WEB CHUTNEY

After beating Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather declared himself ‘the greatest boxer of all time’. Even better than Muhammad Ali!

Let’s see what the greatest champions of boxing have to say about this:

George Foreman

Mike Tyson

Now let’s look at the facts. Floyd Mayweather Jr is one of those few boxers who has remained undefeated his whole boxing career. With a total of 48 wins and 26 by knockout, people can argue that Floyd Mayweather Jr is the greatest boxer of all time.

I mean he’s been undefeated for almost a decade!

But on the top of your head, can you think of any exciting fights Mayweather has had in the past decade?

No? That’s because he’s a technical fighter who mostly wins on points and playing defensively. Playing defensively is no easy task, it is very hard to to do and does require great skill.

But if you’re just doing this in all your fights,

People are going to get bored.

Now let’s take a look at Muhammad Ali’s record:

Muhammad Ali fought 61 times in total, with 56 wins (37 by knockouts) and 5 losses (1 by knockout). Compared to Mayweather, Ali’s record isn’t as great.

But what truly makes Ali the greatest are his memorable fights and his history in the sport.

Ali became the heavy weight champion at the age of 22.

He went on to fight the United States Government by not enlisting in the army to fight in the Vietnam war.

After which he came back and fought for the title against the younger, stronger boxer; a match which he was supposed to lose but shocked the world and won in the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’.

He went through struggles Mayweather Jr could have never imagined.

He even talked a man out of committing suicide!

Ali was not just a boxer, he was an entertainer; an inspiration!

And a humanitarian with many charities under his name.

Floyd Mayweather Jr may be the better boxer with a better record in the ring. But if you have to argue with people and tell them you’re the greatest, you really aren’t the greatest.

Muhammad Ali may have more losses than Floyd Mayweather Jr and could even be said to have controversial wins, but his personality, inside and out of the ring, his persona and how he interacted with everyone around him is what truly made him the greatest.