Floyd Mayweather Jr. The Best Ever? Hardly

Now that the super fight, the “Fight of the Century” is history it’s time to reflect. Is Floyd Mayweather Jr. the best ever, as he and his supporters claim? Not even close..

However, he is the best of his era and that is something to applaud and appreciate. But, don’t tarnish the legacy of the true greats of yesterday. Today’s fighters do not have an opportunity to become as skilled and proficient as those in bygone eras. There are no exceptional teachers of the science of boxing, no longer are there the “learning” bouts against other highly skilled competitors. Today, it is all about money, advancing careers through careful matchmaking and protecting the few “chosen” ones. It is about hype fueled by the lack of knowledge and understanding of history by the media and acceptance by the public of incorrect information.

We are told that because Mayweather is undefeated at 48-0 he must by the best of all time. We are told that he might beat Rocky Marciano’s record of 49-0 before he retires. What is important to keep in mind is who that record was built against. Floyd had life-and-death battles with Jose Luis Castillo, an aggressive former champ, but not a great fighter. Floyd also stated that Emanuel Augustus gave him one of the toughest fights of his career. Augustus was an accomplished “old-school” fighter who almost lost as many fights as he won (38-34-6).

Danish heavyweight Brian Nielsen brought his record to 49-0 before losing to Dicky Ryan by tenth round stoppage. Ryan was no more than a fair club fighter. Nielsen could hardly be described as a “top” fighter. On the other hand, “Fearless” Freddie Pendleton had a record dotted with many early losses but became a respected world champion. Fritzie Zivic, who lost 65 professional fights is regarded as one of the true greats, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and defeated the great Henry Armstrong in taking his welterweight title. He also won 158 fights.

I quickly jotted down 50 names of great fighters from the lightweight, welterweight and Jr. middleweight divisions. In my humble opinion, Mayweather would be hard-pressed to win any of these mythical matches if he fought them at various stages of his career while moving up from the lightweight division. At best, he might be 50-50 against some of them. If he did not get discouraged and/or retire before fighting all 50 fighters on the list he conceivably could have been 0-50. In no particular order:

1. Ray Robinson
2. Henry Armstrong
3. Aaron Pryor
4. Thomas Hearns
5. Roberto Duran
6. Wilfredo Benitez
7. Kid Gavilan
8. Emile Griffith
9. Luis Rodriguez
10. Ceferino Garcia
11. Carmen Basilio
12. Tony Demarco
13. Billy Graham
14. Felix Trinidad
15. Barney Ross
16. Mike McCallum
17. Pernell Whitaker
18. Julio Cesar Chavez
19. Esteban DeJesus
20. Benny Leonard
21. Tony Canzoneri
22. Beau Jack
23. Carlos Ortiz
24. Jose Napoles
25. Fritzie Zivic
26. Mickey Walker
27. Charley Burley
28. Jimmy McLarnin
29. Ray Leonard
30. Duilio Loi
31. Terry Norris
32. Jack Britton
33. Ted “Kid” Lewis
34. Holman Williams
35. Cocoa Kid
36. Ike Williams
37. Lou Ambers
38. Jack Blackburn
39. Barbados Joe Walcott
40. Marcel Cerdan
41. Young Corbett III
42. Gaspar Ortega
43. Gypsy Joe Harris
44. Sam Langford
45. Bernard Docusen
46. Bobby Dykes
47. Johnny Saxton
48. Tommy Bell
49. Eddie Booker
50. Bob Montgomery

What also confuses me is the reference to Rocky Marciano’s record of 49-0. Marciano was a heavyweight. Mayweather is not. There were many fighters throughout history who amassed more than 50 consecutive wins in the lighter weight classes. As a matter of fact, Harry Greb was 45-0 in 1919 alone. It would seem more appropriate to compare him with those winning streaks. For example here are just a few (in no particular order):

1. Jimmy Wilde 103
2. Carlos Monzon 80
3. Julio Cesar Chavez 89
4. Willie Pep 62 and after his first loss 72
5. Ray Robinson 91
6. Pedro Carrasco 93
7. Roberto Duran 73
8. Ricardo Lopez 51
9. Marcel Cerdan 67
10. Hal Bagwell 175 (total fights 180 record 175-0 with 2 draws and 3 no contests)
11. Nino Benvenuti 65
12. Pete Sanstol 60
13. Carlos Zarate 51
14. Packy McFarland 104
15. Johnny Dundee 144
16. Jimmy Barry 59
17. Buck Smith 107
18. Harry Greb 78
19. Duili Loi 72
20. Nicolino Loche 55

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is to be commended, applauded and accepted as the best of this era and that is something to be proud of. But, please, don’t confuse his talent and skill level to be on a par with the true greats who fought often, anywhere and against each other.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. TBE (The best ever) – hardly.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. TBT (The best today) – definitely.

NOTE: Steven J. Canton operates the SJC Boxing Club in Fort Myers, Florida. He is author of Tributes, Memories and Observations of the Sweet Science.

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