The Widely considered world greatest American professional boxer of this era, Floyd Mayweather Jr said that his carrier has been successful and he is better than that of Former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali.
While speaking to reporters on Wednesday in a teleconference call for his May 2 welterweight showdown with Filipino superstar Pacquiao, which is expected to generate a record $400 million in revenue, May weather reacted the following:
“It is hard for a guy to be like me, still sharp at 38. No disrespect to Ali, but I feel like I am the best.” He revealed.
With just over a week to go before his super fight in Las Vegas against Manny Pacquiao, the WBC, WBA and Ring, welterweight champion Mayweather revealed that while Ali lost to the unheralded Leon Spinks in 1978, among others, he has a perfect 47-0 record.
“It is hard for a guy to be like me, still sharp at 38. No disrespect to Ali, but I feel like I am the best.”
“Ali lost in his career to Leon Spinks. He lost some other fights and is still known as the greatest. That is what it is.”
Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather further added that even boxing fans from Pacquiao’s stronghold that is in his home country where Pacquiao is a boxing icon still recognize him as a great professional boxer.
Filipino world champion professional boxer Pacquiao is a hero and a renowned celebrity in the Philippines, where he worked on the streets before his success in the ring helped launch careers in politics, music and film.
Filipino superstar Pacquiao
About the forthcoming major in Las Vegas
With just few days to go before his super fight in Las Vegas against Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather said he has never been beaten and he thoroughly prepared for it.
“I have trained extremely hard. You don’t want to over train. You want to train so you are completely ready,” he said.
Mayweather is said to be exploring all what is needed so that he cannot be caught up in bad news after fight which is expected to be the richest in boxing history, with Mayweather’s purse topping $100 million.
“I am not going crazy,” he said. “I know it is the biggest fight in boxing history. I can’t approach it like that. I don’t want to put unnecessary pressure on me, my thing is to just be Floyd May weather” he said.
The boxing celebrity pointed that the fight is the fulfillment of his dream that he always yearned to be famous Mike Tyson in his heyday.
“I can remember when I was just starting out. I would go to the MGM Grand for a Tyson fight and some people would know me and I would sign autographs,” Mayweather said.
Boxing Success
Mayweather, with his fast, precise style, won the National Golden Gloves in 1993, 1994 and 1996.
While he finished 84-6 as an amateur, his pre-professional career ended bitterly at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta when he lost a controversial decision and was forced to settle for a bronze medal.
Mayweather turned professional on October 11, 1996. As a pro, Mayweather continued to win at an astonishing rate. With his father serving as both manager and trainer, he won several easy bouts during his first two years, which he capped off by capturing his first world title, the WBC junior lightweight championship.
His career greatly shined even more beginning in 2000, when Mayweather embarked on a seven-year stretch that had many fight fans talking about him as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
During this period, he moved up in weight class four times, taking home Ring magazine and WBC lightweight titles in 2001, the WBC super lightweight title in 2005, and Ring magazine and WBC welterweight titles in 2006. In 2007 he defeated Oscar De La Hoya for the WBC super welterweight crown.