When was the last time Floyd Mayweather fought an equal 1:1 counterpart?

[FLYBOY]

Al Haymon and Floyd have consistently avoided the three best fighters since 2007:

The three best were avoided in 2007
1.Antonio Margarito at 147lbs
2.Paul Williams at 147lbs
3.Miguel Cotto at 147lbs

The three best were avoided in 2008
1.Paul Williams at 147lbs
2.Antonio Margarito at 147lbs
3.Miguel Cotto at 147lbs

The three best were avoided in 2009
1.Manny Pacquiao at 147lbs
2.Paul Williams at 147-154lbs
3.Miguel Cotto at 147lbs

The three best were avoided in 2010
1.Manny Pacquiao at 147lbs
2.Paul Williams at 147-154lbs
3.Sergio Martinez at 154lbs

The three best were avoided in 2011
1.Sergio Martinez at 154lbs
2.Manny Pacquiao at 147lbs
3.Erislandy Lara at 154lbs

The three best were avoided in 2012
1.Sergio Martinez at 154lbs
2.Manny Pacquiao at 147lbs
3.Erislandy Lara at 154lbs

The three best were avoided in 2013
1.Sergio Martinez at 154lbs
2.Erislandy Lara at 154lbs
3.Manny Pacquiao at 147lbs

The three best are avoided in 2014
1. Gennady Golovkin at 154lbs
2. Erislandy Lara at 154lbs
3. Manny Pacquiao at 147lbs



.

On paper, reality, and betting, in some of these above mentioned fights Mayweather could have been an underdog or a slight favourite.

Mayweather could have beaten all of them, but that's besides the point.

The fact is that Mayweather has never ever fought a man "better" than him on "paper", "betting odds", or "reality".

[FLYBOY]

Who would he be an underdog to..

Floyd would be the favorite over anyone at 130,135,140,147.. Floyd would have to go way up in weight to be considered an underdog..

In the divisions floyd competed in, he was always number 1 and would be the betting favorite over everyone..

So it's kinda pointless to knock floyd for always being the favorite.. It's like being the number #1 college basketball team all year, and knocking them for never playing vs a higher ranked opponent,,

Floyd could have fought manny in 2009 and he would have still been the betting favorite

That's not the right thesis. Who could have been an underdog to Oscar De La Hoya in his prime at 147/154? Nobody. But he went up to 160 to fight Bernard Hopkins as an underdog... He challenged himself.

Mayweather hasn't really challenged himself. Corrales was the only fight where he was a slight favourite, but that's about it. That's the only fight in his pro career in which he was a slight favourite.

There were and are fights which could have been and/ or could be fights where Mayweather is an underdog. For example, Mayweather-Golovkin at 160.

Mayweather can beat GGG at 160. But will he challenge himself?

[M Bison]

Maybe the sign of his greatness is no one was favored to beat him. He was the underdog to corrales.

Funny how you never use that towards Golovkin, insteads you cry and beg for him to move up to fight Ward at 168lbs, Ward the man who couldn't make 168lbs and now is officially at 175lbs.
So ofcourse now we all know these people will be begging GGG to move to 175, skip 168lbs what does it matter, right?

AND this is exactly what Floyd should have done I mean he does probably use steroids afterall that and the fact he has tonnes of stipulations in his favour but he was the favourite because his inside ring ability?
I don't think so, lol.

[M Bison]

On paper, reality, and betting, in some of these above mentioned fights Mayweather could have been an underdog or a slight favourite.

Mayweather could have beaten all of them, but that's besides the point.

The fact is that Mayweather has never ever fought a man "better" than him on "paper", "betting odds", or "reality".

That's what the majority of the GGG hates use against Golovkin, bare in mind 90% of these guys are die-hard Floyd fans.
Funny how things work...

One set of fans will say and do anything to defend a convicted felon, racist, woman beater and likely drug user but they'll do everything in their power to slander a man who shows the attitude of everything a real boxing fan should want...
Entertaining, realistic, ambitious, likable, picks fights with his own gender, leaves fighting inside the ring....
Something doesn't add up here, do these Floyd fans like Floyd because of all the wrong doings?
Or could it be something else hmmmmmmmmm, I do wonder

[b00g13man]

Who would he be an underdog to..

Floyd would be the favorite over anyone at 130,135,140,147.. Floyd would have to go way up in weight to be considered an underdog..

In the divisions floyd competed in, he was always number 1 and would be the betting favorite over everyone..

