Thread: Someone needs to explain to me why Floyd doesn't deserve to be mentioned with ATGs

In boxing I'm so used to seeing guys get hit and rocked like that and start to fold mentally. Floyd doesn't even show pain or worry on his face, he just walked to his corner with a cocky grin on his face, made the adjustments, and wrecked Mosley's shit.

He has supreme natural athletic ability. He has forgotten more about boxing technique than most fighters will ever know. He has heart, composure, discipline. Mentally strong.

Yet people always balk at the though of him being mentioned with the legends of the sport.

I don't want to start a debate on where Floyd's place in history is. But what do guys like SRR, SRL, Ali, Duran, Pernell, Pep, Armstrong, ECT ECT ECT have that Floyd does not?

Someone needs to explain why he doesn't deserve to be mentioned with ATGs, because I don't understand it.

The guy is a living legend, and with the decline of boxing as it is, we'll probably never see a fighter like this again.

Agreed man, but irrational haters will always find a way to throw mud at him. Because Floyd has made himself the bad guy, he'll never be truly accepted and people will always want to and need to devalue his performances in any way they can. I'm no fan, but even I can see that he is an all-time great, without doubt.
I mean, he didn't just outbox Shane (a fellow all-time great) tonight, he bullied him around the ring and everything, and without breaking a sweat. Nobody could have foreseen that happening! I thought for sure he would box off the back foot for the whole fight en-route to a decision, but he proved me wrong in unbelievable fashion.



But wait, do I hear the cries of - 'Shane was past it!' - in the distance?

Beanflicker, Floyd Mayweather Jr is a boxing legend. He could be the greatest boxer of all time. A performance like that does so much to show even the biggest Mayweather hater exactly why.

This guy is a living legend, and I don't believe that boxing is on the decline. I think Floyd Mayweather has done a lot to keep the sport alive. Floyd Mayweather's fights are huge. It's incredibly atmospheric to watch a Mayweather fight.

His boxing ability is top notch. Pacquiao would give Mayweather some problems early, but after 8 or 9 rounds, I gotta believe that Mayweather will be the stronger more in-control fighter.

I appreciate Floyd Mayweather for his craft. Say what you want about him, but he backs it up with incredible performances. This performance against Shane was one of his best.

I said before the fight that Shane was past it and it would be a lopsided Mayweather decision. Floyd isn't mentioned w/ ATG's because
A)Ducked too much top opposition
B)Safety first fighting Style
C)He hasn't achieved as much as Pacquiao
D)The one which I believe is most important. We don't know what we got till it's gone.

Originally Posted by Truth

I said before the fight that Shane was past it and it would be a lopsided Mayweather decision. Floyd isn't mentioned w/ ATG's because
A)Ducked too much top opposition
B)Safety first fighting Style
C)He hasn't achieved as much as Pacquiao
D)The one which I believe is most important. We don't know what we got till it's gone.

Lets compare, Sugar Ray Leonard, an all-time great to PBF.

Sugar Ray Leonard fought 40 fights in his career. 36-3-1, 25 KOs

Floyd Mayweather has fought 41 fights in his career. 41-0, 25 KOs

I mean yeah SRL fought some great opponents in the 80s, but Mayweather has a better record than SRL and has won a lot of big fights himself.

For people who say Mayweather ducked competition, he has had more fights than SRL did, an all-time great.

And what do you mean he hasn't achieved as much as Pacquiao? Pacquiao has losses and draws. Mayweather has no loses and no draws. And why would that disqualify Mayweather from being an all-time great even if it was true? (which it isn't)

And what has Pacquiao achieved that Mayweather hasn't?

For people who say Mayweather ducked competition, he has had more fights than SRL did, an all-time great.





david tua
51-3-1
he fought more than pbf and srl he only lost 3 fights so does it make him an ATG?
its not how many you won and how little you lost. its who you won against and the way he finished that opponent.

Originally Posted by Truth

I said before the fight that Shane was past it and it would be a lopsided Mayweather decision. Floyd isn't mentioned w/ ATG's because
A)Ducked too much top opposition
B)Safety first fighting Style
C)He hasn't achieved as much as Pacquiao
D)The one which I believe is most important. We don't know what we got till it's gone.

Who has Mayweather ducked?

Originally Posted by doublehook2

Originally Posted by Truth

I said before the fight that Shane was past it and it would be a lopsided Mayweather decision. Floyd isn't mentioned w/ ATG's because
A)Ducked too much top opposition
B)Safety first fighting Style
C)He hasn't achieved as much as Pacquiao
D)The one which I believe is most important. We don't know what we got till it's gone.

Lets compare, Sugar Ray Leonard, an all-time great to PBF.

Sugar Ray Leonard fought 40 fights in his career. 36-3-1, 25 KOs

Floyd Mayweather has fought 41 fights in his career. 41-0, 25 KOs

I mean yeah SRL fought some great opponents in the 80s, but Mayweather has a better record than SRL and has won a lot of big fights himself.

For people who say Mayweather ducked competition, he has had more fights than SRL did, an all-time great.

