Floyd Mayweather once proclaimed himself as the best boxer of all time, going as far as saying he’s greater than Muhammad Ali.
It can be argued that Mayweather has every right to make such monstrous claims because he boasted an impressive record in the ring, where he won 50 of his fights and lost zero. He literally backed up his words with his actions.
The American retired from the sport back in 2017, and when reflecting on his legacy, he said that he is better than “The People’s Champion” Ali, which is some statement to make because many believe that he is the greatest, even though his record is not as good as Mayweather’s.
Who is the GOAT of boxing?
Many believe that Ali is the greatest of all time because of the manner in which he destroyed his opponents and back then, it can be argued that he was competing against better quality opponents, which is the reason as to why his name is etched in boxing forever.
Even though Mayweather boasted an incredible record in the ring, it is Ali’s aura and respect that he generated around the world that put him as the greatest in many people’s eyes.
Another boxing great who has respect for Ali is Mike Tyson, who came to Ali’s defence as he challenged the statement that Mayweather made.
Video: Mike Tyson responds to Mayweather’s comment about Ali
It is no surprise that Tyson defended Ali because he has a lot of respect and admiration for him, as he transcended the sport to millions and put the sport on the map with impressive boxing battles.
What has Mayweather & Tyson said about Ali?
When discussing himself and Ali, Mayweather said: “Is Ali the same fighter that got beat by a fighter with seven fights? Leon Spinks beat Muhammad Ali when he only had seven fights. We’re just telling the truth. Next.”
In response to such quotes, Tyson snapped back in perfect fashion.
“He’s very delusional.
“If he was anywhere near that realm of Muhammad Ali, he’d be able to take his kids to school by himself. He can’t take his kids to school by himself and he’s talking about he’s great.
“Greatness is not guarding itself from the people, greatness is being accepted by the people. He can’t take his kids alone to school by himself. He’s a little, scared man.”
Ali had a remarkable boxing career as he arguably cemented himself as the greatest the sport has ever seen, winning 56 fights out of 61, with 37 of those coming via knockouts.
However, “The People’s Champion” did lose five times, whereas Mayweather did not suffer a single defeat during his entire boxing career.