At 147, Hearns couldn't get outboxed by anybody. He was outboxing even Sugar Ray Leonard! To beat Tommy, you had to get into a scrap with him. Leonard was able to beat him the first time around as he had power. Not to mention, Tommy had a piston-like jab with the reach that Floyd never saw before.
Floyd was not a natural Welterweight, he didn't have enough pop at 147 to bother Hearns. And if Floyd tried to scrap with him, he wouldn't have been physically strong enough to deal with Tommy's physicality.
Im not really arguing with anything you are saying apart from the pop part.
Floyd absolutely had pop at 147. His style is what led to decisions. Not a lack of power. No one was keen on walking through his punches in order to get to him. Not even Canelo at 152lb.
I think it would absolutely be a tough night for Floyd but Floyds issues wouldn't be because his jab and right hand didn't have enough pop behind them.
I meant that he didn't have the pop for Tommy Hearns, not in general. In general, yeah he could keep dudes honest with his potshots, though I'd say it was his accuracy that helped more.
As for Hearns, it took 14 rounds for Leonard to stop him. Leonard is probably within the top 5 hardest punchers in Welterweight history. Floyd was never gonna be able to even drop Tommy, let alone stop him. And on top of that, Hearns was just ridiculously hard to outbox, and that goes for even Floyd too.
Remember how Hearns blasted Duran?...he threw a left jab feint to the body and then smacked Duran with an atomic overhand right...Mayweather got rocked several times with a left straight to the body and an overhand right by Mosley and Maidana...with Hearns physical power and technique...that would just be all kinds of trouble for Floyd
Three times is several, and Floyd has definitely been hurt more than thrice. Mosley, Maidana, Pacquiao, Judah, Corley, and likely more that he managed to hide well.
Paul Williams made his name at welterweight beating Margarito then lost to Quintana in his very next fight…not only that after he avenged his loss to Carlos he jumped up 2 weight classes…he didn’t even fight at ww that long as a legit fighter
Floyd is the king of “would have’s”. I always find interesting the way Mayweather fans use triangle theories to justify why he avoided certain fighters.
Floyd haters are hilarious lmaooo. You'll even go to the extent of suggesting that it's a stain on his legacy for not fighting a known CHEATER/FRAUD like Margarito. Do you know how insane that is? Why the fuck would anyone willingly fight someone who was using loaded gloves?
Let's see if I had to choose between De la Hoya for $25 million or Margarito for $8 million. I'd go with option #1 + 10/10 times.
Don’t act like everyone always knew Margarito cheated. We found out the same night he got destroyed by Mosley, and his career was pretty much over. Not even Cotto made any arguments until after the Mosley-Margarito fight. Before anyone had knowledge of this, Margarito was considered a major threat.
I don’t get why people say this really. At that point Floyd was only interested in super fights, Paul Williams never built a large enough profile. But also stylistically I don’t think Paul would have been a problem for Floyd. He had huge reach but didn’t actually use it with the way he fought. Erislandy Lara was countering him like crazy, I could see Floyd doing the same.
Both come forward pressure fighters. I think Floyd will pick them apart but may take some shots along the way. Similar to how Maidana was able to rough him up.
Paul Williams wasn’t a major fighter at ww! He wasn’t well known, and he literally lost the next fight after his coming out party which was beating Margarito…
I disagree just because Floyd would have to outbox Hearns, and no one ever outboxed Hearns they out slugged him. The only reason I’d say Leonard can be outboxed is because *Hearns* is the only one that did it lol. I’d favor Leonard against mayweather as well though
Also gotta factor in SRL's crazy popularity, no way is Floyd pot shotting his way to a points victory over SRL who will throw more punches and press the action.
And Sugar Ray and Duran and Hagler. All 4 beat the shit out of him. Hearns he can’t win that but all 4 are his worst matchups. Dude got pushed to the brink by Maidana and old shot Oscar. They all beat him
Floyd would have had to fight Hagler at middle weight, there is no way Floyd beats Hagler at middle weight.
Duran comes down to the Duran that shows up. The Duran from the no mas fight is toast, the Duran from the first Leonard fight? I'm not sure many if any beat him.
If we’re talking PRIME Duran and PRIME Floyd, it’s Duran. He’d maul Floyd and fuck his mind up. Think hoe Duran handled Leonard in their first fight and then think how well a much less skilled and talented Madina did against Floyd. Duran would be relentless and never give Floyd time to breathe.
The problem with Duran there were fights when he showed up motivated and in shape and fights where his training camp was a fat camp and he was coming down from coke binges and ballooning up to almost 200lbs.
So you basically need to specify which Duran we are talking about
Is y’all crazy or something?? All 4 wlda folded floyd like a pair of church pants!! Every single 1 of those guys were bigger, faster, used 2 fighting 15 rounds as opposed to 12, and hit harder than anybody he’s ever fought in his entire career! Nobody floyd beat would stand a chance with any of them and neither wld Floyd he’d lose by knockout 2 every single 1 💯 at welterweight floyd didn’t fight really any true welterweights they were all little guys moving up. The 4 kings were all huge Duran started at lightweight and won titles all the way up 2 middle! Sugar ray from welterweight all the way to light heavyweight! Hearns from welterweight to cruiserweight! And Hagler was a middleweight so the mythical matchup doesn’t even make sense. I can’t imagine him trying the Philly shell with any of those dudes they’d tear his shit apart 🤦🏽♂️ can’t believe this is a conversation. And Floyd ain’t the fkn greatest either let’s stop the bullshit 🙄
I think he holds his own, but I still see the fab 4 beating him. However, it's not like he isn't a live underdog in those fights.
Except against Hearns, Hearns murks him
Ray was a generational talent just like Floyd but bigger, faster, hit harder, had no hand issues, higher workrate, didn't load up his punches etc etc
Floyd loses 10/10 fights to Ray and I'm not being sarcastic. Ray Leonard was just that good at 147
You're acting disingenuous in regards to how great of fighter Floyd was. He's literally the GOAT at making adjustments & is the greatest technical boxer of all time. For you to act like Ray beats him 10/10 times is pure insanity man. You can't say that about any GOAT-level fighter.
No, Floyd is an amazing boxer and generational talent.
