Floyd Mayweather – T.B.E.?

By Boxing News - 08/29/2017 - Comments

Image: Floyd Mayweather – T.B.E.?

By Oliver Thompson: Fresh from his victory over Conor McGregor, which saw him surpass Rocky Marciano’s perfect 49-0 record, many pundits now consider that Floyd Mayweather, having retired – again, should rightfully take his places amongst boxing immortals such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvellous Marvin Hagler to name just a few.

Indeed, for some time now, Floyd himself has been proclaiming himself as The Best Ever (or T.B.E. to use his own words). And his 50-0 record would appear to backup those claims. A five-weight world champion, undefeated in over 20 years is surely evidence enough that Mayweather belongs amongst the greats. Or is it?

Firstly, what qualifies a boxer to be considered The Best Ever or even an all-time great? Their fight record, how many world titles they held, how many divisions they competed in, their popularity, knockout ratio? No doubt there are many other factors to consider.

However, I consider that sufficient weight ought to be given to one particular factor. That is, how many elite fighters the individual concerned fought and beat in their (the opponent’s) prime. And it is here that Mayweather comes up short, perhaps owing to his risk averse style both inside and outside the ring where it concerns the sport of boxing.

You see, somewhere along the way, Mayweather became more concerned with protecting his ‘0’ than with cementing his legacy. He became a businessman first and a boxer second. He sought out the low risk/high reward opportunities. He seemingly staked his claim on the fact that a cursory glance at his record would secure his place amongst the greats. Sure enough, to the casual fan, that cursory glance at a 50-0 record is all it takes to proclaim Mayweather as an all-time great, if not the greatest. But a more in-depth look at his record suggests a different story, certainly in the context of the key factor stated above. Let me explain.

I contend that Mayweather has never beaten an elite level fighter (or rather an all-time great) that was in his prime. Never, I hear you exclaim. What about Oscar De La Hoya, Pacquiao, Shane Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez? Certainly, they were elite level fighters, just not at the point when they faced Mayweather. A quick review of Boxrec confirms the same with, the first 3 at least, having suffered one or more, in some cases crushing, defeats in bouts leading up to Mayweather. Perhaps you might argue that Marquez was still in his prime but we must remember that his bout immediately prior to Mayweather was contested at Lightweight!

Furthermore, at a glance, there is some evidence to suggest that Mayweather did take some risks in taking on undefeated fighters e.g. Diego Corrales, Ricky Hatton and Saul Alvarez. Let me take each in turn (showing – in parentheses – records when faced Mayweather / current record or record at retirement):

• Diego Corrales (33-0-0 / 40-5-0) – Sure he brought a couple of world titles to the table but a glance at his record at that point reveals a dearth of quality operators. Subsequent defeats to Joel Casamayor and Jose Luis Castillo confirm that Corrales falls short of elite status.

• Ricky Hatton (43-0-0 / 45-3-0) – Undefeated when he fought Mayweather, Hatton had previously disposed of a (former) elite level fighter in Kosta Tsyzu – I say former as Tsyzu, despite being the champion, had fought only once in the previous two and a half years. In the two fights he fought at genuinely elite level he was exposed, firstly, by Mayweather in what was an evenly fought contest, at least according to the scorecards, and, secondly, by Manny Pacquiao in ruthless fashion.

• Saul Alvarez (42-0-1 / 49-1-1) – Admittedly this might be the most controversial on the list. I can hear the dissenters pouring scorn on the idea that Canelo is not an elite level fighter. Maybe he is (certainly he will be if he defeats GGG), just not when he faced Mayweather. A further examination of his record explains why. The most notable names on his resume at that point were Shane Mosley and Austin Trout. The former had a record of 46-7-1 at that stage and was served up as nothing more than a name to enhance Canelo’s growing reputation. The latter brought a world title and undefeated record of his own to the mix and he served to give Canelo his hitherto toughest assignment. However, I consider that Mayweather saw enough vulnerabilities in Canelo in that fight to suggest that a fight between them would be more straightforward than many thought. And lest we not forget that just six and seven fights before Mayweather, Canelo fought and defeated Ryan Rhodes and Matthew Hatton respectively. This should give you some indication of his experience levels at that point in time. Catching a fighter at the right time applies equally to early on as well as late on in their career!

So sure, Floyd and many observers may point to his unblemished record as evidence of his greatness and may even use of this as a basis to lay claim to the mantle of T.B.E. However, I would contend that the absence of an elite-level fighter in his prime leaves Floyd sitting just behind the recognized greats of the game when it comes to the boxing annals.

Floyd had this opportunity in 2009 when Manny Pacquiao was steamrollering his way through the weight classes. A victory over that version of Pacquiao would have lent substantial weight to his claim of being T.B.E. However, he instead opted to add weight to his bank balance by allowing the fight to brew over the ensuing 7 years. Victory over the jaded Pacquiao in unspectacular fashion arguably detracting from his legacy.

Like most things, boxing is largely a matter of opinion especially when it comes to comparisons between fighters across weight classes and eras. As such, I am sure that some, perhaps many, of you will disagree with my assessment. If so, please leave a comment explaining why.