Floyd Mayweather is the best fighter of his generation on an astounding 50-0. The boxing legend had no problem engaging in battles against fellow undefeated champions.
‘Money’ proved his worth in this capacity on three occasions, facing the best around in a war where ‘someone’s 0 had to go’.
First off was the late, great Diego Corrales in 2001. Mayweather was five years into his career and slowly building up speed on the world scene.
The pair waged war in an entertaining collision until Mayweather got the better of the contest in the second half. Corrales eventually got taken out in the tenth.
It would be another six years until Ricky Hatton came along to give Mayweather another perfect encounter. By this time, Mayweather was a fully-fledged Pay Per View star after defeating Oscar De La Hoya seven months previously.
When speaking to Sky Sports for the Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook fight, Hatton recalled that he tried to get under Mayweather’s skin at the press conference.
“With Mayweather when we did our press conference, I made jokes which upset Floyd. On the train back to London, steam was coming out of his ears!
“I went a little bit over the top at the weigh-in,” Hatton admitted.
“You need to stay cool, stay confident, stick to the game-plan.”
Once the first bell rang, it was straight down to business as Mayweather picked off the Briton’s advances to keep him at arm’s length.
Hatton wanted to get inside and work the body. Mayweather would not allow it. Eventually, the American wore the brave Brit down and took him out.
Famously, Mayweather bounced Hatton’s head off the turnbuckle before the stoppage came. It was another indication of his dominance.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER vs. CANELO
Six years passed, with three of those containing boxing fans urging Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao. It didn’t happen, and Mayweather turned his attention to an up-and-coming youngster named Saul Alvarez.
‘Canelo,’ as was his nickname by which he would eventually become widely known, had no problem accepting the challenge at 42-0-1. The Mexican amassed the record despite being just 22 years old.
On the night, Mayweather was just too much for the greener fighter. In an event labeled ‘The One,’ that honor went to Mayweather as he put one loss on Canelo’s record.
Even today, Mayweather stands as the only man to defeat the current pound-for-pound king. Mayweather’s skills were too advanced for Canelo when boasting a massive age gap.
No losses, no problem for Floyd Mayweather.
The views expressed in this article are opinions of Phil Jay.
Phil Jay – Editor of World Boxing News since 2010 with over one billion views. Follow WBN on Twitter @WorldBoxingNews.
