These discussions are always funny because we are basically saying Manny or Floyd are the best of their generation and bonafide ATGs- yet both sides will become hysterical and accuse the other side of "hating" if they make a logical argument for either fighter. Both fighters have legitimate cases for historical impact, it just depends on what you value and whose style you favor. I personally enjoy these debates/discussions, and i don't feel any answer is "wrong".

To get the easy part (in my mind) out of the way- if we are discussing who was better (more skilled, versatile, able to beat a wide/broad array of opponents), I feel that Floyd wins this hands down. Watch Floyd fight Diego Corralles and then watch his fight vs. Ricky Hatton, and tell me one set of skills that Floyd didn't display in those fights (great jabs to head and body, fighting off the ropes, combos, body punching, boxing, slipping, countering...etc.). Floyd was athletically gifted and as impressive as his natural gifts were, his learned technique and boxing IQ was even more impressive (not to mention his work ethic and tough mentality).

If we are talking historical ranking, that becomes more difficult and reverts to a more subjective discussion- but essentially boils down to who accomplished the most impressive feats and how long will it be before someone breaks those records/feats. I personally add BHOP to this discussion, and I know that is controversial, but he has a couple of amazing feats that I feel are historically significant. I view each guy's claim to highest ATG status as follows:

Manny: Fought tougher competition than either Hop or Floyd, but suffered more losses and suffered an ugly stoppage vs JMM. Manny won titles in 8 weight classes (amazing feat that won't soon be broken), won 11 world titles, and won five lineal championships. Fighters he beat: Barrera (HOF), Morales (HOF), JMM (HOF), Hatton, Cotto, Oscar (HOF), Ledwaba, Larios, Thurman, Bradley, Margarito, and Mosely. He fought Floyd head to head, and lost a one sided and boring fight, and was knocked out by JMM in their fourth fight.

Floyd: As skilled as BHOP (if not more so), but more talented/gifted than Hop in my opinion. In all fairness to Floyd, he fought some great competition beating undefeated Diego Corralles and Ricky Hatton when they were P4P ranked and at the height of their prowess. He also beat Mosely when Shane was ranked P4P (coming off Margarito), showing heart in over coming some scary moments early when Shane landed some big right hands. The more Canelo fights, the better Floyd's win looks, as Canelo is a very good, if not GREAT fighter. Finally, Floyd beat Manny head to head (dominating him), and while Manny wasn't his best, Floyd wasn't either and deserves credit for beating his top perceived rival/competitor. Other impressive wins were Genaro Hernandez, Jose Luis Castillo (great lightweight), P4P ranked JMM, Corley, Gatti, Zab Judah, and a tough Carlos Baldomir. That is a great list of fighters- but I favor Manny's resume slightly. Historical feats for Floyd are impressive- undefeated, lineal champ in 3 weight classes, world titles in 5 weight classes. I feel Manny's feats are more impressive and will last longer.

BHOP: Not as talented/gifted naturally as Manny or Floyd, but a great fighter who overcame his limitations with discipline, intelligence, work ethic, and toughness/will. Bernard has some great wins on his resume' in Tito Trinidad (P4P 2, undefeated, HOF), Winky (P4P #3 at the time), Tarver (P4P #3 at the time), and Kelly Pavilik (Undefeated, P4P ranked at the time). Additional solid wins worth noting are Oscar, Joe Lipsey Jr., Old Roy Jones Jr., Pascal, Shumenov, Murat, Andrew Council, Keith Holmes, William Joppy, Antwon Echols, Simon Brown, Robert Allen, and Howard Eastman. Where Hop challenges both is in accomplishments and historical feats- completely cleaning out middleweight, being the first to unify all four major belts (WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF), making a record (20) defenses, winning multiple lineal titles at light heavyweight, and being the oldest fighter to win, unify, and defend major titles (blowing out Foreman's record of 46 by 3 years). Lost a disputed decision to Jermain Taylor twice, and a disputed decision to Joe Calzaghe. Lost a tough fight to Roy Jones jr. early (while Hop was a little green still), and then when he was older he dropped decisions to Chad Dawson, Kovalev, and Joe Smith jr.

So in summary, I favor Floyd in terms of who was the "best", but feel that he comes in third to the other two in terms of historical significance and historical feats. Between Manny and Hop, it is a very tight race, but I have to slightly favor Manny's accomplishments as I don't know that they will ever be matched. All of that being said, I can see and respect the argument for Floyd being ranked higher than the others.