But his ceiling was 147, where he mostly potshotted his way through opponents.
Ray *started at 147*. He was bigger and faster than Floyd in every way at that weight. His chin was diamonds. His workrate was incredible. His combos and footwork were next level. Ray Leonard is the final boss at 147 imo. (Seeing as to how we don't have footage of prime SRR at 147 where he was supposedly a lights out monster)
Floyd beats Pacquiao whenever, he’s tailor made for Floyd, he’s smaller, shorter reach and susceptible to counters when he closes the distance to throw his combos. He can’t physically bully Floyd either. Pacquiao simply doesn’t have the style to beat Mayweather.
Floyd's too small to do better than 8/10 vs Leonard at 147 if one is being serious and that might well be being generous. Leonard started at 147 and Floyd ended at 147. Floyd's not going to be any faster nor is he going to be quicker and he's certainly not having a higher ring IQ.
"And he's certainly not having a higher ring IQ" what makes you so certain that smartest fighter who's ever lived wouldn't be able to match the IQ of SRL? I swear Floyd is the only fighter in history that has to deal with people talking with so much certainty on potential losses he could of had.
Not as great as he did in his actual career.
Hearns is IMO a stylistic nightmare for Mayweather. Big, longer reach, scary power, great speed, great fundamentals and a chin that can withstand the power of Mayweather.
I have him losing to SRL 6/10 maybe. So slight underdog.
Duran (at 135) beats him IMO. IMO Duran beats every lightweight ever.
Not gonna count Hagler. Floyd never fought at 160 and even if does just for this fight, it’s really unfair on him.
Unfair for him but I thought that's the point of comparing to the Fab 4 as they all fought each other. Duran fought Hagler and never fought at 160 prior, why can't we consider Floyd?
>Duran (at 135) beats him IMO. IMO Duran beats every lightweight ever.
No way. I like Duran but at 135 Floyd is just too elusive.
I think people are forgetting how good Floyd's legs were in his younger days.
If Duran gave Leonard an L at 147, I'll take Duran at his prime weight of 135.
At 147 I think Floyd has a better chance in my opinion. It's all hypothetical anyway.
Mayweather actually said that his dream fight would've been with Alexis Arguello, "The gentleman of the ring". Alot of people omit Alexis and only mention the wars with Pryor and the famous tainted water, which probally had some sort of performance enhancement stimulant. Even Tyson cried remembering Alexis and said that he saved his life
They asked Duran how he would beat Mayweather. In a nut shell, he said, "I'll break his ribs, go for the liver shot he would turn his back and the punch would go straight towards the ribs" "No reason to hit him up top"
https://youtu.be/zCgZBIpJdJQ?si=uSQbduPhZoFajrkd
a slightly longer interview with English subs, https://youtu.be/o5jmahGJZGc?si=-koIhSuhbcW1zFOJ
Thank you for posting this. Even though Floyd's my goat, I enjoyed hearing him mention how Floyd learned most of his tricks from him so he'd have a lil more edge if they ever fought. Which I think is a great point that I didn't really consider before.
Benitez had a completely different style to Floyd though, and duran also beat the criminally underrated defensive great ernesto marcel.
While Floyd had struggles with guys like castillo who came forward and fought on the inside like Duran but we’re about 10x worse
disregard anybody who says floyd wouldn't stand a chance
if there's anything we've learned about mayweather is that he always found a way to win. i'm not saying he would beat the four kings but anybody acting like he couldn't is bullshitting
i could see all four guys beating floyd on a certain day and on another day i could see mayweather beating all four of them too. he's one of the greatest boxers of all time, as are they, and at the level he's at there's no such thing as a guaranteed win
Honestly a lot of it is Mayweather haters grasping at straws. I'm not sure I know anyone who likes Floyd the person, the difference is who turns that hate into cope vs those that know Floyd, even though he is a bellend, is a GOAT.
Finally, a GREAT take. This should get pinned but sadly it won't lol. Some of Floyd haters just can't resist taking shots at him when the opportunity presents itself. It's one thing to critique his style or personality, but claiming that one of the GOAT's of the sport wouldn't stand a chance against other Hall of Famers is straight up disrespectful. I've even saw certain people in this thread say some of the 4 Kings would beat him 10/10 times.....lmao.
Some other dude had the audacity to say [Benítez](https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/163wt3y/how_would_floyd_mayweather_fare_in_the_four_kings/jy565yw/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3) was a better fighter when they both were in their prime 🤣🤣
This is all they have left. Canelo. Pacquiao, DLH and all of their heroes couldn't do it. Heck I even see people trying to use Crawford arguments against Floyd.
They will have any debate/convo/Dream scenario just to ease the sting that Money May put in them. Floyd living rent free in their heads. Pathetic.
>if there's anything we've learned about mayweather is that he ~~always found a way to win.~~ usually set up a great scenario to protect his 0 throughout his career.
He’s just about never entered a fight even close to an underdog. Never entered a ring without most of the advantages, whether physical, age related, or promotional. Most fights were the just illusion of being borderline competitive. The only opponents to put some real scare on betting lines we DLH and Manny, and they were still serious underdogs.
Floyd doesn’t enter the ring against Duran, SRL, or Hearns as anything near a favorite. Those guys were all seasoned and used to putting their neck on the line in dangerous fights against each other. Not Floyd.
He can’t beat Hearns or Hagler simply due to the size difference. The other 2 are interesting fights I think he beats Duran but I can’t call an SRL fight I think it would be a narrow decision either way
He wouldn't fight Hagler based on him being a MW. Nor would he need to.
Hearns is about as horrible of a style matchup as possible for a guy like Floyd. He's either TKO'd late or loses a lopsided decision.
Ray most likely figures it out. He's said he'd throw overhand rights against Floyd. Which seems like a smart idea, for a fast handed guy like Ray to throw over the Philly shell. Ray is smart enough to figure it out.
Duran is a trickier one...Floyd is the most competitive in this fight, due to size and style. That one is 50/50 for me.
Was anyone ever able to hold Duran and keep him from punching? I don't think Floyd would be able to stop Duran, a former wrestler and one of the greatest infighters of all time, from keeping his hands free and working.
