Super boxer, Floyd Mayweather, has said that he is greater than Muhammad Ali as far as professional records are concerned.
He said Alli’s legendary status was supported by political issues, in terms of his stand for Black Americans.
In his own case, he said, no one had moved close to the status he achieved in boxing.
has taken a swipe at boxing legend Muhammad Ali and ranked himself as the greatest boxer in history.
In an interview with ESPN, he said, (referring to himself as ‘he’):
‘He’s beat more world champions than any other fighter in a shorter time and less fights than any other fighter.
‘Landed punches at the highest percentage and took less punishment. He’s been world champion 18 years in five different weight divisions.’
And then of Ali, he noted: ‘Ali, only one weight class and really lost to Ken Norton three times. What he did is he stood for a cause in an era when African-Americans didn’t stand up for their people.
‘What are we judging fighters on? Because if we’re judging fighters on standing for a cause, then it’s Ali hands down. But if we’re talking about taking the least punishment and breaking records, it’s Floyd Mayweather.
‘Muhammad Ali paved the way for me to be where I’m at today, he’s a legend. But when we talk about record breaking, we’ve got to talk about Ali losing his world title to a fighter with only seven fights.
‘I have to take my hat off to Ali, but I didn’t give this sport 40 years to say that there’s another fighter better than me. What I’m here to teach fighters is this: the name of the game is to hit and not get hit. It’s not about taking punishment.
And I love Ali, but sitting on the ropes, taking punishment as far as doing a rope-a-dope – that’s not cool.”
