By Allan Fox: Floyd Mayweather Jr says he’s accomplished more in boxing than any other fighter in the history of the sport, including Roy Jones Jr, Rocky Marciano, and Sugar Ray Robinson.
The 43-year-old Mayweather’s theory on why he doesn’t receive the credit that he rates is that people are jealous of him and his accomplishments.
Floyd (50-0 27 KOs) feels that he’s beaten more world champions than those fighters have, making him believe that he should be rated higher.
Floyd still talked about
It’s been three years since Mayweather last fought in a professional fight 2017, and he says he’s still the ‘face of boxing’ because fans talk about him. he says they don’t talk about Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali.
What Mayweather views as jealousy from fans is their disapproval of him facing MMA fighters in boxing matches. Fans don’t like how Mayweather cheapens his own legacy and hurts the sport by guys with no background in boxing.
Fans do still talk about Mayweather a great deal because of the technical skills that he had. Floyd doesn’t realize that the fans don’t view his fighting style as an exciting one. The fighters that the fans talk about that had exciting styles are these legends:
- Muhammad Ali
- Roy Jones Jr
- Jack Dempsey
- Tommy Hearns
- Julio Cesar Chavez
- Rocky Marciano
- Mike Tyson
Mayweather rates himself above Marciano
“Out of all these guys in the history of boxing, I’ve accomplished more in the history of boxing,” said Mayweather to Club Shay Shay. “Okay, how many world champions has Rocky Marciano beat?
“We already know that I beat more champions going into the Hall of Fame than he beat in his career period. So we’re going to X him off. Bye. We got Rocky Marciano off there.
“So if he’s 49-0 and I’m 50 and 0. Even if we were both 49-0, we’re talking about the accomplishments. We know I accomplished more than he did. Go on to another guy,” said Mayweather.
Most casual fans have never seen videos of the late former heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano, but those who have will likely be impressed.
If you’re only going by how many champions that the two fighters fought during their careers, then you have to rate Mayweather above Marciano.
The Rock was 31 when he retired at the top of his game following a ninth-round knockout of Archie Moore in 1955.
Floyd talks Ali, Jones Jr, and Sugar Ray Robinson
Is [Muhammad] Ali the same fighter that got beat by someone with seven fights?” Mayweather said when Shannon brought up Ali as someone that accomplished more in his career than he did.
“Leon Spinks beat Muhammad Ali when he only had seven fights. What’s the heavyweight guy that Ali fought three times? Ken Norton beat Ali three times.
“Go back and look at the fights. I mean, we’re just telling the truth, and I love Ali, of course. You just said Sugar Ray Robinson.
“What did he have 180 or 200 fights? And I still beat more world champions than him, so talk to me. I still beat more world champions than Roy Jones, and I take my hat off to Roy Jones.
“See, Roy Jones and Muhammad Ali are the same fighters. Their defense was their legs when they were young. Once their legs went away, they set and did the rope and dope.
“That’s why the Mayweather defense, and I don’t want to hear anybody call it the ‘Philly Shield.’ It’s the Mayweather defense because, as I said before, I mastered it, and once I masted it, it’s mine now,” said Mayweather.
Floyd doesn’t realize that when Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali were fighting, there weren’t as many world champions as there are now. You didn’t have as many sanctioning bodies watering down the sport like we have today.
Of course, Mayweather has fought more world champions than Robinson, Jones Jr, and Ali because the sport is watered down now with paper champions everywhere. Now there champions all over the place.
For example, the welterweight division currently has five world champions. With that many belt-holders, it makes things a lot easier to fight for a world title than when Sugar Ray Robinson and Ali were fighting.
Sadly, Mayweather doesn’t understand how boxing has been dramatically changed in the last 30 years by the sanctioning bodies producing more champions.
Is Mayweather the face of boxing?
“I mean, jealousy. I speak my mind,” continued Mayweather. I”t’s not like the NFL, and it’s not like the NBA where the players can’t really say what they want to say or do what they really want to do.
“You can’t tell me that I got to go because even right now, Floyd Mayweather is the face of boxing without me even competing. The reason I’m the face of boxing is because of this.
“Every time boxing comes on, you don’t bring up Muhammad Ali’s name. You don’t bring up Mike Tyson’s name.
“You always bring up Floyd Mayweather’s name because I’m still the face of boxing. I speak my mind. I speak from the heart, and I speak my mind,” said Mayweather about why people are jealous of him.
“I’m happy with my results inside the ring, and I’m happy with them outside because I can say what I want to say,” said Mayweather.
Of the fans who still remember Mayweather, some might view him as the face of boxing. But the younger fans have never seen Mayweather fight because it’s been five years since Mayweather retired in 2015, and the younger fans didn’t order his pricey match against UFC fighter Conor McGregor in 2017.
Mayweather is now more of an ancient relic than the face of the sport. As the saying goes, ‘Out of sight out of mind.’ When you’re no longer on the job, people don’t talk about you. That goes for any job. Fans are forgetting Mayweather, and they’re focusing on the guys that competing in this era.
Sadly, the younger fans’ only experience with seeing Mayweather is about him talking about wanting to fight MMA guys and not boxers. Those are celebrity matches, and not seen in the same way by fans as real competition.
The younger fans likely view the 43-year-old Mayweather as some old guy that hustles fights with MMA stars.