So it's kinda pointless to knock floyd for always being the favorite.. It's like being the number #1 college basketball team all year, and knocking them for never playing vs a higher ranked opponent,,

Floyd could have fought manny in 2009 and he would have still been the betting favorite

/ thread...

[Sheppirino]

Probably Corrales. I thought that Corrales would eventually corner Floyd and knock him out after watching the build up by HBO and reading some of the magazines at the time. After this fight I really doubt if he was the underdog in any of his fights or had any even odds. Maybe some close odds but always in his favor.

[Dip_Slide]

That's not the right thesis. Who could have been an underdog to Oscar De La Hoya in his prime at 147/154? Nobody. But he went up to 160 to fight Bernard Hopkins as an underdog... He challenged himself.

Mayweather hasn't really challenged himself. Corrales was the only fight where he was a slight favourite, but that's about it. That's the only fight in his pro career in which he was a slight favourite.

There were and are fights which could have been and/ or could be fights where Mayweather is an underdog. For example, Mayweather-Golovkin at 160.

Mayweather can beat GGG at 160. But will he challenge himself?

Dela Hoya fought Bernard at 157 lbs catchweight, Dela Hoya was 30 years old and have been fighting at 154 for like 4 years and fought Sturm at 160 one fight prior to the Hopkins fight, and even though he started at 130, he was a perfect sized 154 pounder and he fought there 5 or 6 times already before he faced Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather never weighed in more than 151 and according to the recent available fight night weights, he never weighed more than 151 lbs on fight night either, no doubt Dela Hoya is naturally a bigger guy than Floyd Mayweather who was still 30 and still wanted to make money in the sport.

Plus some people still believe that the fight was fixed, I don't know. Floyd might be a slight underdog at 160 against GGG because of the vast size advantage and because of Floyd's age, Floyd will turn 39 in February.

Apart from GGG at 160 none of the guys that fought at the weight divisions where Floyd fought at the time he fought at them would've been favored to beat him had the fights actually been made, even Manny Pacquiao would've been an underdog in 2009 after Floyd toyed with the guy that arguably beat Pacquiao twice.

[Kagami Taiga]

Al Haymon and Floyd have consistently avoided the three best fighters since 2007:

The three best were avoided in 2007
1.Antonio Margarito at 147lbs
2.Paul Williams at 147lbs
3.Miguel Cotto at 147lbs

The three best were avoided in 2008
1.Paul Williams at 147lbs
2.Antonio Margarito at 147lbs
3.Miguel Cotto at 147lbs

The three best were avoided in 2009
1.Manny Pacquiao at 147lbs
2.Paul Williams at 147-154lbs
3.Miguel Cotto at 147lbs

The three best were avoided in 2010
1.Manny Pacquiao at 147lbs
2.Paul Williams at 147-154lbs
3.Sergio Martinez at 154lbs

The three best were avoided in 2011
1.Sergio Martinez at 154lbs
2.Manny Pacquiao at 147lbs
3.Erislandy Lara at 154lbs

The three best were avoided in 2012
1.Sergio Martinez at 154lbs
2.Manny Pacquiao at 147lbs
3.Erislandy Lara at 154lbs

The three best were avoided in 2013
1.Sergio Martinez at 154lbs
2.Erislandy Lara at 154lbs
3.Manny Pacquiao at 147lbs

The three best are avoided in 2014
1. Gennady Golovkin at 154lbs
2. Erislandy Lara at 154lbs
3. Manny Pacquiao at 147lbs



.

U just made up a whole horrible list. Like wtf dude.

[FLYBOY]

Probably Corrales. I thought that Corrales would eventually corner Floyd and knock him out after watching the build up by HBO and reading some of the magazines at the time. After this fight I really doubt if he was the underdog in any of his fights or had any even odds. Maybe some close odds but always in his favor.

Exactly my point. That's the only time Floyd has ever fought someone where the odds were close (and Floyd was still the favourite - albeit a slight favourite).

But here's the thing: ATG's like SRL, SRR, Ali, Tyson, Hearns, etc. have at times fought men BETTER than them, and came out victorious. That's what makes them ATG's.

Floyd has never fought anyone better than him. How can we put him in the ATG list if he has never challenged himself against odds?

[Daddy T]

floyd has beaten a lot of good opponents a lot of very good opponents and a couple of great opponents that are a little past prime. I feel he avoided the greats in their prime. He's got the best resume of any recent fighter - the only one that comes close is probably wlad. If Wlad successfully navigates the Fury, Wilder, Joshua trio he may rank a little higher at the end of the day due to fighting all possible opponents, many of whom (povetkin/haye etc ... and the trio) who are/will be prime.