Floyd's "I'm better than SRR and Muhammad Ali" boast

[Beanflicker]

It's a good point Mosley makes and I agree 100%. I think what fighters think and what they say are very different things, like most anyone else. A lot of fighters will say "oh (insert fighter here) is the best, I would never beat him", and I think in most cases that's false modesty. They realize that the past fighter in question is long retired and/or dead, they could never fight, so why piss off boxing fans by saying you'd beat them? You gain nothing, but if you're the humble guy who says "ohh this guy was the best I'd never beat him", then people like you because they think you're humble. Mike Tyson does that shit all the time. He says guys like Ali and prime Larry Holmes would have beat him... but do we really believe prime Mike the fighter would have believed that? He would have tore into both guys like the pit bull he was with absolutely no doubt he could have whipped both of them on the same night if he had to. You need to believe you're the best to be the best.

I think in Floyd's case, he's doing the opposite. He's intentionally mentioning the most beloved fighter in the sport, Ali, because he wants to stir up controversy and have more people hate the Money May character.

[Beanflicker]

And not to get onto the whole TBE argument - maybe Floyd is, maybe he's not - but with what he's accomplished in the sport he has as much right to make that claim as anyone else in the history of boxing. 19 years undefeated, 17 of them fought at the world class championship level... that's remarkable. And if he whips Pac tomorrow, I don't see why he can't be considered TBE.

[TitoFan]

Again... there's a difference between saying "I could whip any active fighter" to saying "I could whip any fighter from the past". I think Mosley was trying to say that you need to believe you can whip any active fighter because if you don't, you already lost. Point well taken. But what possible benefit to a fighter comes from saying he could whip everybody in the past? First of all, it comes across as mindless chest-beating. Plenty of boxing savvy people say Floyd would be decimated by the likes of a Roberto Duran, and maybe even a Sugar Ray Leonard. Besides.... what's the point? It'll never happen, so you're right.... all it does is piss people off. Maybe even some people, such as myself, who could give a rat's ass about his other personality issues (aside from his beating women, that is). Basically, Floyd can the be the world's biggest jerk. He certainly doesn't care and neither do I. But dissing all fighters from the past?? That's another story. At that point, that's where I start bringing up facts like the fact that Floyd hasn't had the lineup of opponents that a SRL or a Duran have had. But hey.... let's not question the self-proclaimed TBE. I know it's not gonna happen, but I'd love for Pacquiao to put him on his ass.

[Beanflicker]

Well that's the thing, Floyd has made more money than anyone in the history of boxing because he's a jerk and polarizes people.

I think the mentally that you can beat any active fighter naturally crosses over to fighters of the past. Why shouldn't Floyd feel he could beat SRR, SRL, ect? Why shouldn't Manny Pacquaio feel he would smash Homicide Hank? It all goes back to the positive thinking you need to be a champ. It's a brutal, violent sport where you don't ask for something, you go out and take it with brute force.

And on the Duran thing... anyone boxing savvy who feels Duran beats Floyd are kidding themselves and thinking with their hearts instead of their brains, because Floyd is absolute POISON for Duran.

[Master]

Well that's the thing, Floyd has made more money than anyone in the history of boxing because he's a jerk and polarizes people.

I think the mentally that you can beat any active fighter naturally crosses over to fighters of the past. Why shouldn't Floyd feel he could beat SRR, SRL, ect? Why shouldn't Manny Pacquaio feel he would smash Homicide Hank? It all goes back to the positive thinking you need to be a champ. It's a brutal, violent sport where you don't ask for something, you go out and take it with brute force.

And on the Duran thing... anyone boxing savvy who feels Duran beats Floyd are kidding themselves and thinking with their hearts instead of their brains, because Floyd is absolute POISON for Duran.

Not at lightweight. Duran eats him up and spits him out.

[Manos de Piedra]

Well that's the thing, Floyd has made more money than anyone in the history of boxing because he's a jerk and polarizes people.

I think the mentally that you can beat any active fighter naturally crosses over to fighters of the past. Why shouldn't Floyd feel he could beat SRR, SRL, ect? Why shouldn't Manny Pacquaio feel he would smash Homicide Hank? It all goes back to the positive thinking you need to be a champ. It's a brutal, violent sport where you don't ask for something, you go out and take it with brute force.

And on the Duran thing... anyone boxing savvy who feels Duran beats Floyd are kidding themselves and thinking with their hearts instead of their brains, because Floyd is absolute POISON for Duran.

Not at lightweight. Duran eats him up and spits him out.

Agree with that. At lightweight nobody touches Duran, the man was a complete fighter.
There hasn't been such a complete fighter up until now with Floyd.

[TitoFan]

Don't underestimate Duran, Bean. In their first fight, Duran gave SRL all he could handle and then some. Some may think of Duran as a slow-footed brawler. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, Duran had deceptively fast hands and huge power to boot. Duran-SRL I was a classic. People remember fight II because of the "No Mas", but the real Duran was in that first fight. I don't know that Floyd would've fared much better than Sugar Ray. For the record, I feel Sugar Ray would've beaten Floyd more often than not.

[Beanflicker]

I've had this discussion many times, I'm well aware of what Duran can do as he was a long time favourite of mine. I just can't for the life of me see him beating Floyd or Pernell at LW. Duran was a crafty guy but not Floyd or Sweet Pea crafty. Can't see it happening.

[TitoFan]

At any weight?

[Beanflicker]

At any weight?

Well if he ain't beating them at 135 you know damn well he ain't beating them at 147.

[Master]

Leonard an hearns beat Floyd as does SRR.

I know it is not fair to compare since Floyd came at a lower weight but he said he was TBE so forget him.

[Beanflicker]

I don't even mind when people say Duran would beat him in a close decision, I don't see it but to each his own.

But when people think Duran dominates Floyd or knocks him out... lol man I just gotta summon my inner Uncle Rog

[Dia bando]

Is Floyd the best fighter I have seen NOPE, he the best at this present time maybe I don't think
he would have been, undefeated in the 80's way to many fighters that would have really hurt
Floyd back then.

[J_Undisputed]

Agree with bean to a degree this is just Floyd trying to pack as controversy to get as many last minute dollars as possible. Does he really believe that when he says it? Don't know, don't care. I think when it comes down to it, he really loses all credibility on class. Theres a difference between people loving you for the way you fight and people hate you for the garbage that comes out of your mouth. The point of contention is he inflated his record, with the former with supplements of the later. It doesn't make you great. Popular maybe. But ask yourself if SRR or ALI fought stylistically the or stood for what floyd does, would they have enjoy as much support as they do as candidates for the best ever. Ali's (dundees) rope a dope was a stroke of genius because of the way it worked on foreman. If ali did that every fight, people would have been turned off. If Sugar Ray robinson never went to the trenches or sucker punched a guy the way mayweather did ortiz, would he have as much support. Doubtful.

Money cant buy you honor, and you can't trashtalk your way into the kind of legitimacy those two have with fight fans. I think floyds one of the most skilled boxers ever, that suffers from little man syndrome and self promotes because of it...its made him rich, its made him famous the term "fighter" tends to be defined different in the heart of the fans. just my opinion. I could be wrong.

[Manos de Piedra]