oscar Da La Hoya on Cinco de Mayo. This was the much hyped up bout that helped both of them become two of three highest paid athletes of 2007. That victory enabled Mayweather to win a belt in five divisions, something most boxers are unable to do. After the Da La Hoya bout he fought only once more and that was a tenth round knockout over the Ricky Hatton at 147 pounds.
Mayweather throughout his career proclaimed himself to be the best fighter of all time which is foolish considering that Sugar Ray Robinson is the undeniable best boxer of all time and no one comes close, not even Mayweather. I can’t even put Mayweather among the fifty greatest boxers of all time. Despite being one of the best super featherweight and lightweight fighters once he fought at 140 and above he didn't do enough.
For each of those next three divisions he fought just four belt holders and never stayed long enough in either of those weight classes to clean them out which diminishes the significance of winning belts at 140, 147, and 154.
At the light welterweight division he faced two decent boxers in DeMarcus Corley, who was coming off a loss, and Henry Bruseles before facing an aged Gatti. He quickly moved up to welterweight to face an over the hill Sharmba Mitchell, Judah who was also coming off a lost to Baldomir who became Mayweather's next opponent and he had nine losses coming into the fight. At light middleweight he only fought Da La Hoya who was just 3-3 in his last six fights. None of these fighters besides Da La Hoya are hall of fame material and the only good fighter he beat in those three divisions was Ricky Hatton.
Granted Mayweather did win at each weight class and he did beat belt holders in convincing fashion but if he wanted to become one of the best boxers ever he should have fought a great deal more fighters at each division. I’d not be knocking the opponents he chose if it were not for the fact that he always shied away from facing many other good fighters and continuously hand selected his opponents. For example, he left eight million dollars on the table instead of fighting Antonio Margarito and then retired instead of facing the winner of the Margarito-Miguel Cotto fight on PPV, July 26th) to become the premier fighter at 147. He also never made the attempt to fight anyone else at 154 such as Cory Spinks or Vernon Forrest nor did he try to fight any of the good boxers at 147 like Paul Williams, Kermit Cintron, or Carlos Quintana. At light welterweight he never attempted to match up against Junior Witter or Ricardo Torres.
Therefore, Mayweather is a hall a fame without a doubt but not a top fifty boxer of all time. If he decides to come out of retirement and beat Cotto, Margarito, and Paul Williams or some other big names between 140 and 154 I’d change my mind but until then I`ll not change my assessment.
Mayweather, 39-0 with 25 KO's, is certainly a lock to become a first ballot hall of fame career in five years and is one of the better boxers of the last decade. He fought for twelve years, garnered belts in five divisions ranging from 130 pounds to 154, and finished with an undefeated record. Yet, I believe Mayweather didn't do enough, especially at 140 pounds and up, to garner himself a place among the fifty greatest boxers of all time.
Mayweather won his first world title on October 3, 1998 with an eight-round knockout over Gernaro Hernandez, gaining the WBC super featherweight belt. He defended the belt nine times beating notables Angel Manfredy, the late Diego Corrales, Carlos Hernandez, and Jesus Chavez. Mayweather cleaned out the division and beat every notable fighter, so he moved up to lightweight where he won the WBC belt in extremely controversial fashion over Jose Castillo on April 20, 2002. Numerous fight fans felt he lost the fight, so Mayweather granted Castillo a rematch and won again, but this time in more convincing fashion. After that fight he fought only two more times at lightweight.
Mayweather moved up to 140 pounds and quickly won two fights before brutally beating Arturo Gatti for his WBC light welterweight belt on June 25, 2005. After winning that strap he moved up to the welterweight and fought once before defeating Zab Judah and winning the IBF belt on April 8, 2006. Mayweather routed Baldomir for the Ring Magazine title before once again quickly springing for the next division, the light middleweight and beat Oscar Da La Hoya on Cinco de Mayo. This was the much hyped up bout that helped both of them become two of three highest paid athletes of 2007. That victory enabled Mayweather to win a belt in five divisions, something most boxers are unable to do. After the Da La Hoya bout he fought only once more and that was a tenth round knockout over the Ricky Hatton at 147 pounds.
Mayweather throughout his career proclaimed himself to be the best fighter of all time which is foolish considering that Sugar Ray Robinson is the undeniable best boxer of all time and no one comes close, not even Mayweather. I can’t even put Mayweather among the fifty greatest boxers of all time. Despite being one of the best super featherweight and lightweight fighters once he fought at 140 and above he didn't do enough.
For each of those next three divisions he fought just four belt holders and never stayed long enough in either of those weight classes to clean them out which diminishes the significance of winning belts at 140, 147, and 154.
At the light welterweight division he faced two decent boxers in DeMarcus Corley, who was coming off a loss, and Henry Bruseles before facing an aged Gatti. He quickly moved up to welterweight to face an over the hill Sharmba Mitchell, Judah who was also coming off a lost to Baldomir who became Mayweather's next opponent and he had nine losses coming into the fight. At light middleweight he only fought Da La Hoya who was just 3-3 in his last six fights. None of these fighters besides Da La Hoya are hall of fame material and the only good fighter he beat in those three divisions was Ricky Hatton.
Granted Mayweather did win at each weight class and he did beat belt holders in convincing fashion but if he wanted to become one of the best boxers ever he should have fought a great deal more fighters at each division. I’d not be knocking the opponents he chose if it were not for the fact that he always shied away from facing many other good fighters and continuously hand selected his opponents. For example, he left eight million dollars on the table instead of fighting Antonio Margarito and then retired instead of facing the winner of the Margarito-Miguel Cotto fight on PPV, July 26th) to become the premier fighter at 147. He also never made the attempt to fight anyone else at 154 such as Cory Spinks or Vernon Forrest nor did he try to fight any of the good boxers at 147 like Paul Williams, Kermit Cintron, or Carlos Quintana. At light welterweight he never attempted to match up against Junior Witter or Ricardo Torres.
Therefore, Mayweather is a hall a fame without a doubt but not a top fifty boxer of all time. If he decides to come out of retirement and beat Cotto, Margarito, and Paul Williams or some other big names between 140 and 154 I’d change my mind but until then I`ll not change my assessment.
lmao name the 50 boxers that are better than him.
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