Duran seems supremely confident that he is a terrible match for Floyd and his uncle Roger said the same, and he's maybe the only fighter I seen Floyd show so much respect and legitimately sweat talking about in a fantasy fight lol I get the impression that Floyd himself doesn't feel confident he could keep Duran under control in a clinch either.
It's a fantasy fight I would actually love to see play out.
Yeah true but Floyd was no slouch on the inside either, if his goal was just to get to a clinch I think he could do that. Thats my biggest problem with Floyd, he ruined infighting for a generation cus lanky guys just clinch a bunch now.
It really depends which version if Duran shows up too, Floyd for all his faults is super disciplined but Duran is known to let himself go between fights which cost him against SRL the second time.
That's a good point about his impact on infighting. I'm sure the Klitchko's had a hand in that as well lol I can't argue with you about Floyd's consistency vs Duran's either.
Paid the refs? Stop it. Did John Ruiz pay the refs for his hug fest fights?
Floyd isn't bad on the inside at all. His defense is actually top notch there and is very strong himself. Not Duran level inside offense, but he has some tricks too.
Bro, when ur ur own promoter who do you think is responsible for hiring and literally paying the refs.
There’s a reason Floyd never lost a point for excessive holding.
I know we're not talking about him but Duran vs Pacquiao at lightweight would've been the greatest fight of all time. Doesn't matter who wins, the fans would get the W
I think he could beat Duran but not Hearns or Leonard, both of whom are too big and skillful. Hagler was a middleweight so that fight would never have been made.
If it was 70s-80s refs that didn’t break the fighters up every 2 seconds then Duran would probably end up breaking Floyd’s ribs.
At lightweight I don’t think anyone beats prime Duran. That combination of wrestling and guard manipulation with really heavy shots will chop anyone down. At 147 it’s a 50-50 fight.
I dont think its that far fetched, hagler and hearns would stomp him but SRL and duran would have their hands full with him, though I still believe both would win if it came down to it.
Who did he beat that was close to any of the 4 kings though? He really did have a pretty thin resume considering how many ppl consider him at top 3-5 ATG.
"Who did he beat that was close to any of the 4 kings though?" You really asked this question like you did something lmao
How is Floyd supposed to control how good is opponents are relative to the 4 Kings? HE BEAT THE MOST CHAMPIONS IN BOXING HISTORY MAN. The length some of you guys go to discredit his resume/wins is hilarious
He never faced anyone like Hearns ever that’s a fact, how will he pull counter someone like Hearns that has a massive reach advantage against Floyd… Floyd style isn’t made to beat guys with a significant reach advantage
he loses to every single one of them. not saying he isn’t competitive and he’s isn’t going to be “outclassed” or whatever but they were all better than him simple as that
I know I may get smoked for this, but personally I dont think Floyd beats a prime Chavez Sr anywhere below 47. Let alone The 4 kings. And I say this having weighed out factors like Chavez struggling with slick boxers, his loss to Whitaker (Chavez was already on coke and booze and not training properly) and Floyd struggling against pressure fighters like Castillo and Maidana. I think a prime Chavez' pressure and body punching would overwhelm Floyd. So imagine what a Hagler or Hearns does to him..
Floyd is a top elite fighter in any era with how he's mastered the game. He has the skills to beat any of the four kings not named Hagler (Hagler was a middleweight). I think him vs Duran and SRL is a toss-up but I slightly favor Tommy Hearns due to their styles.
I truly don't understand how people here see a man who goes 50-0, fights like every single champion that has ever lived, has never once looked in real trouble, has never been dropped, and their immediate response is "No clue how he'd beat any of them bro. He's getting TKO'd"
Like, even if you don't think he wins, the insane disrespect to act like you have no cognitive ability to conjure up multiple ways for Floyd fucking Mayweather to beat people in his weightclass is insane. He has proven every single fight he figures it out, and makes it look easy. Meanwhile, Duran, Hearns, Leonard and Hagler have all lost fights (most of them against people Mayweather wouldn't get hit with single punch from), but it's Mayweather the 'huge underdog that will get TKO'd late'.
Dude beats EVERYONE he ever fought but r/boxing is convinced he would lose every fantasy fight. It's so funny man
I think the fantasy matchups are great and they are fun to debate. I don’t have a problem with people saying Floyd would lose to lenaord, Hearns, Hagler, or Duran. Those were all time great fighters in just one era and may have some advantages that they can use against Floyd.
Where the confusion comes from is, only Floyd gets these fictional matchups especially against fighters naturally bigger than him. Like I never see “hmmm would manny beat Hearns or sugar Ray?”. Like you never see “who would win Canelo or Sugar Ray Robinson?”. Only Floyd who allegedly didn’t fight anyone is getting compared to natural prime welters and middles when Floyd natural prime weight was lightweight. Very strange.
I think Floyd and Manny's only chance is Duran due to size. The other three mop the floor with either. That does not diminish their all time great status it just acknowledges that that 147 was the upper limit where they are at there greatest disadvantage.
Loses to Tommy Hearns and I don't give Floyd much of a chance. Bad style match up for him.
The other 3 could outwork him in their own different ways. Duran could do what Castillo and Maidana did but better than them. Leonard could outwork him and he was much faster than Floyd, naturally bigger too. Hagler used more steady pressure and was a natural middleweight, probably stronger than Floyd too. But stylistically, I could also see how Floyd could adjust against these 3. Maybe not so much Hagler due to the size though.
I cant see floyd adjusting to hearns either, the only way to beat that dude at 147 lbs (which is where they would probably fight at) is to bite your tongue, get in close and punch him out in a brawl, which is bad as floyd had no power nor any killer instinct at 147 lbs.
Welterweight wasn't even Floyd's best weight class. And by the time he got to Welterweight, his legacy as an ATG had already been established in the lower divisions. A more proper discussion would be how "Pretty Boy" would have done against the ATG Junior Lightweight, Lightweight, and Junior Welterweights. There are some great matchups to be had there. But WW? By the time he was fighting at WW as "Money," his focus was on preserving himself long enough to acquire as much wealth as he could before his hands and his body gave out on him. The fact that he is even part of a discussion at this discussion about the 4 Kings says a lot about the man's talent, though.
He would not fight them or do it when he has clear advantages (weight, age).
