MAYWEATHER VS A FEW OF ?TBE? FIGHTERS
By Ralph Rimpell
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 03 Dec 2016
For those of you who have clicked open this article to find out what ?TBE? stands for, it?s an acronym for ?The Best Ever? (TBE). This is a self-bestowed title Floyd Mayweather Jr. has given himself after years of success in the squared circle of boxing.
This writer does not know if Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the TBE. Maybe Mayweather is TBE or maybe not. In the end it will be Boxing history and Boxing fans that will decide who the Best fighter or fighters are. This writer grew up watching boxing since the mid-1980s until the present.
Since then there were many exceptional World Champions that fought in the same weight classes Mayweather has fought in that must be mentioned in the conversation of TBE. To name a few there is ?Sugar? Ray Leonard, Thomas ?Hit Man? Hearns, Aaron ?The Hawk? Pryor, Donald ?The Cobra? Curry, Pernell ?Sweat Pea? Whitaker, and Felix ?Tito? Trinidad. How would the self-proclaimed TBE fare against each fighter in their respective primes? Would he still have an undefeated record after facing such caliber fighters? Would he even still be in the conversation for the TBE? Let?s examine how each fight between Mayweather Jr. could hypothetically have played out if all these fighters fought in the same era and Mayweather were willing to fight them.
Mayweather Jr. vs. Ray Leonard - Leonard fought Mayweather Sr. and easily defeated him. Mayweather Sr. cited he fought Leonard with a broken hand, which is the reason he lost. That?s bogus. Mayweather Sr. was not in the same league as Leonard. That?s why he lost. Leonard had dismissed the notion that Mayweather Jr. would present a challenge to him because of how he easily defeated Mayweather?s father. Mayweather Sr. and Jr. are two totally different fighters! The elder Mayweather?s record was 28-6-1, 17K0s, he never fought for and won a world title. Leonard would be in for a long night if he confused Junior for Senior. That being mentioned, a prime focused Ray Leonard would dominate Mayweather Jr. at 147lbs with his superior speed and boxing ability.
Mayweather vs. Hearns - Thomas Hearns was a tall fighter with a good jab and freakish punching power. It was no coincidence that Ray Leonard had a detached retina after the blockbuster unification fight between the two. Remember Leonard temporarily retired after that fight. I see this fight taking place at 154lbs (Mayweather won titles at this weight class). This writer sees Mayweather having some success against Hearns with his defensive skills for about 3 rounds before Hearns begins to find the target and bust through the Mayweather defense. Eventually, Hearns would wear down his man and KO Mayweather in the later rounds.
Mayweather vs. Pryor - This fight would be very competitive as Pryor was a very high energy guy that took the fight to his opponents. Look for Pryor to throw punches from all different angles and try to overwhelm Mayweather. Mayweather?s best offense would be his defense looking to counter the awkward but effective Pryor. This writer gives the nod via close split decision victory to Mayweather in this 140lb contest for supremacy.
Mayweather vs. Curry - This writer can?t speak for anyone else, but Donald Curry was ?The Man? after Leonard, Hearns, and Duran left the 147lb division. It was the first time this writer as a teenager ever hear the term ?Pound for Pound the best fighter in Boxing? when Boxing Promoter Bob Arum bestowed that title upon him. He was expected to eventually move up in weight and to succeed then middleweight King Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Of course that did not happen. The Curry that defeated Milton McCrory before his body outgrew welterweight would have given Mayweather fits! A prime Curry was faster and stronger than Mayweather. I see this as a competitive fight, with Curry winning a unanimous decision.
Mayweather vs. Whitaker - A lot of similarities between these two fighters. Both were lightweight champions who moved up to welterweight. Both fought De La Hoya. Mayweather earned a split decision victory, while Whitaker lost (Scored fight 7-5 for Whitaker) a controversial decision. This fight is a chess match. It could take place anywhere between 135lbs -147lbs. I like Mayweather over Whitaker 8 rounds-4 rounds.
Mayweather vs. Trinidad - Those I have polled say it depends on which Trinidad shows up. If it?s the Trinidad that fought De La Hoya, then Mayweather knocks him out by the 9th round. Others say if it?s the Trinidad that fought Fernando Vargas he takes out Mayweather in 9 rounds. This writer says no matter which of the two Trinidad shows up, Mayweather would defeat Trinidad in the same Manner Winky Wright defeated him by pitching a boxing clinic and shutting him out. Mayweather by unanimous decision in a 147lbs contest.
We will never truly know how all these great fighters of the past would have performed against the self-proclaimed ?The Best Ever? fighter, but it would have been interesting to see if it were possible. Whatever anyone thinks of Mayweather, after 19 years as a professional, his record stands at 49-0, 26K0s. That is more that can be said of the aforementioned fighters who all tasted defeat for whatever reason even though they were great fighters. Let see if Mayweather stays retired, comes out of retirement to improve his record to 50-0, 26Kos, or ends up at least 49-1, 26K0s.
Contact Writer: RLuvsboxing@aol.com
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ralph Rimpell.
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