Mayweather Selects Top 5 Greatest Boxers in History: Ranks Himself #1, Includes Larry Holmes but Excludes Tyson and Ali
Floyd Mayweather confidently proclaimed himself as the greatest boxer of all time while revealing his top five picks, and surprisingly omitted both Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.
At 45 years old and crowned as Boxrec’s No.1 in June 2020, Mayweather firmly believes that he stands head and shoulders above all others in the sport, having achieved an immaculate record of 50 wins in his professional career.
During an Instagram live video with rapper Fat Joe, Mayweather was asked to name his top five boxers. He responded with, “We’re going to have to go with Money Mayweather, Pernell Whitaker, Roberto Duran, and, man, you put me in a tight predicament.”
“When it comes to heavyweights, if we’re talking about heavyweights, I have to be honest, my pick is Larry Holmes.”
Fat Joe then expressed his disagreement, stating that he doesn’t believe Holmes is superior to Ali or Tyson, to which Mayweather responded: “Do you want me to explain my reasoning?
Larry Holmes defeated every notable opponent during his era, and when he lost to Mike Tyson, it was against a young, hungry champion. Holmes had come out of retirement after a year and faced Tyson.
I have to give credit to Larry Holmes for his solid boxing fundamentals, especially his exceptional jab. Even today, he’s living a great life because he made wise investments.”
“So, Larry Holmes was consistently excellent throughout his entire career.”
As for his final selection, Mayweather stated: “Aaron Pryor, the only reason he suffered a defeat was due to drugs, just that one loss because of dr.u.gs.”
Here is the list of Floyd Mayweather’s top five greatest boxers of all time:
1, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
No surprise that Mayweather ranks himself as number one, given his self-proclaimed title as “The Best Ever.” With an Olympic bronze medal in 1996, he secured an impressive record of 15 world titles across five different weight divisions. His notable victories include matches against Manny Pacquiao, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Saul Alvarez, Miguel Cotto, and a dominant win over UFC superstar Conor McGregor in 2017.
2, Pernell Whitaker
A former boxer who achieved world titles in four weight classes, Whitaker retired in 2001 with a remarkable record of 40 wins out of 46 fights. He holds the distinction of being the longest unified lightweight champion in boxing history, successfully defending his title six times. Sadly, Whitaker passed away at the age of 55 in July 2019.
3, Roberto Duran
Competing in an astounding 119 fights during his 33-year career (spanning from 1968 to 2001), the 70-year-old Duran secured 103 victories and won world titles in four divisions. He became only the second fighter, after Jack Johnson, to step inside the ring in five different decades.
4, Larry Holmes
Despite causing confusion for Fat Joe, the 72-year-old Holmes is a three-time former heavyweight world champion. His accomplishments include being the only fighter to ever stop Muhammad Ali, as well as victories over Trevor Berbick, Leon Spinks, and Earnie Shavers.
5, Aaron Pryor
A two-time light-welterweight champion, known as “The Hawk,” Pryor won an impressive 39 out of his 40 fights, with 35 victories coming by way of knockout. He retired in 1990 after a seventh-round knockout of Roger Choate. His only defeat came after spending 29 months out of the ring when he faced journeyman Bobby Joe Young.