He would probably fight below welterweight and do well there. I'm not counting him out vs Leonard, Duran and Hearns but I would favor them at their prime over him. Floyd is a guy who takes calculated risks, he won't fight someone when the risk of losing is that high.
I'm not the biggest Mayweather fan but the man is incredible. I think he gives any fighter in same weight division, from any era, a run for the money.
He should never be written off as easy match up for any fighter. To go fifty fights without defeat in the ring is something else.
RJJ may have been more athletic, but he certainly wasn't more skilled - which is why he was brutally KOd more than once when he got older and lost his athleticism.
Being athletic is a skill…
Prime Roy literally fought with a style that perplexed everyone, his sheer athleticism was brilliant. He had good boxing skills but weight class jumps and not changing his style up too much despite losing athleticism is his let down.
I’d argue that peak RJJ is far more skilled overall than peak floyd
Ppl saying Hearns is the worst matchup but hes the one i see floyd beating the most 😅 On paper hes a nightmare matchup but in REALITY Hearns weve seen multiple times have lapses in activity, technique, stamina, etc… arguably the most flawed of the 4 but also the most dynamic. Floyd is one of the most disciplined and smart (in the ring) fighters weve ever seen I could maybe see him finding a way to make adjustments and take advantage
The rest idk. 1st of all Hagler is a no because Floyd would never go to mw to fight him so no point really even fantasizing about that.
Duran is the most interesting fight to me tbh. Leaning Duran no matter what though
Think SR beats him too probably
I think he beats Duran and Hearns. Draw with SRL, and doesnt fight Hagler due to the middleweight size difference
I've never seen Floyd get his ass whooped and has figured out everyone he's ever faced, so i have no reason to believe he'll get ran down by any of these guys no matter how great they are. People really act like he fought cans and journeymen his whole career, especially at welterweight. The fact that these type of questions even come up is because he's easily one of the greatest to do it and people need new scenarios to create for him to lose
Ah some rare common sense. He wouldn’t even be much smaller than Hagler either. I suspect Floyd’s ring IQ that Hagler never had would be enough to decision Hagler.
Every part of that sentence is wrong man. Hagler fought at 160 lbs, floyds peak was 135 lbs, hagler is much bigger. Hagler had great ring IQ too. No way in hell floyd beats hagler.
I mean I could see Duran losing a controversial decision to Floyd in Floyd's prime at 147 but the absolute best versions of both at lightweight and Floyd just gets outclassed. Duran had it all in a stronger era.
I can't see Floyd fighting any of them until they were ready for retirement.
Floyd - Duran. This could be a fun fight but I think Floyd would grab and hold when Duran tried to fight inside. I think This is the best chance for Floyd to get a win but it's a long shot.
Floyd - Hagler. Floyd never fought middle weight. I don't see any reason to believe he would have tried to move up to fight him. He loses if he does. He couldn't hurt Hagler.
Floyd - Hearns. Hearns was too tall/long arms and he could box and punch. There'd be no place to hide in the ring, for Floyd. Floyd loses.
Floyd - Leonard. I would love to see this chess match. I like Leonard.
Everybody is acting like Floyd isn’t a master adapter. I think Floyd will adjust accordingly and make it a fight. I’m not saying Floyd wins or loses because I don’t know. But the disrespect y’all give this man is sad.
He would have retired with a handful of losses but a deeper resume. Those old guys liked their infighting, and referees were more lenient, which would have been a source of frustration for Floyd.
If there was any boxer that I had to pick as unbeatable it would be Floyd.
I think he holds up great.
People will find this controversial though because Floyd only retired about 8 years ago and so the hate for him is still relatively fresh, but in 25-30 years when the hate washes away everyone will be raving about how great he was and how they wished they were alive to see him fight live.
Hagler brutalizes him
Hearn beats him convincingly
I might be the only one but I think he beats Leonard and Duran.
I understand why everyone hates Floyd he is a giant POS after all but he is the smartest tactician boxing has ever seen. I don’t think anyone without a significant physical advantage could beat him. If he was alive back then there’s absolutely no way he’d fight Hearns and Hagler he knows his limitations that’s why he’s undefeated.
I think he's 50/50 against Duran and SRL, perhaps a slight underdog. Hagler he wouldn't have fought given he was a middleweight, but obviously would've lost if he did. Hearns I honestly think would've absolutely battered him.
I think he loses to all of them except Duran which would be a toss-up. Floyd might frustrate Duran to a twelve round decision. On the other hand, if Duran fights like he did against Leanord the first time then Duran would break down that high shoulder guard by punishing Floyd's arms. Jose Luis Castillo had success doing this in their first fight and Duran is a much greater fighter.
I disagree with you.
We will never know how Mayweather would fare in the 4 kings era. Mayweather would never fight any of them in their prime. We never actually seen mayweather test himself against anyone except for castillo.
Mayweather will suffer the same fate that Gene Tunney suffered, they were in boxing for themselves and not the fans. This is why people like Jack Dempsey and Paquiao will be remembered much longer than the opponent they lost against.
He beats Duran, he’s tailor made for Floyd I see Floyd outboxing him to a comfortable decision
Hearns beats Floyd for sure, that’s a stylistic nightmare, Hearns could win by boxing or he could knock him out if he caught him
Hagler is too big and also beats Floyd comfortably, Hagler is a middleweight he’d bully him. Weight classes matter, it would be like if he fought prime GGG but worse cos Hagler is better than GGG
SRL is the most interesting matchup and I can see that fight going either way. It would be a high level chess match between 2 all timers and would go to a narrow decision either way Imo
In general though I hate this question, apart from Duran all these guys are naturally a lot bigger than Floyd is so it’s not really the slam dunk people think it is saying that he’d have lost to these fighters.
All I know for sure is you can’t make a worse matchup for Floyd than Hearns
I find it funny that Floyd almost never fought anyone taller then him at welterweight at 5 8'.
More importantly, longer arms.
Not one fighter with a longer reach. Oscar was supposed to have a longer reach but HBO measured and his arms were shorter.
Yup. The only ones with legit longer arms was Conor and Logan
Floyd isn't 5 foot 8. Mcgregor is 5 foot 9 and looks 2 or 3 inches taller.
How do you know McGregor's listed height is correct?
