Retired Legend Says He Is The Greatest Not Muhammad Ali: “You Can’t Tell Me He Was Better”

A retired world champion believes he is even greater than heavyweight icon Muhammad Ali.

Known more commonly as ‘The Greatest’, Ali is often regarded as being the greatest fighter to have ever laced up the gloves, as well as arguably the most influential figure in the sports history.

He rose to fame in the early 60’s, going on to become the world heavyweight champion for the first time when he defeated Sonny Liston via sixth round knockout in 1964. Ali would also go on to pick up legacy defining victories over Joe Frazier, Ken Norton and George Foreman during his tenure.

Despite his undeniable legacy and technical brilliance, there is one fighter who believes they should be in the conversation for being the greatest of all time ahead of Ali.

Speaking to ESPN, retired five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr claimed he will not be ‘brainwashed’ into thinking Ali was a better fighter to him, as he claims his dominance across multiple weight classes sets him apart from the rest.

“No one can ever brainwash me to make me believe that Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali were better than me. No disrespect to Muhammad Ali but he did it in one division. I just look at Ali’s career when he fought Leon Spinks and lost to a fighter with seven fights.”

Mayweather drew the curtain on his outstanding professional career just a few months after he stopped MMA legend Conor McGregor in the tenth round of their crossover bout in 2017. Over the course of his tenure, ‘Money’ defeated a number of generational greats including Canelo Alvarez, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.