And what do you mean he hasn't achieved as much as Pacquiao? Pacquiao has losses and draws. Mayweather has no loses and no draws. And why would that disqualify Mayweather from being an all-time great even if it was true? (which it isn't)

And what has Pacquiao achieved that Mayweather hasn't?

SRL didn't have more fights because he had eye problems, which is why he retired for a few years and comeback. Im a big Floyd Mayweather Jr fan, but come on Floyd Mayweather Jr hasn't fought anyone close to.

Wilfredo Benitez
Tommy Hearns
Marvin Hagler
Roberto Duran

Originally Posted by ICB

Originally Posted by doublehook2

Originally Posted by Truth

I said before the fight that Shane was past it and it would be a lopsided Mayweather decision. Floyd isn't mentioned w/ ATG's because
A)Ducked too much top opposition
B)Safety first fighting Style
C)He hasn't achieved as much as Pacquiao
D)The one which I believe is most important. We don't know what we got till it's gone.

Lets compare, Sugar Ray Leonard, an all-time great to PBF.

Sugar Ray Leonard fought 40 fights in his career. 36-3-1, 25 KOs

Floyd Mayweather has fought 41 fights in his career. 41-0, 25 KOs

I mean yeah SRL fought some great opponents in the 80s, but Mayweather has a better record than SRL and has won a lot of big fights himself.

For people who say Mayweather ducked competition, he has had more fights than SRL did, an all-time great.

And what do you mean he hasn't achieved as much as Pacquiao? Pacquiao has losses and draws. Mayweather has no loses and no draws. And why would that disqualify Mayweather from being an all-time great even if it was true? (which it isn't)

And what has Pacquiao achieved that Mayweather hasn't?

SRL didn't have more fights because he had eye problems, which is why he retired for a few years and comeback. Im a big Floyd Mayweather Jr fan, but come on Floyd Mayweather Jr hasn't fought anyone close to.

Wilfredo Benitez
Tommy Hearns
Marvin Hagler
Roberto Duran

Is that Mayweather's fault though? There's no one who's resume out there has 4 people of those kind of ATG stature.


Personally I think people pay for legacy way too much, just because they weren't around in the 70s and didn't fight people who are now after their career is over seen as some of the greatest fighters of their generation. That should stay in their generation.

I think if you have a resume of beating the top fighters in YOUR generation, not the 70s, not the 80s, but now generation, then they deserve the same kind of recognition. Because 30 years from now come of these names will be on the ATG lists too.

In 41 pro fights there are only 3 fighters who Floyd did not meet who he definately could have; Williams, Cotto, and Margarito. He get's a pass for Williams for the same reason De la Hoya gets a pass for ducking Winky Wright, because it was a fight that flat out would not have sold to anyone but us hardcore fans. Mayweather-Cotto would have been huge at the time and Floyd used a bullsh!t excuse for not taking it. Mayweather-Margarito also would have sold alot and even though I think Floyd wins them all, it doesn't mean much if he never gets in the ring with them. That being said aside from Holyfield and Mosley there haven't been too many other fighters the past 20 years who have fought absolutely everyone they could have. Floyd is clearly an all time great and IMO top 10 p4p but can't make the claim for #1, at least not now.

Originally Posted by ICB

Originally Posted by doublehook2

Originally Posted by Truth

I said before the fight that Shane was past it and it would be a lopsided Mayweather decision. Floyd isn't mentioned w/ ATG's because
A)Ducked too much top opposition
B)Safety first fighting Style
C)He hasn't achieved as much as Pacquiao
D)The one which I believe is most important. We don't know what we got till it's gone.

Lets compare, Sugar Ray Leonard, an all-time great to PBF.

Sugar Ray Leonard fought 40 fights in his career. 36-3-1, 25 KOs

Floyd Mayweather has fought 41 fights in his career. 41-0, 25 KOs

I mean yeah SRL fought some great opponents in the 80s, but Mayweather has a better record than SRL and has won a lot of big fights himself.

For people who say Mayweather ducked competition, he has had more fights than SRL did, an all-time great.

And what do you mean he hasn't achieved as much as Pacquiao? Pacquiao has losses and draws. Mayweather has no loses and no draws. And why would that disqualify Mayweather from being an all-time great even if it was true? (which it isn't)

And what has Pacquiao achieved that Mayweather hasn't?

SRL didn't have more fights because he had eye problems, which is why he retired for a few years and comeback. Im a big Floyd Mayweather Jr fan, but come on Floyd Mayweather Jr hasn't fought anyone close to.

Wilfredo Benitez
Tommy Hearns
Marvin Hagler
Roberto Duran

Yeah but come on Ice most people think he lost to three of them

Originally Posted by Bilbo

Originally Posted by ICB

Wilfredo Benitez
Tommy Hearns
Marvin Hagler
Roberto Duran

Yeah but come on Ice most people think he lost to three of them

SRL was a great fighter, but he was never as dominant as Mayweather is now. He never systematically destroyed any one of those guys like he did Mosley tonight. Yeah the second fight he embarrassed Duran, but that was after Duran already beat him. Tommy Hearns was ahead on the cards against SRL, and had that been a 12 round fight, he may have lost to Hearns. In their second fight, it was a draw, but SRL got knocked down twice against Hearns and most people thought Hearns won.

