Better Than Floyd

What follows is a brief overview of some fighters keeping Floyd Mayweather, Jr. from being remembered as “Best Boxer Alive” or “The Best Ever”, in any one of the weight classes he competed in.

Let me first establish that, I’m a fan of boxing technique. I cannot help but love the defensive boxing skills of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. When the man decides to avoid damage, he may well be the most effective defender in boxing history.

That said — in his efforts to market himself, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has repeatedly claimed that he was the “best boxer alive” or “the best ever”.

While Floyd Mayweather, Jr. may be a great businessman, his status as “Best Boxer Alive” or “The Best Ever” is far from undisputed. Floyd may not even have been the “Best Alive” or “The Best Ever” in any of the weight classes he has fought within.

130–135 lbs — Super Featherweight/Lightweight

(Floyd held Championships from 1998–2005)

1998–2005 pick:

“Sugar” Shane Mosley: 47 wins (39 KOs), 9 losses, 1 draw

The Sugar Shane of 1998–2005 was not the slower and more cautious Shane of 2010. A 135-pound Shane Mosley was fast enough to catch Floyd often, and powerful enough to hurt him with any single punch. The Sugar Shane of 2010 still had the power, and did hurt Floyd, but no longer had the speed or stamina to keep the pressure on. The slowing of Mosley’s hands and feet had been observed by the boxing community for years preceding the Mayweather, Jr. fight. Floyd (or his camp) avoided the younger Shane for fear of the explosive punching power that distinctly differentiated the two slick boxers.

All-Time pick:

Henry Armstrong: 150 wins (101 KOs), 21 losses, 10 draws

“Homicide Hank” is my all-time 130-pound pick to beat Floyd due to his combination of speed, power, and creativity. Armstrong was a champion in four weight classes from Featherweight to Middleweight when there were fewer classes to compete in. I don’t believe Floyd could solve Hank’s combination of attributes and awkward techniques — much in the same way Floyd was troubled by Marcos Maidana’s looping punches.

140–147 lbs — Light Welterweight/Welterweight

(Floyd held Championships from 2005–2006/2006–2014)

2005–2009 pick:

Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao: 56 wins (38 KOs), 5 losses, 2 draws

I know Floyd beat the 2014 version of Manny in a disappointing fight, but I still believe that the revolutionary offensive footwork of Pacquiao at his best would have been too much for Floyd. Even with years of studying Pac-man, there was no sparring partner on the planet who could simulate his speed, even if they could approximate his footwork. While Floyd used excellent lateral movement to run from or “turn” his opponents, Manny used lateral movement to hit his opponents from blind angles and punch through their center like an ancient samurai cutting an enemy in half.

Manny has been stopped, but only in extreme cases of running directly into the punch of a counter-puncher with power. Floyd, with his brittle hands, never had the kind of power to easily hurt Manny. Would Floyd have survived long enough to “solve” a prime Manny’s footwork?

All-time pick:

“Sugar” Ray Leonard: 36 wins (25 KOs), 3 losses, 1 draw

How quickly the general public has forgotten the supremely intelligent and versatile boxing of Ray Leonard. Possibly the fastest in-fight boxing mind in history paired with an athletic body capable of speed, power, and durability. Ray Leonard fought any challenger and found a way to defeat them all, even if it took a rematch to do it, until age finally slowed his reflexes in the 14th year of his pro career.

Leonard earned legendary status by coming out of a three-year retirement due to a detached retina to move up in weight. He immediately challenged Marvelous Marvin Hagler for the Middleweight title and won against the all-time great by an (oft-disputed) decision. I believe Leonard is one fighter who could have “solved” the Mayweather, Jr. puzzle on a strategic level. The power and will to finish Mayweather is just gravy.

154 lbs — Light Middleweight

(Floyd held Championships in 2007, 2012, 2014)

2007–2012* pick:

Sergio Martinez (*pre 2012 surgery): 51 wins (28 KOs), 3 losses, 2 draws

Sergio begged for a date with Mayweather, even offering to drop weight for the fight, but Floyd insisted the 5' 10" natural 154 pound fighter (who typically came in underweight to fight at 160 pounds) was “too big”. I agree with Floyd: Sergio’s reach combined with his speed, power, and awkwardness would have been too much for Floyd. Floyd successfully “waited out” Sergio, who never fully recovered from his 2012 knee-surgery.

All-Time Pick:

“Sugar Ray Robinson” (Walker Smith Jr): 173 wins (108 KOs), 19 losses, 6 draws

The term “pound-for-pound greatest” was invented to describe him because could do it all: he could box, he could punch, and he could dance. Even Ali’s dance is an impression of Robinson’s.

Sugar Ray could also throw rapid combinations and take a punch. When Ray challenged 175-pound champion Joey Maxim in 1952 he famously did not put on weight, and instead came into the fight with a minimum 15-pound weight disadvantage. Ray was beating Maxim on all cards when he surrendered to heat exhaustion between the 13th and 14th rounds (note that modern fights cannot exceed 12 rounds). Ray Robinson would have too much of everything for Floyd.

What is the point of this dialogue?

Consider this: if the two best teams in the NFL refused to play each other in the Super Bowl, we would still be arguing about things like the 2014 Denver offense versus the 2014 Seattle defense to this day (or Cam Newton’s Panthers vs. Payton Manning’s 2015–2016 Broncos).

We can legitimately dispute Floyd’s claim to “Best Boxer Alive” because he failed to face so many of his nearest active competitors over the course of his career. A battle between Mayweather, Jr. and a prime Sergio Martinez is no more real than a fight between Mayweather, Jr. and Ray Leonard. Floyd will never be able to prove that he is “The Best Ever” and he never even tried to make the fights needed to support the claim that he was the “Best Alive”. When Floyd or his camp make claims of Best or Greatest they are selling you snake oil.

At least I was kind enough to leave out any comparisons to Ali (who never ducked an opponent) and other great boxers from distant weight classes.

None of this should be taken to mean that I have no respect for Mr Mayweather. I’d certainly give him a chance to outpoint any boxer, within his weight classes, in history. He is a fantastically skilled fighter in an era in which it has become harder and harder to find athletes with polished skills.

By presenting such old-school ringcraft on the big stage, Floyd was able to inspire younger athletes to reach for new technical heights.