For one to bestow lofty praise such as being “The Best Ever” upon themselves, their greatness should be beyond reproach, which many can agree is certainly the case for Floyd Mayweather Jr. A native of Grand Rapids, MI., Mayweather Jr. was surrounded by boxing since birth, as his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., was a welterweight contender who famously faced off against Sugar Ray Leonard. His uncle, Roger “Black Mamba” Mayweather, also held championship titles at the super featherweight, light welterweight, and welterweight.
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A prized amateur, Mayweather Jr. competed at the 1996 Olympics, winning a bronze medal in a controversial loss. The defeat would be the last he would experience for nearly three decades and counting, as he has compiled a flawless 50-0 record, with championships in five different weight-classes ranging from featherweight to super middleweight.
Having retired as the most bankable boxer of all-time and one of a handful of fighters with an unblemished record, the Hall of Famer’s place in the all-time ranking has been debated, with some questioning how he would fare against the top champions from past eras.
In celebration of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s 47th birthday, VIBE came up with 10 mythical boxing matches against iconic opponents that would shake up the boxing world and sports history.
Widely regarded as the best featherweight boxer of all-time, Willie Pep‘s dominance may have preceded modern media, thus robbing current fans to enjoy his ring wizardry in high definition. According to what was captured of Pep’s prime, however, it’s clear he was a force to be reckoned with in his day.
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Beginning his own career in the featherweight division, it would be interesting to see how Mayweather Jr.’s more pressing course of attack in his younger years would fare against Pep’s crafty counters.
Half a century before Mayweather Jr.’s lifestyle captivated fans and ruffled pundits, Sugar Ray Robinson penned his own passages in the playbook of living large and publicly enjoying the fruits of his labor. Considered the best pound for pound boxer to ever live, Robinson was the first fighter to win a title in a singular weight-class five times and was known for his mastery of the sweet science, hence his nickname.
Touting himself as The Best Ever and having collected hardware in multiple divisions himself, a faceoff against Mayweather Jr. and Robinson would be a fight fans dream of, not to mention a determining factor in the all-time rankings.