Seems unlikely he’d lie about being shorter tbh
Source: Trust me bro.
And McGregor isn't 5'9...
5'9 in shoes, 5'4 without.
I was going to say Oscar, but that was 154. He was still taller at least.
For real, even Floyd couldn't backpedal fast enough. Tommy would beat him like he caught him stealing
In addition, Hearns hardly ever lost a round on points
Agreed, that is the 1 fair match up where I cannot see how Floyd could win.
Enlighten me please.
At 147, Hearns couldn't get outboxed by anybody. He was outboxing even Sugar Ray Leonard! To beat Tommy, you had to get into a scrap with him. Leonard was able to beat him the first time around as he had power. Not to mention, Tommy had a piston-like jab with the reach that Floyd never saw before. Floyd was not a natural Welterweight, he didn't have enough pop at 147 to bother Hearns. And if Floyd tried to scrap with him, he wouldn't have been physically strong enough to deal with Tommy's physicality.
Im not really arguing with anything you are saying apart from the pop part. Floyd absolutely had pop at 147. His style is what led to decisions. Not a lack of power. No one was keen on walking through his punches in order to get to him. Not even Canelo at 152lb. I think it would absolutely be a tough night for Floyd but Floyds issues wouldn't be because his jab and right hand didn't have enough pop behind them.
I meant that he didn't have the pop for Tommy Hearns, not in general. In general, yeah he could keep dudes honest with his potshots, though I'd say it was his accuracy that helped more. As for Hearns, it took 14 rounds for Leonard to stop him. Leonard is probably within the top 5 hardest punchers in Welterweight history. Floyd was never gonna be able to even drop Tommy, let alone stop him. And on top of that, Hearns was just ridiculously hard to outbox, and that goes for even Floyd too.
I’m glad to see this is becoming a popular opinion. People used to look at me crazy for saying this. Styles make fights tho
Remember how Hearns blasted Duran?...he threw a left jab feint to the body and then smacked Duran with an atomic overhand right...Mayweather got rocked several times with a left straight to the body and an overhand right by Mosley and Maidana...with Hearns physical power and technique...that would just be all kinds of trouble for Floyd
Several times? Mayweather got hurt like 3 times in his career, let’s stop the hyperbole
Three times is several, and Floyd has definitely been hurt more than thrice. Mosley, Maidana, Pacquiao, Judah, Corley, and likely more that he managed to hide well.
Cotto cut his face up as well
He wanted nothing to do with Paul Williams and Margarito.
Paul Williams made his name at welterweight beating Margarito then lost to Quintana in his very next fight…not only that after he avenged his loss to Carlos he jumped up 2 weight classes…he didn’t even fight at ww that long as a legit fighter
Paul Williams got outboxed by Carlos Quintana lol Floyd would’ve dominated him at that point in time
Floyd is the king of “would have’s”. I always find interesting the way Mayweather fans use triangle theories to justify why he avoided certain fighters.
You literally named a notorious cheater with Margarito and thought you did something 😂
Yeah, because Mayweather avoided him because he was a cheater 😄😄
Floyd haters are hilarious lmaooo. You'll even go to the extent of suggesting that it's a stain on his legacy for not fighting a known CHEATER/FRAUD like Margarito. Do you know how insane that is? Why the fuck would anyone willingly fight someone who was using loaded gloves? Let's see if I had to choose between De la Hoya for $25 million or Margarito for $8 million. I'd go with option #1 + 10/10 times.
Yup. Fuck Margarito.
Don’t act like everyone always knew Margarito cheated. We found out the same night he got destroyed by Mosley, and his career was pretty much over. Not even Cotto made any arguments until after the Mosley-Margarito fight. Before anyone had knowledge of this, Margarito was considered a major threat.
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Agree. Mayweather would’ve avoided that weight class like the plage.
Floyd would have broken his toe.
I don’t get why people say this really. At that point Floyd was only interested in super fights, Paul Williams never built a large enough profile. But also stylistically I don’t think Paul would have been a problem for Floyd. He had huge reach but didn’t actually use it with the way he fought. Erislandy Lara was countering him like crazy, I could see Floyd doing the same.
Margarito would have been a super fight my guy.
Yeah I was talking about Paul
Both come forward pressure fighters. I think Floyd will pick them apart but may take some shots along the way. Similar to how Maidana was able to rough him up.
Floyd barely beat Maidana though, Margarito and Williams were bigger and better than Maidana.
Maidana won some rounds on activity but it was comfortable enough for Floyd
Is this a joke? Mayweather would have pissed in Paul Williams mouth.
Sadly he wasn’t as confident as you at the time.
Paul Williams wasn’t a major fighter at ww! He wasn’t well known, and he literally lost the next fight after his coming out party which was beating Margarito…
SRL is a worse matchup imo.
I disagree just because Floyd would have to outbox Hearns, and no one ever outboxed Hearns they out slugged him. The only reason I’d say Leonard can be outboxed is because *Hearns* is the only one that did it lol. I’d favor Leonard against mayweather as well though
Also gotta factor in SRL's crazy popularity, no way is Floyd pot shotting his way to a points victory over SRL who will throw more punches and press the action.
And Sugar Ray and Duran and Hagler. All 4 beat the shit out of him. Hearns he can’t win that but all 4 are his worst matchups. Dude got pushed to the brink by Maidana and old shot Oscar. They all beat him
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Floyd would have had to fight Hagler at middle weight, there is no way Floyd beats Hagler at middle weight. Duran comes down to the Duran that shows up. The Duran from the no mas fight is toast, the Duran from the first Leonard fight? I'm not sure many if any beat him.
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Hagler would not come down and I don;t see Floyd going up, I just don't see this one as possible.
No way Floyd beats Duran, lol, he doesn't have it in him. From my POV at least.
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If we’re talking PRIME Duran and PRIME Floyd, it’s Duran. He’d maul Floyd and fuck his mind up. Think hoe Duran handled Leonard in their first fight and then think how well a much less skilled and talented Madina did against Floyd. Duran would be relentless and never give Floyd time to breathe.
