This one’s sure to inspire some lively chat! And some debate/fierce arguing.
Speaking once again with his favorite boxing site Fight Hype, Floyd “Money” Mayweather was asked to list his five greatest fighters ever. Wow! Mayweather laughed plenty when asked the question, perhaps realising how his list would be scrutinised by many, many fans as soon as hit hit.
So here goes, here it is:
1: Floyd “Money” Mayweather
2: Pernell Whitaker
3: Roberto Duran
4: Larry Holmes
5: Aaron Pryor
And Floyd (who of course places himself at the top of the pile, who else was he going to give the honor to, duh!) broke down his picks and explained why he put who where:
“I gotta go Pernell Whitaker. He was amazing,” Mayweather said of his pick for the second spot on his list.
“Roberto Duran, he went all the way from 135 to 160. Sugar Ray Leonard’s first loss was to Duran,” Floyd said.
“If we going heavyweights, I’ve gotta say Larry Holmes. Because he beat everyone in his era, and he got beat by Mike Tyson, a young champion, when he came out of years of retirement,” Mayweather stated. “I gotta say Larry Holmes. He had the basic fundamentals, he had the jab. And even now, he’s living a great life, he made smart investments.”
“Aaron Pryor lost for only one reason, ‘cos of drugs,” Floyd said.
So, what do you think of Floyd’s top-five? No Muhammad Ali, no Sugar Ray Robinson, no Henry Armtsrong. That said, it’s a pretty interesting list Mayweather has given us. It’s likely not too many fans will take issue with the placing of Duran, or Whitaker. But Holmes above Ali, Joe Louis, Jack Johnson? That one may not sit so well.
And did Pryor do enough to be ranked at #5 all time? Heck, it’s Floyd’s list and he’s called ’em as he sees ’em. And as we know, no list of this kind can possibly please each and every boxing fan out there.
Still, let the debate begin.
