Floyd Mayweather is almost as proud of his resume as he is of his unbeaten record, his fortune, and the fact that he made “smart investments” outside of the ring. And Mayweather, whether you agree or disagree that he is “TBE,” certainly fought some excellent fighters during his nearly 20-year pro career:
Genaro Hernandez
Angel Manfredy
Gregorio Vargas
Emanuel Augustus
Diego Corrales
Carlos Hernandez
Jesus Chavez
Jose Luis Castillo (X2)
DeMarcus Corley
Arturo Gatti
Zab Judah
Oscar De La Hoya
Ricky Hatton
Juan Manuel Marquez
Shane Mosley
Miguel Cotto
Canelo Alvarez
Marcos Maidana (X2)
Manny Pacquiao
That’s SOME list. And, according to “Money” himself, he saved the best for last (as in his last super-fight). Speaking on Million Dollaz Worth Of Game, Mayweather was asked just who was the best fighter he ever faced.
“The best fighter I ever fought probably was Manny Pacquiao,” Mayweather said in response. “It’s because of his movement. He’s a hell of a fighter, and I can see why he won so many fights, and I can see why he’s going down as a Hall of Famer. It’s just certain moves he makes.”
Unfortunately for us fans, two great Hall of Fame fighters going up against one another does not always make for a great or memorable fight. And to this day, plenty of people feel the “Fight of the Century,” which finally took place in May of 2015, which after years of waiting, ranks as one of the biggest letdowns in modern-day boxing history. Mayweather won a lopsided decision, the fight never once catching fire or giving us any drama. The fight was a monster hit, of course – to the tune of a staggering, record-breaking 4.4 million PPV buys – but who can possibly rank the fight as a great one?
It was from Mayweather, a brilliant display of patience in waiting for the right time to take the fight, and Mayweather boxed quite beautifully on the night. But the fight would have almost certainly been a far greater, far more evenly contested fight had it taken place when it should have done, in 2009 or 2010.
Still, as easily (or he made it look easy) as Mayweather dominated Pacquiao, Floyd still ranks Pac-Man as “probably” the best he ever fought. But does Manny rank Mayweather as the best HE ever fought?