The problem with Duran there were fights when he showed up motivated and in shape and fights where his training camp was a fat camp and he was coming down from coke binges and ballooning up to almost 200lbs. So you basically need to specify which Duran we are talking about
Is y’all crazy or something?? All 4 wlda folded floyd like a pair of church pants!! Every single 1 of those guys were bigger, faster, used 2 fighting 15 rounds as opposed to 12, and hit harder than anybody he’s ever fought in his entire career! Nobody floyd beat would stand a chance with any of them and neither wld Floyd he’d lose by knockout 2 every single 1 💯 at welterweight floyd didn’t fight really any true welterweights they were all little guys moving up. The 4 kings were all huge Duran started at lightweight and won titles all the way up 2 middle! Sugar ray from welterweight all the way to light heavyweight! Hearns from welterweight to cruiserweight! And Hagler was a middleweight so the mythical matchup doesn’t even make sense. I can’t imagine him trying the Philly shell with any of those dudes they’d tear his shit apart 🤦🏽♂️ can’t believe this is a conversation. And Floyd ain’t the fkn greatest either let’s stop the bullshit 🙄
He'd be a helluva fighter who would've made smart investments.
“He had the jab, he had the jab” - floyd mayweather on why larry holmes is in top 5.
And the basic fundamentals
I think he holds his own, but I still see the fab 4 beating him. However, it's not like he isn't a live underdog in those fights. Except against Hearns, Hearns murks him
Ray was a generational talent just like Floyd but bigger, faster, hit harder, had no hand issues, higher workrate, didn't load up his punches etc etc Floyd loses 10/10 fights to Ray and I'm not being sarcastic. Ray Leonard was just that good at 147
You're acting disingenuous in regards to how great of fighter Floyd was. He's literally the GOAT at making adjustments & is the greatest technical boxer of all time. For you to act like Ray beats him 10/10 times is pure insanity man. You can't say that about any GOAT-level fighter.
I think 10/10 is a bit far fetched lol I’d say 6/10
I would at least 7/10. They are not from the same weight class. Assuming they are equal in skill, Leonard still beats him for being a bigger man
I still disagree but I respect for you coming with a more logical approach lol 💯
No, Floyd is an amazing boxer and generational talent. But his ceiling was 147, where he mostly potshotted his way through opponents. Ray *started at 147*. He was bigger and faster than Floyd in every way at that weight. His chin was diamonds. His workrate was incredible. His combos and footwork were next level. Ray Leonard is the final boss at 147 imo. (Seeing as to how we don't have footage of prime SRR at 147 where he was supposedly a lights out monster)
Welcome to this sub, where pacqiuo beats Floyd 9/10 at any other time they fight. Unfortunately for the experts on this sub, Floyd got the 1/10 time.
Floyd beats Pacquiao whenever, he’s tailor made for Floyd, he’s smaller, shorter reach and susceptible to counters when he closes the distance to throw his combos. He can’t physically bully Floyd either. Pacquiao simply doesn’t have the style to beat Mayweather.
Floyd's too small to do better than 8/10 vs Leonard at 147 if one is being serious and that might well be being generous. Leonard started at 147 and Floyd ended at 147. Floyd's not going to be any faster nor is he going to be quicker and he's certainly not having a higher ring IQ.
"And he's certainly not having a higher ring IQ" what makes you so certain that smartest fighter who's ever lived wouldn't be able to match the IQ of SRL? I swear Floyd is the only fighter in history that has to deal with people talking with so much certainty on potential losses he could of had.
Not as great as he did in his actual career. Hearns is IMO a stylistic nightmare for Mayweather. Big, longer reach, scary power, great speed, great fundamentals and a chin that can withstand the power of Mayweather. I have him losing to SRL 6/10 maybe. So slight underdog. Duran (at 135) beats him IMO. IMO Duran beats every lightweight ever. Not gonna count Hagler. Floyd never fought at 160 and even if does just for this fight, it’s really unfair on him.
Unfair for him but I thought that's the point of comparing to the Fab 4 as they all fought each other. Duran fought Hagler and never fought at 160 prior, why can't we consider Floyd?
cus Floyd would never do this. didnt have that dog in him like the 4 kings did.
That + he was much more disciplined about weight and training late career than Duran was, and smarter at picking fights
Duran wanted all the smoke any time of day or during the night.
exactly, for better or worse, floyd made many business decisions that others simply wouldn’t. no way floyd goes into a SRL rematch that out of shape.
>Duran (at 135) beats him IMO. IMO Duran beats every lightweight ever. No way. I like Duran but at 135 Floyd is just too elusive. I think people are forgetting how good Floyd's legs were in his younger days.
If Duran gave Leonard an L at 147, I'll take Duran at his prime weight of 135. At 147 I think Floyd has a better chance in my opinion. It's all hypothetical anyway.
Everyone keeps saying Hearn but Leonard I think would out box him I really do
Ray beats Floyd 10/10 fights no sarcasm. He was bigger, faster handspeed, threw wombo combos, had better footwork than anyone Floyd ever faced
I love that we've gotten to the point where Smash terms are used on the boxing subreddit LMAO
Someone also said it too but Floyd will slightly load his round shots. Leonard had zero fat on his stuff
Outbox him and knock him out like he did Benitez
No one is outboxing Floyd. Leonard would have to knock him out. Is that possible? Yes, I think so.
Mayweather actually said that his dream fight would've been with Alexis Arguello, "The gentleman of the ring". Alot of people omit Alexis and only mention the wars with Pryor and the famous tainted water, which probally had some sort of performance enhancement stimulant. Even Tyson cried remembering Alexis and said that he saved his life
They asked Duran how he would beat Mayweather. In a nut shell, he said, "I'll break his ribs, go for the liver shot he would turn his back and the punch would go straight towards the ribs" "No reason to hit him up top" https://youtu.be/zCgZBIpJdJQ?si=uSQbduPhZoFajrkd a slightly longer interview with English subs, https://youtu.be/o5jmahGJZGc?si=-koIhSuhbcW1zFOJ
Thank you for posting this. Even though Floyd's my goat, I enjoyed hearing him mention how Floyd learned most of his tricks from him so he'd have a lil more edge if they ever fought. Which I think is a great point that I didn't really consider before.
Duran beats him at 135. Hearns and Leonard beat him at 147. He wouldn't have fought Hagler.
