Having adopted the moniker “The Best Ever,” Floyd Mayweather Jr. unsurprisingly considers himself the greatest fighter of all time, but when naming athe second best, he chose a man he describes as a “legend.”
Mayweather became boxing’s fourth five-division world champion during his time in the ring, picking up belts at each weight that he fought at; boxing between super-featherweight and light-middleweight.
Over the course of his career, the Michigan-born fighter trumped the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya and Juan Manuel Marquez, all whilst maintaining his fabled undefeated record and rarely taking any real damage.
In 2017, after a lucrative showdown with UFC superstar Conor McGregor, Mayweather hung up the gloves with a flawless 50-0 record, walking away from the sport as one of the greatest pound-for-pound figures of all time – in his eyes, in top spot.
Speaking to Fox Sports, Mayweather discussed which fighters he believed to be closest to him in the all-time rankings. He named Panamanian icon Roberto Duran as boxing’s second best, appreciating his efforts to move up from lightweight and dethrone welterweight ruler Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980.
“Duran number 2. [He was] unbelievable. He was the guy that came from lightweight and beat Sugar Ray Leonard. I love that guy, he is a legend.”
Astonishingly, Mayweather is now scheduled for a professional comeback, as he rematches Manny Pacquiao at The Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 9.
