Floyd Mayweather outlined what he sees as the main ingredient to rating the all-time greats in boxing.
Mayweather says he knows what matters the most when ranking the criteria for the greatest fighters in the sport’s history.
The ex-five-weight world champion, who reigned as pound for pound king on more than one occasion, believes he knows the formula.
Mayweather’s clarification comes as ‘Money’ got ranked sixth on the all-time list of Ring Magazine champions.
Sugar Ray Robinson topped the poll, with heavyweights Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali second and third.
Tony Canzoneri was fourth ahead of Emile Griffith and Floyd Mayweather.
The Ring also explained some scoring details, which are not as simple as Mayweather’s simplified version.
They said: “Scoring for total points and peak points relied on a base 11-point scale (i.e., a champion and the top 10 contenders).
“A win over the champion of one’s weight class, in a title or non-title fight, was worth 11 points, a No. 1 contender was worth 10, etc.
“Losses worked in reverse. A loss to the champion was a one-point deduction sliding to 11 for a loss to the No. 10 contender.”
FLOYD MAYWEATHER
However, Mayweather says victories over former world champions are all that matter. On that basis, the American would be above Robinson, he states.
“Sometimes they go, ‘Julio Cesar Chavez went 89-0 undefeated.’ But I beat more champions than he beat in one hundred and something fights,” Mayweather told FightHype.com.
“Then they talk about Sugar Ray Robinson. Again, I beat more champions than Sugar Ray Robinson beat in his illustrious career.”
Adding his thoughts on titles, Mayweather said: “If you look nowadays in the top ten, everybody’s got a belt now.
“I never won an ‘interim’ belt. There are too many belts in the sport of boxing, so boxing is really watered down now. Everybody is a champion.”
Mayweather’s great rival Manny Pacquiao, who pipped him to the 2000-2010 WBN Fighter of the Decade Award, was ranked ninth.
Comparisons between the two careers run parallel. Although Mayweather always has the equalizer and more, given the fact he defeated the Filipino great in 2015.
That event remains the most lucrative Pay Per View ever and doesn’t look likely to be broken.
TOP 10 RING MAGAZINE RANKED FIGHTERS
1 Sugar Ray Robinson
2 Joe Louis
3 Muhammad Ali
4 Tony Canzoneri
5 Emile Griffith
6 Floyd Mayweather
7 Willie Pep
8 Ezzard Charles
9 Manny Pacquiao
10 Archie Moore
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN us on Twitter @WorldBoxingNews.