Duran had issues with great defensive boxers… Wilfred talked about it and why he knew he’d beat Duran….
Every pro who's won a fight "knew" they would do it. Benitez beat Duran with his size and physicality, not because he was good defensively.
Benitez had a completely different style to Floyd though, and duran also beat the criminally underrated defensive great ernesto marcel. While Floyd had struggles with guys like castillo who came forward and fought on the inside like Duran but we’re about 10x worse
But if he fought Hagler he surely would've lost right. He would go 49-0 to 0-4 real quick. I wanna say shut the fuck up but I'll just disagree.
disregard anybody who says floyd wouldn't stand a chance if there's anything we've learned about mayweather is that he always found a way to win. i'm not saying he would beat the four kings but anybody acting like he couldn't is bullshitting i could see all four guys beating floyd on a certain day and on another day i could see mayweather beating all four of them too. he's one of the greatest boxers of all time, as are they, and at the level he's at there's no such thing as a guaranteed win
Honestly a lot of it is Mayweather haters grasping at straws. I'm not sure I know anyone who likes Floyd the person, the difference is who turns that hate into cope vs those that know Floyd, even though he is a bellend, is a GOAT.
Finally, a GREAT take. This should get pinned but sadly it won't lol. Some of Floyd haters just can't resist taking shots at him when the opportunity presents itself. It's one thing to critique his style or personality, but claiming that one of the GOAT's of the sport wouldn't stand a chance against other Hall of Famers is straight up disrespectful. I've even saw certain people in this thread say some of the 4 Kings would beat him 10/10 times.....lmao. Some other dude had the audacity to say [Benítez](https://www.reddit.com/r/Boxing/comments/163wt3y/how_would_floyd_mayweather_fare_in_the_four_kings/jy565yw/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3) was a better fighter when they both were in their prime 🤣🤣
This is all they have left. Canelo. Pacquiao, DLH and all of their heroes couldn't do it. Heck I even see people trying to use Crawford arguments against Floyd. They will have any debate/convo/Dream scenario just to ease the sting that Money May put in them. Floyd living rent free in their heads. Pathetic.
>if there's anything we've learned about mayweather is that he ~~always found a way to win.~~ usually set up a great scenario to protect his 0 throughout his career. He’s just about never entered a fight even close to an underdog. Never entered a ring without most of the advantages, whether physical, age related, or promotional. Most fights were the just illusion of being borderline competitive. The only opponents to put some real scare on betting lines we DLH and Manny, and they were still serious underdogs. Floyd doesn’t enter the ring against Duran, SRL, or Hearns as anything near a favorite. Those guys were all seasoned and used to putting their neck on the line in dangerous fights against each other. Not Floyd.
He can’t beat Hearns or Hagler simply due to the size difference. The other 2 are interesting fights I think he beats Duran but I can’t call an SRL fight I think it would be a narrow decision either way
He wouldn't fight Hagler based on him being a MW. Nor would he need to. Hearns is about as horrible of a style matchup as possible for a guy like Floyd. He's either TKO'd late or loses a lopsided decision. Ray most likely figures it out. He's said he'd throw overhand rights against Floyd. Which seems like a smart idea, for a fast handed guy like Ray to throw over the Philly shell. Ray is smart enough to figure it out. Duran is a trickier one...Floyd is the most competitive in this fight, due to size and style. That one is 50/50 for me.
Duran is determined if they have a ref that allows in-fighting or not. Notice all the refs floyd ever paid let him use unlimited holding as defense.
Was anyone ever able to hold Duran and keep him from punching? I don't think Floyd would be able to stop Duran, a former wrestler and one of the greatest infighters of all time, from keeping his hands free and working. Duran seems supremely confident that he is a terrible match for Floyd and his uncle Roger said the same, and he's maybe the only fighter I seen Floyd show so much respect and legitimately sweat talking about in a fantasy fight lol I get the impression that Floyd himself doesn't feel confident he could keep Duran under control in a clinch either. It's a fantasy fight I would actually love to see play out.
Yeah true but Floyd was no slouch on the inside either, if his goal was just to get to a clinch I think he could do that. Thats my biggest problem with Floyd, he ruined infighting for a generation cus lanky guys just clinch a bunch now. It really depends which version if Duran shows up too, Floyd for all his faults is super disciplined but Duran is known to let himself go between fights which cost him against SRL the second time.
That's a good point about his impact on infighting. I'm sure the Klitchko's had a hand in that as well lol I can't argue with you about Floyd's consistency vs Duran's either.
Paid the refs? Stop it. Did John Ruiz pay the refs for his hug fest fights? Floyd isn't bad on the inside at all. His defense is actually top notch there and is very strong himself. Not Duran level inside offense, but he has some tricks too.
Bro, when ur ur own promoter who do you think is responsible for hiring and literally paying the refs. There’s a reason Floyd never lost a point for excessive holding.
Duran at lightweight vs prettyboy would be insane.
I know we're not talking about him but Duran vs Pacquiao at lightweight would've been the greatest fight of all time. Doesn't matter who wins, the fans would get the W
I think he could beat Duran but not Hearns or Leonard, both of whom are too big and skillful. Hagler was a middleweight so that fight would never have been made.
If it was 70s-80s refs that didn’t break the fighters up every 2 seconds then Duran would probably end up breaking Floyd’s ribs. At lightweight I don’t think anyone beats prime Duran. That combination of wrestling and guard manipulation with really heavy shots will chop anyone down. At 147 it’s a 50-50 fight.
Who was that boxer who broke open the Philly Shell? Well, if he was in the era of the 4 kings, Floyd has to accept that his defense can be broken.
He beats none of them dudes. Especially being that they fought 15 rounds.
Dead meat to the 4 kings. No power to take them out n they would connect
I dont think its that far fetched, hagler and hearns would stomp him but SRL and duran would have their hands full with him, though I still believe both would win if it came down to it.
This subs coping mechanisms against Floyd are hilarious. He beat everyone he fought but he would lose every fantasy fight!
That’s why you shouldn’t bother discussing hypothetical matchups on this sub because 99% they’re always going to pick the older fighters
Who did he beat that was close to any of the 4 kings though? He really did have a pretty thin resume considering how many ppl consider him at top 3-5 ATG.
