Floyd Mayweather picks himself as No 1 in his five greatest boxers of all time, with Muhammad Ali in fifth

The unbeaten American takes on Andre Berto on 12 September

James Orr
Wednesday 12 August 2015 21:14 BST
Comments
Floyd Mayweather is the highest-earning entertainer of 2015
Floyd Mayweather is the highest-earning entertainer of 2015 (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Floyd Mayweather has been asked to name his five greatest boxers of all time, and in typically brash fashion, named himself as No 1, and Muhammad Ali in fifth.

The unbeaten America, who faces Andre Berto in what is expected to be his 49th and final fight on 12 September, was asked to compile the list after picking up yet another award, this time the 'Fighter of the Year' award from the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame.

Speaking about why he got the top spot on his list, Mayweather said of himself: "He's beat more world champions than any other fighter in a shorter time and less fights than any other fighter.

"Landed punches at the highest percentage and took less punishment. He’s been world champion 18 years in five different weight divisions."

Further justifying his choices, and his reason for choosing Ali only in fifth, Mayweather, who calls himself "The Best Ever", said of "The Greatest": "Ali - only one weight class and really lost to Ken Norton three times. What he did is he stood for a cause in an era when African Americans didn’t stand up for their people."

Talking about the rest of his list, the 38-year-old Mayweather, who defeated Manny Pacquiao in the hightest grossing fight in history back in May said: "[Roberto Duran]. Came up from lightweight to world champion at 160lbs. Love that guy. A legend.

"[Pernell Whitaker]. Really, he beat Julio Cesar Chavez (the fight was a officially a draw). And he did beat my uncle Roger Twice.

"[Julio Cesar Chavez]. Was 79-0 in different weight classes before he lost."

Floyd Mayweather's top five

5. Muhammad Ali

4. Roberto Duran

3. Pernell Whitaker

2. Julio Cesar Chavez

1. Floyd Mayweather

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in