SRL did beat Hagler in a 12 round decision, and it was impressive, but it wasn't as dominant as Floyd looked tonight against Mosley.

It's a great comparison, and both are all-time greats for difference reasons.

What really does put Mayweather ahead of all these fighters is that he's undefeated. Mayweather is undefeated. These other all-time greats were not undefeated. Yeah Mayweather picks his opponents, but Mayweather has fought some of the best guys of this era, like Corrales, DLH, etc.

You gotta put Mayweather up there.

I don't know if Mayweather could beat guys like Williams or Foreman at 154 the way he beat a 38 year old Shane Mosley. PBF is a hall of famer, an all-time great. There's no way around it.

Is he beatable? Sure he is, as Shane showed tonight in the 2nd, but it would take something we haven't seen thus far against him. And you can't just do it one time.

Fighting Mayweather is kind of like facing Mike Tyson in Mike Tyson's Punch Out on the original Nintendo. One jab, hook combo by PBF may not knock you out, but it could deplete half your energy, like it did tonight to Shane in the 3rd and 4th rounds.

Originally Posted by doublehook2

Originally Posted by Bilbo

Originally Posted by ICB

Wilfredo Benitez
Tommy Hearns
Marvin Hagler
Roberto Duran

Yeah but come on Ice most people think he lost to three of them

SRL was a great fighter, but he was never as dominant as Mayweather is now. He never systematically destroyed any one of those guys like he did Mosley tonight. Yeah the second fight he embarrassed Duran, but that was after Duran already beat him. Tommy Hearns was ahead on the cards against SRL, and had that been a 12 round fight, he may have lost to Hearns. In their second fight, it was a draw, but SRL got knocked down twice against Hearns and most people thought Hearns won.

SRL did beat Hagler in a 12 round decision, and it was impressive, but it wasn't as dominant as Floyd looked tonight against Mosley.

It's a great comparison, and both are all-time greats for difference reasons.

What really does put Mayweather ahead of all these fighters is that he's undefeated. Mayweather is undefeated. These other all-time greats were not undefeated. Yeah Mayweather picks his opponents, but Mayweather has fought some of the best guys of this era, like Corrales, DLH, etc.

You gotta put Mayweather up there.

I don't know if Mayweather could beat guys like Williams or Foreman at 154 the way he beat a 38 year old Shane Mosley. PBF is a hall of famer, an all-time great. There's no way around it.

Is he beatable? Sure he is, as Shane showed tonight in the 2nd, but it would take something we haven't seen thus far against him. And you can't just do it one time.

Fighting Mayweather is kind of like facing Mike Tyson in Mike Tyson's Punch Out on the original Nintendo. One jab, hook combo by PBF may not knock you out, but it could deplete half your energy, like it did tonight to Shane in the 3rd and 4th rounds.

He never destroyed any of them ? well maybe thats because there some of the best fighters of all time. Do you honestly think Floyd Mayweather would dominate any of those fighters ? infact he could of lost to all 4 of them let alone dominating them.

Floyd Mayweather Jr is great but lets not go overboard here, Shane Mosley has clearly seen better days. And got overrated because of his win over Antonio Margarito, outside of that he looked bad vs Ricardo Mayorga. And lost to Miguel Cotto.

Very impressive performance from Floyd Mayweather Jr, and he is one of the greats. But thats hardly like stopping Tommy Hearns in the 14th round, in one of the best fights of all time. Against one of the best fighters of all time.

As the great Eddie Futch once said, "When you keep on fighting top level caliber opponents, you ain't going undefeated."

Leonard fought guys that are highly ranked in boxing history. Hagler is arguably the greatest MW ever. Hearns is a top 25 fighter easily, Duran is ranked by Ring Magazine as a top 5 fighter. Benitez is a top 50 fighter.

That's a hell of a resume.

I like Floyd a lot, but the comparisons of the 2 resumes is way off.

Originally Posted by generalbulldog

As the great Eddie Futch once said, "When you keep on fighting top level caliber opponents, you ain't going undefeated."

Leonard fought guys that are highly ranked in boxing history. Hagler is arguably the greatest MW ever. Hearns is a top 25 fighter easily, Duran is ranked by Ring Magazine as a top 5 fighter. Benitez is a top 50 fighter.

That's a hell of a resume.

I like Floyd a lot, but the comparisons of the 2 resumes is way off.

Fair enough, but Leonard fighting in an era where there were better fighters shouldn't disqualify Mayweather from being considered an all-time great.

In this era, Mayweather has a very, very impressive resume. And despite the fact that he didn't fight Hagler, Hearns, and Duran, he still fought some of the guys of this era.

If you say that comparing SRL to Mayweather is way off, then how does someone like Roy Jones Jr compare to Sugar Ray Leonard in your opinion?

Is Roy Jones Jr resume more impressive than Mayweather? Is Roy Jones Jr more of an all-time great than Mayweather?