World Boxing News examines whether boxing legend Floyd Mayweather beat his biggest rivals when they were beyond their best.
Despite defending the timing of his fights with Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya after beating them both to confirm his status as the greatest of his generation, Mayweather always gets mocked by fans.
“Money” fought Pacquiao in 2015 when the Philippine senator was 36 years old. De La Hoya in 2007 when the boxer turned Golden Boy boss was 34 years old.
Suggestions that Mayweather picked the right opportunity to make those superfights were dismissed when the promoter spoke with Fat Joe.
Floyd Mayweather vs. De La Hoya
Mayweather insisted that the De La Hoya fight was fifty-fifty and the Pacquiao fight was a legitimate victory.
“You keep saying that in our prime. I am older than Pacquiao by two years. We keep saying, ‘at your best’. When I beat Pacquiao, they said he wasn’t at his best, and I’m older than [he was]Mayweather declared.
“And when I fought Oscar De La Hoya, they said he’s old. We were both in our thirties. No matter what happens, it’s never good enough for anyone.
“As long as he’s happy, that’s what’s important,” he added.
On retiring at the right time after beating Conor McGregor in Las Vegas to finish 50-0, Mayweather added:
“My faculties and everything I have come first. We just talked about your health as your wealth.
manny pacquiao
“Pacquiao fights because he has to. Once again, I fight if I want. So there is a difference.”
In his quest to have the same pre-fight stipulations for both fighters, regardless of promotion, Mayweather concluded: “Remember, I pioneered random blood and urine testing for all athletes. So that we can all be on equal terms.
“I feel like everyone should be on an equal footing. We should all be the same.”
Those victories for Mayweather are part of a lasting legacy, which includes many more triumphs that defined his career.
Exhibitions against Logan Paul and Japanese kickboxers don’t come into the equation. Those PPV contests are Mayweather’s team’s way of continuing to keep him in the spotlight and actively earning dollars.
She returns on September 25 and already has another move booked for November.
But beating the likes of Canelo, Miguel Cotto, Marcos Maidana and Juan Manuel Marquez against Pacquiao never faced any question. They were all knocked down by Mayweather convincingly on American soil.
Pacquiao followed the same path when he was two years younger. De La Hoya managed a split decision despite Mayweather winning the fight.
pay per view
The win marked a changing of the guard at Pay Per View. Mayweather never looked back.
Time criticism is one thing. But Floyd Mayweather cannot be faulted for maximizing those gains, even against those who don’t expect on social media. No one in the game has ever made a billion dollars just by making smart decisions.
Doing both has created a CV that may have become second to none in today’s age.
His legacy will live on as a Hall of Famer on the first ballot.
The views expressed in this article are the views of Phil Jay.
WBN editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. He follows WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
