WHY is FLOYD NOT the greatest boxer of all time?

[Sallywynder]

PBF sites his record as 50 - 0 proving he is best. Yet Chavez went undefeated for 90 fights (89?) before he lost his first fight! If only a fighters record prove his greatness JCC beats Floyd.

But there is more to greatness than that. Tyson says Floyd isnt great because he isnt liked, because he cant walk down the street without a bodyguard. Tyson says Ali could and he (Tyson) still can. Both are loved.

Teddy Atlas Says greatness is facing adversity and finding a way to win. To get up and win when all seems lost. Ali did that v Liston, Frazier, and Foreman. Chavez did it v Meldrick Taylor, and arguably Whittaker. Did Floyd ever fight an all time great and have to dig deep to come back and win?

Quality of opposition. Did Ali fight in a better era than Floyd? Did Chavez fight PFP better opponents than Floyd?

Fight style. Who was it that said Pacman beat Floyd 'because all floyd did was run'? Floyd was a boring fighter, so bad people wanted to see him get beaten. Does that count against his 'greatness'? Ali was great to watch during his career. Though towards the end it got pretty bad. I cant remember Chavez being in a boring fight.

Fighters opinion. Seems very few actual world renowned boxers rate Floyd as the greatest. Most pick Ali.

So, is Floyd the greatest, or mostly in his own mind?

.

[TheProudLunatic]

To be the "greatest"
One must fight everyone
PBF/May would be extremely hard to beat.

[Haka]

Never fought prime opponents until Maidana and arguably lost.

[TheProudLunatic]

hi-res-ec02a6b8e108b4aa6480e6e3bfaed405_crop_north.jpg?1498974099&w=630&h=420.jpg
Sore loser Pac trying to choke out the part time school teacher

[TheProudLunatic]

Never fought prime opponents until Maidana and arguably lost.

Good for laughs or if you are needing to brush up on your dirty tactics

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

He’s in the conversation albeit on the periphery IMO.

It ultimately comes down to preference. I can’t say Floyd Mayweather achieved the feats Robinson or Armstrong did. I can’t say he had the impact Ali had. I can’t say he has the individual wins to match Leonard’s resume. I don’t think he can match the raw ability Roy had. But ultimately, it comes down to preference and even to be in that conversation is an achievement in itself. Floyd certainly played the game better than anyone else in maximising reward and minimising risk and you have to give him credit for that. An excellent technician, arguably the best we’ve seen technically and as much as people accuse him of being selective, he still beat some excellent fighters and beat a lot of them handily. Definitely top 10 for me, but probably doesn’t crack my top 5. No issue if others have him higher or lower- as I always reiterate to the fanboys on here it’s about preference and opinion.

[The Big Dunn]

He is a top 10-15 ATG imo.

Those above him fought and defeated better quality of opponents during their careers even if they lost.

The great thing about Floyd’s career is there are 2 definitive periods.

Pre ODH where he was high risk, low reward and had to get it out of the mud because big earners wouldn’t fight him.

Then there is the post ODH period as the cash cow where he did things the same way they were done to him.

I agree with RJJ above although I think resume wise he is superior to Roy and his skill set, especially defensively, is slightly better. But Roy’s speed and athleticism set him apart.

[Brother Mouzone]

Floyd is an ATG , but if you say GOAT I think SRR, Greb, Pep, Armstrong, Langford,Duran, Ali,SRL….

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

He is a top 10-15 ATG imo.

Those above him fought and defeated better quality of opponents during their careers even if they lost.

The great thing about Floyd’s career is there are 2 definitive periods.

Pre ODH where he was high risk, low reward and had to get it out of the mud because big earners wouldn’t fight him.

Then there is the post ODH period as the cash cow where he did things the same way they were done to him.

I agree with RJJ above although I think resume wise he is superior to Roy and his skill set, especially defensively, is slightly better. But Roy’s speed and athleticism set him apart.

Too many fighters nowadays wanna be Money without being PBF. So many people forget Floyd’s career pre-Oscar. That’s the only fight I ever felt Floyd looked nervous in too, it took him 3-4 rounds to get started, then he took the left hand away from Oscar and took over. I think he knew what was on the line that night in terms of future stardom.

[The Big Dunn]

Too many fighters nowadays wanna be Money without being PBF. So many people forget Floyd’s career pre-Oscar. That’s the only fight I ever felt Floyd looked nervous in too, it took him 3-4 rounds to get started, then he took the left hand away from Oscar and took over. I think he knew what was on the line that night in terms of future stardom.

My boy they don’t really forget. They just don’t want to give him credit. Is what it is.

Absolutely. That was the fight he wanted his whole life. Had to be a bit nervous. Fishnets wasn’t exactly a bum despite everything Floyd said.