Floyd Mayweather delivered an angry rant after a pair of television presenters placed him below Muhammad Ali on the pound-for-pound greatest of all-time rankings.
While ‘Money’ respects everything the boxing legend achieved in the sport, he believes he was the significantly better fighter in the ring.
Floyd Mayweather thinks he’s greater than Muhammad Ali
With incredible footwork, flashy hands and awe-inspiring charisma, Muhammad Ali changed the sport forever, dazzling fans with his incredible displays and remarkable skills on the mic.
Having delivered iconic lines, such as, ‘Sting like a butterfly, float like a bee’ and overcome all odds to beat George Foreman in the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, the heavyweight star has cemented his place as one of the best fighters to ever lace up the gloves.
However, during an appearance on ESPN, Floyd Mayweather erupted furiously when the two hosts ranked the sporting hero above him on their pound-for-pound rankings.
While the four-weight champion respects what Ali did inside the squared circle, and commended him for his stance on the Vietnam War, he’s adamant that when it comes to the sport of boxing, he’s the better fighter.
Sheesh: Mike Tyson reveals how he’d beat Floyd Mayweather if they were the same weight class
He asserted: “What are we judging fighters on? If we’re judging them on standing up for a cause, then it’s Ali, hands down. But if we’re talking about taking less punishment and breaking all records then it’s Floyd Mayweather.
“Muhammad Ali paved the way for me to be where I’m at today. He’s a legend. But if we’re talking about record-breaking, we have to look at Ali losing his world title to a fighter with only seven fights (Leon Spinks).
“So, these are the things that we don’t look at. We only look at him standing up for a cause, which is the great thing because if Ali didn’t stand for that cause, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.
“So, I have to take off my hat to Ali. But I didn’t get into this sport for forty years to say there’s another fighter better than me.”
Pushing back, one of the hosts referenced Ali’s fight with Joe Frazier (The Thrilla in Manila), claiming that Mayweather didn’t produce the same level of excitement.
The boxer replied: “That’s not cool. What I’m here to teach fighters, is that the name of the game is to ‘hit and not get hit’. It’s not about taking punishment. I love Ali, but sitting on the ropes and taking punishment as far as doing the Rope-a-dope, that’s not cool.
“The cool thing about my career is that I retired 49-0 (later 50-0), on my own terms, without taking any punishment and made smart investments. Now, I’m able to put my kids through college and help fighters under my umbrella do the same thing.”
He later added: “For me to be known as the best, I have to be in a drag-out, knockout fight? I can make the extraordinary look ordinary; that’s what’s so great about my career.”
Mike Tyson rages at Floyd Mayweather saying he’s better than Muhammad Ali
While Mayweather is convinced that no man in history is better than him at the sport of boxing, Mike Tyson completely disagrees.
He’s adamant that the former heavyweight champion is far greater than ‘Money’ could ever dream of being.
In a scathing rant, he fired shots at Mayweather, explaining exactly why he ranks Ali above him in the ‘Greatest of all time’ conversation.
