Floyd Mayweather Jr. crowns himself the greatest boxer ever -- Las Vegas Sun

By Case Keefer, Las Vegas Sun

Floyd Mayweather, Jr., controversially declared himself a better fighter than Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson in the latest episode of HBO's 24/7 Mayweather vs. Mosley.

Mayweather didn't back off those comments during a Thursday teleconference to preview his May 1 fight against Shane Mosley at the MGM Garden Arena.

In fact, Mayweather (40-0, 25 KO) elaborated and said a victory against Mosley would further prove his point.

"Things change, it's out with the old and in with the new," Mayweather said. "Muhammad Ali was one hell of a fighter, but Floyd Mayweather is the best."

Asked where he would put Mosley (46-5, 39 KO) on his all-time list, Mayweather said he wasn't sure Mosley should be ranked.

"I don't know how Mosley can call himself great or say he's a future Hall of Famer because we don't know how long this guy was taking enhancement drugs," Mayweather said.

Mosley's name was prominent in the 2003 BALCO investigation, which also included notable athletes such as Barry Bonds, and it was revealed he had taken illegal performance enhancers before a fight against Oscar De La Hoya.

Although Mayweather said beating Mosley would build on his legacy, he didn't have any compliments for his opponent.

"He's a fighter that always worries about landing one big shot and worries about who is strong," Mayweather said. "I worry about being smart and winning."

The conversation naturally drifted toward Manny Pacquiao, whom Mayweather was originally slated to fight in March before the two sides couldn't agree on drug testing procedures.

Mayweather had no slot for where Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KO) ranked in the all-time great list, but assured it was nowhere close to him.

"We know he's been knocked out twice and he's been out-boxed by Erik Morales," Mayweather said. "But they still give him boxer of the decade. That's something I don't understand."

"All I'll say is this: If you're a clean athlete, take the test. Show the world."

Mayweather harped on the idea that Pacquiao gets more credit than him despite his undefeated record.

Mayweather said he heard detractors after every one of his victories and already planned on it happening again after the Mosley fight.

"When I go out and beat Shane Mosley, they will say he's over the hill," Mayweather said. "There's always an excuse."

Although the bout is between two of the biggest names in boxing, a title will not be on the line. Mosley's WBA welterweight championship belt is safe even if he loses.

Mayweather said this did not bother him and that he no longer cared about titles.

"At this level, for Floyd, it's not about belts," said Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's promoter. "It's about fighting for his legacy and it's about money."

As far as Mayweather is concerned, however, his legacy should already be intact.

"I got respect for Sugar Ray Robinson. I got respect for Muhammad Ali," Mayweather said. "But I'm a man just like them and put on my pants just like they put on their pants. But what makes them any better than me?"

Source: lasvegassun.com

The Greatest -- The Ledger

By Rick Brown, THE LEDGER

Muhammad Ali called himself "The Greatest."

A panel of four boxing experts assembled by The Ledger disagrees.

Sure, Ali was great. So were Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano. And Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have joined the conversation in recent years.

They had all the tools; they had longevity.

But when asked to put all the tools together and identify the ultimate boxer, The Ledger's panel - including Showtime boxing analyst Al Bernstein, boxing historian Bert Sugar, boxing publicist Bill Caplan and Winter Haven trainer Tony Morgan - was unanimous.

Sugar Ray Robinson.

"He did more things well than any boxer in history," Bernstein said. "He was fast, powerful, clever and courageous. He had a great jab, great hook, good right hand and threw great combinations. He was also a good, but not perfect defensive fighter."

Robinson was so good, he knocked a guy out while moving backward.

Robinson was an international star as he was just as popular in France, where he lived for a while. In the United States, Robinson was honored with a postal stamp in 1996.

Born May 3, 1921, in Ailey Ga., as Walker Smith Jr., his family moved to New York when he was a teenager. It was in Harlem that he was introduced to boxing.

At 14, Smith wanted to enter a tournament but was told he needed to have an Amateur Athletic Union boxing card. He couldn't do that until he was 16, so he borrowed a friend's card. That friend was Ray Robinson.

As he progressed in the gym, his future coach, George Gainford, said the young boxer's style and fluid motions were "sweet like sugar." Thus, Sugar Ray Robinson was born.


Others would use the nickname "sugar," but Robinson owned it. After knocking out a boxer named Sugar George Costner in 1951, Robinson stood over the fallen fighter and asked, "Who's the real Sugar?"

His amateur record was a perfect 85-0 with 69 knockouts. He won the Golden Gloves featherweight championship in 1939 and the lightweight title in 1940 before turning pro.

For more than two decades, Robinson was the class of the welterweight and middleweight divisions. He had a 91-fight win streak. In his first 131 fights, he had one loss and two draws.

"He was flawless," said Sugar, the historian. "In his only loss to Jake LaMotta, he reversed that three weeks later. He was an unbelievable fighter."

Robinson captured the welterweight title in 1946 and held it until 1951. Later in 1951, he won the middleweight title. He retired in 1952 but came back and won the middleweight title again in 1955. He was the first boxer to win a divisional world championship five times.

In all, Robinson fought for 26 years and finished his career 175-19-6 with two no-decisions. The word "pound-for-pound" fighter was created because of him.

Since his death in 1989, Robinson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1997, Ring magazine named him the best pound-for-pound boxer in history, while in 1999, the Associated Press named him the greatest welterweight and middleweight boxer of the century.

And what do those other great fighters think of all that?

Ali, Louis and Sugar Ray Leonard called Robinson their idol.

Leonard was quoted as saying, "Someone once said there was a comparison between Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson. Believe me, there's no comparison. Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest."

Source: theledger.com