Terence Crawford has been comparing the defensive attributes of fellow boxing legends Floyd Mayweather and Pernell ‘Sweet Pea’ Whitaker.
Mayweather had the elite honour of retiring with a perfect 50-0 record, with his defensive abilities leading to world title wins in five divisions, rarely ever getting hurt in the process.
Before Mayweather ruled the sport throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Whitaker was viewed as the best defensive fighter in boxing, becoming a four-division world champion and only losing one fight by stoppage in his final bout when he was far past his best.
Another fighter known to have high level defence is Crawford, and in a resurfaced clip he has reflected on the abilities of the two boxing legends, revealing that he ranks Mayweather above Whitaker.
“I think Floyd had the best defence in boxing history. Yeah definitely [better than Whitaker]. I’d say he got more defence than Sweet Pea because he got hit less.
“Sweet Pea had more head movement so was better at slipping punches and making you miss, but Floyd on defence…he’d make you pay catching counter, catching slipping, hitting you with shots you don’t see. That’s where Floyd is the master, hit and don’t get hit.”
There is plenty of evidence to support Crawford’s view, as the biggest shot that Mayweather ever took arguably came in his 2010 clash with Shane Mosley, where he had to show off those defensive skills by recovering from a powerful right hand.
He evaded any further major punishment to stay on his feet and went on to win the bout by a wide unanimous decision, and ended his career having never been knocked down in the ring.
