MAYWEATHER IS NOT THE BEST EVER

Leading up to last weekend’s so-called ‘Fight of the Century’ between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, the former who remained undefeated after the fight, claimed he was the greatest fighter of all time. At 48-0 Mayweather  has come within one win of Rocky Marciano’s record for most number of consecutive wins while going undefeated.

For those who don’t know, Marciano was the World Heavyweight Champion between September 1952 and April 1956. He defended his title six times and remained undefeated throughout his career until his retirement at age 32. During his career Marciano fought some of the world’s best heavyweights including a 38-year-old Jersey Joe Walcott, who knocked Marciano down and was leading on the judges scorecards until Walcott was knocked out in the 13th round by the champion’s hay-maker affectionately known as “Suzie Q”.

But does Floyd’s undefeated run make him the greatest ever? I don’t think so.

Marciano is considered one of the greatest heavyweights ever, while Sugar Ray Robinson and Mohammed Ali (born Cassius Clay) are considered to be the best. For me, all three were greater than Floyd, especially Robinson and Ali, because in their prime they fought the best and fought them often.

Going undefeated may be a sign of greatness but it does not ultimately define it. Robinson, for example, constantly tested himself against the best middleweight boxers of his era and even went up in weight to take on the best heavyweight boxers of the day.

As an amateur Robinson who was born on May 3, 1921 fought 85 times without being defeated while knocking out 69 of his opponents. At the age of 19, he turned pro and over the next 11 years accumulated a record of 128 wins, one loss and two draws. Included in that record is a win streak of 91 straight wins from 1943 to 1951. During that time Robinson held the welterweight title and he also won the middleweight title in 1951.

Sugar Ray retired a year later but returned just over two years after that to regain the middleweight title and in 1958 defeated Carmen Basilio to regain the world middleweight title and become the first boxer in history to win a divisional world title five times.

But wins alone do not define greatness. Great boxers test themselves against the best and Robinson did just that in 1952, when as a welterweight he challenged the World Heavyweight Champion Joey Maxim. Fighting a man almost 20 pounds heavier in 103 degree heat in Yankee Stadium, Robinson was well ahead on points, using his speed to hit Maxim at will, but he was unable to answer the bell for the 13th round after collapsing in the oppressive heat. It was so hot that day, the referee also collapsed in the heat and had to be replaced during the fight.

It was the only ‘knockout’ loss of his career but helped define how great an artisan he was, pushing himself to the limit against the reigning heavyweight champion of the day.

Ali, during his prime, fought Joe Frazier three times, a young champion called George Foreman, and luminaries such as Archie Moore, Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Ken Norton, who broke the champion’s jaw and took his title; Ron Lyle, and Joe Bugner. Like Robinson, Ali spent his entire career taking on the best of the best of his day.

When he fought a young, strong, and hard-hitting 24-year-old Foreman Ali was believed to be past his best. Foreman had, a few months before, destroyed Joe Frazier, knocking the then heavyweight champion down six times en route to victory at the National Stadium in Kingston. Frazier had prior to that fight been engaged in an enthralling contest with Ali during which he took his heavyweight title.

But the brash Ali, going up against the much younger champion even predicted that he would knock Foreman out in eight rounds and then set about making it happen. For almost eight rounds Ali absorbed great punishment from the champion before striking clinically near the end of the eighth to reclaim the heavyweight title he had lost to Frazier.

Well past his best Ali fought Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick and lost both fights but he took them and gave it his best shot.

Floyd has fought some good fighters, but many have been past their prime. Shane Moseley, Oscar De la Hoya, Miguel Cotto and others were either past their primes or had been coming off losses when they fought Mayweather. Also recall that Pacquaio had been trying to get Mayweather in the ring for almost six years but he found a slew of reasons not to take the fight.

But let’s give Mayweather credit, he beat all who they put before him but he is also a master matchmaker for his ability to cherry pick who he fights and when he fights them. He is also a great marketer and has a keen sense of what will generate the best opportunity to make hundreds of millions off boxing fans hungry for a ‘good’ fight.

However, if he wanted to be known as the greatest of all time he would have fought the best when they were the best and that would have cemented his legacy as perhaps the greatest ever. Since he had not, he will go down in history as one of the best ever, but certainly not the best ever.