Floyd Mayweather Jr, who has never lost a professional bout, made a Muhammad Ali-like claim on Tuesday, with the former five weight class world champion declaring himself the world’s best ever boxer.
“I don’t care what fighter you’re going to name, I’m the best,” he told reporters ahead of his welterweight clash with fellow American Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday. “Throw a name at me and I’ll break his stats down. Whatever they’ve done, I’ve done it quicker, with no [losses].”
While nobody from the media offered a name for comparison, Mayweather offered an appraisal of Ali, referencing his loss to Leon Spinks in 1978 for the world heavyweight title in his opponent’s eighth fight.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“Leon Spinks, with seven wins, beat you?” said Mayweather, as if posing the question to Ali, who often declared himself “the greatest.”
Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) not only anticipates victory over three-time champion Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) but said he would defeat every future opponent who challenged him.
“The ultimate goal in boxing right now is to find a fighter that can beat Floyd Mayweather,” he said. “And it’s not going to happen.”
Despite winning every one of his professional contests, Mayweather said he still feels he has not received the credit he deserves.
He expressed bewilderment that the Boxing Writers Association of America recently voted Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, and not him, as Fighter of the Decade.
A proposed showdown between Mayweather and Pacquiao fell through in January after the Filipino refused to yield to the American’s demand for random blood testing within three weeks of the bout.
“How’d he get Fighter of the Decade, and he got outboxed by Erik Morales [in a March 2005 loss] and had two knock-down, drag-out fights with Juan Manuel Marquez? I just don’t get it,” Mayweather said.
“All I did was constantly beat whoever they put in front of me ... I’m never going to get my just due. All these fighters they put in front of me, they’ve all been cake walks for me,” he said.
Mayweather, who won his first world title — the WBC super featherweight crown — in 1998, expects critics to be similarly dismissive should he emerge victorious against the 38-year-old Mosley this weekend.
He said such criticism would be irrelevant when the time came to fight.
“I’m Floyd Mayweather,” he said. “All the rest of them are just fighters.”
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was