It sure would be very interesting to have “retired” superstar and all time great Floyd Mayweather Junior sit down and list his picks for a “The Best I Faced,” article or to go through his career and look back at the best and worst opponents he met. Throughout his 49-0 career, Mayweather met punchers, fellow boxers, durable guys, southpaws and fighters who were incredibly fast.
But who was the best Floyd ever faced according to Floyd himself? Mayweather has never really said, but he did recently say that Manny Pacquiao is ‘one’ of the very best he ever fought. When they did finally meet in May of last year, after what seemed like about ten years of negoiationg, posturing and generally messing around, it sure wasn’t a very competitive fight; with Mayweather winning a clear decision in a very disappointingly dull affair.
But Mayweather today pays Pac-Man some very lofty compliments.
“Out of all the fighters that I’ve faced throughout my career, Pacquiao is one of the best fighters. His movement, I mean, he’s fast…..the power comes from the legs and how he turns his shots,” Mayweather said to Fight Hype.
Watching “The Fight of The Century” last May, it didn’t appear as though defensive genius Mayweather tasted much, if any of Pacuiao’s power. Later, a hurt shoulder was forwarded as a reason for Pac-Man’s poor showing and ever since there has been talk of a possible rematch. But Floyd was given better fights and was more exciting against the likes of Zab Judah, Miguel Cotto and, in arguably the single toughest and roughest night of his entire career, Jose Luis Castillo.
A penny for Mayweather’s true thoughts on THAT opponent and on THAT fight. A boxer’s ego is such that he can pay compliments to a man he has defeated, but he often finds it a lot harder to do the same to a fighter who bested him. Does Floyd believe in his heart of hearts that he really beat the teak-tough Mexican that day in April of 2002?
Mayweather felt the need to give Castillo a rematch. In the case of Pacquiao, no sequel is necessary.