While it is Manny Pacquiao who Bert Sugar deemed to be one of the greatest fighters of all time, it is The Ring magazine that recently declared Floyd Mayweather, Jr. to be the one who could hang with history’s great welterweights. The Ring’s story is not available online; therefore, you’ll have to shell out nine bucks for the print version. It will be easy to find, however, because Pacquiao is on the cover (February 2010 edition). Go figure.
If you want to save some dough, The Ring speculates as follows:
1. Mayweather v Sugar Ray Robinson? Robinson would win “a close but unanimous decision.”
2. Mayweather v Henry Armstrong? Mayweather “would win a fairly close but clear decision.”
3. Mayweather v Kid Gavilan? Mayweather would win “via split decision.”
4. Mayweather v Sugar Ray Leonard? Leonard would win “a unanimous decision.”
5. Mayweather v Charley Burley? Burley would “drop Floyd on his way to winning a close 15-round decision.”
6. Mayweather v Jose Napoles? Mayweather would win by late technical knockout.
7. Mayweather v Carmen Basilio? Mayweather speculated to prevail by “unanimous decision.”
8. Mayweather v Emile Griffith? “Mayweather takes it on a close but unanimous decision.”
9. Mayweather v Thomas Hearns? Hearns would win by way of a late technical knockout.
10. Mayweather v Mickey Walker? Mayweather would win by technical knockout.
There are three fighters from the list above who are not in the hall of fame–Mayweather, Hearns, and Walker. Regardless, the math indicates that Mayweather would go 6 and 4 against the greatest welterweights of all time. Interesting accolade given that Mayweather has only fought above 140 pounds a total of six times with his most notable wins being a split decision over a depleted Oscar De La Hoya and a unanimous decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez, a lightweight. Mayweather didn’t fight Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, or Paul Williams. Hell, he didn’t even fight Joshua Clottey, Kermit Cintron, or Luis Collazo.
It is understood that boxing writers and fans have a natural reflex to engage in fantasy fight speculation. The problem with The Ring’s article is that Mayweather is not worthy of it because of the lack of supporting evidence. There simply is no direct proof that Mayweather is an elite welterweight. Is he an elite fighter? Perhaps he is, but certainly not above 140lbs.
Such is the main difference between Floyd and the historical greats, most specifically Ray Robinson. Sugar fought everyone and most of them more than once; therefore, to use Mayweather and Robinson in the same sentence is boxing blasphemy. Ironic, that it was the “Bible of Boxing” to do so. The reality is that The Ring might be spot-on. Mayweather may well be as good as the magazine says–we’ll just never know it.
The bottom line is that elite fighters should not be judged by shoulder rolls and record alone. They should be judged by the level of their opposition. Leonard, who only fought 40 times, faced Hearns (twice), Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran (three times), Wilfred Benitez, and scored a technical knockout over Floyd’s old man. Robinson fought almost every human being on the planet. Floyd, Jr.? Well, he did fight Diego Corrales once–as a super featherweight.