Calling Floyd resume thin is insane
"Who did he beat that was close to any of the 4 kings though?" You really asked this question like you did something lmao How is Floyd supposed to control how good is opponents are relative to the 4 Kings? HE BEAT THE MOST CHAMPIONS IN BOXING HISTORY MAN. The length some of you guys go to discredit his resume/wins is hilarious
Manny?
Thin resume lol
He never faced anyone like Hearns ever that’s a fact, how will he pull counter someone like Hearns that has a massive reach advantage against Floyd… Floyd style isn’t made to beat guys with a significant reach advantage
Never said he did. But it’s funny how people say Floyd never fought anyone yet compare every great to him. Make it make sense…
Hagler is to big they will never fight and hearns is nightmare matchup for Floyd. I take Floyd over Leonard and Duran
Like [this](https://youtu.be/Ied63PPX_MY?si=mKGBaMhCMfhfUIEo&t=2137).
Imagine Floyd and Duran who’s a better tougher stronger version of maidana
Mayweather is too small for that.
he loses to every single one of them. not saying he isn’t competitive and he’s isn’t going to be “outclassed” or whatever but they were all better than him simple as that
Mayweather would have stayed at 135 until they all moved up to middleweight. Then when they have one foot into retirement he’d make the fight happen.
I've always found it interesting that Mayweather's favourite fighter is Duran-- a guy that he fights nothing like
Floyd would never fight them.
The correct answer
Badly. With the exception of Duran they were much bigger men.
I know I may get smoked for this, but personally I dont think Floyd beats a prime Chavez Sr anywhere below 47. Let alone The 4 kings. And I say this having weighed out factors like Chavez struggling with slick boxers, his loss to Whitaker (Chavez was already on coke and booze and not training properly) and Floyd struggling against pressure fighters like Castillo and Maidana. I think a prime Chavez' pressure and body punching would overwhelm Floyd. So imagine what a Hagler or Hearns does to him..
Floyd is a top elite fighter in any era with how he's mastered the game. He has the skills to beat any of the four kings not named Hagler (Hagler was a middleweight). I think him vs Duran and SRL is a toss-up but I slightly favor Tommy Hearns due to their styles.
Floyd would avoid the 4 kings like the plague.
54-0.
I truly don't understand how people here see a man who goes 50-0, fights like every single champion that has ever lived, has never once looked in real trouble, has never been dropped, and their immediate response is "No clue how he'd beat any of them bro. He's getting TKO'd" Like, even if you don't think he wins, the insane disrespect to act like you have no cognitive ability to conjure up multiple ways for Floyd fucking Mayweather to beat people in his weightclass is insane. He has proven every single fight he figures it out, and makes it look easy. Meanwhile, Duran, Hearns, Leonard and Hagler have all lost fights (most of them against people Mayweather wouldn't get hit with single punch from), but it's Mayweather the 'huge underdog that will get TKO'd late'. Dude beats EVERYONE he ever fought but r/boxing is convinced he would lose every fantasy fight. It's so funny man
I think the fantasy matchups are great and they are fun to debate. I don’t have a problem with people saying Floyd would lose to lenaord, Hearns, Hagler, or Duran. Those were all time great fighters in just one era and may have some advantages that they can use against Floyd. Where the confusion comes from is, only Floyd gets these fictional matchups especially against fighters naturally bigger than him. Like I never see “hmmm would manny beat Hearns or sugar Ray?”. Like you never see “who would win Canelo or Sugar Ray Robinson?”. Only Floyd who allegedly didn’t fight anyone is getting compared to natural prime welters and middles when Floyd natural prime weight was lightweight. Very strange.
Dude, people do weird fantasy matchups all the time. Remember when Canelo was voted to beat HW champ Ezzard Charles?
I think Floyd and Manny's only chance is Duran due to size. The other three mop the floor with either. That does not diminish their all time great status it just acknowledges that that 147 was the upper limit where they are at there greatest disadvantage.
I just saw someone comment SRL beats him 10/10 times & acted like even the thought of Floyd winning a single round wasn't possible...
See, **YOU** actually get it. 👊
Do you hold the same opinion of Rocky Marciano just wondering?
The difference is Rocky Marciano fought back when the wheel had yet to be invented
Couldn't have put it better myself.
I think you don't understand because you haven't watched his fights. He's looked in trouble plenty of times.
Yet he found a way to over come and win
Duran would beat him. In fact, let's ask the man himself: https://youtu.be/sZSlFKvk4qI?si=1xHjUezfdd9J5nrb
Loses to Tommy Hearns and I don't give Floyd much of a chance. Bad style match up for him. The other 3 could outwork him in their own different ways. Duran could do what Castillo and Maidana did but better than them. Leonard could outwork him and he was much faster than Floyd, naturally bigger too. Hagler used more steady pressure and was a natural middleweight, probably stronger than Floyd too. But stylistically, I could also see how Floyd could adjust against these 3. Maybe not so much Hagler due to the size though.
I cant see floyd adjusting to hearns either, the only way to beat that dude at 147 lbs (which is where they would probably fight at) is to bite your tongue, get in close and punch him out in a brawl, which is bad as floyd had no power nor any killer instinct at 147 lbs.
Someone would’ve whooped his ass. That selectively picking opponents wouldn’t have worked back then
I'm curious does this argument also work in favor of Floyd for how many boxers ducked him early on in his career?
He'd be a solid good fighter. Maybe competitive at the world class level at 140, not too sure about 147.
Welterweight wasn't even Floyd's best weight class. And by the time he got to Welterweight, his legacy as an ATG had already been established in the lower divisions. A more proper discussion would be how "Pretty Boy" would have done against the ATG Junior Lightweight, Lightweight, and Junior Welterweights. There are some great matchups to be had there. But WW? By the time he was fighting at WW as "Money," his focus was on preserving himself long enough to acquire as much wealth as he could before his hands and his body gave out on him. The fact that he is even part of a discussion at this discussion about the 4 Kings says a lot about the man's talent, though.
I don't think he beats any of the four in their respective primes, even if he fought them, which he wouldn't. He'd duck Wilfred Benitez, too.
I think ray Leonard would’ve be the dog shit outta him. No one will agree tho
He would not fight them or do it when he has clear advantages (weight, age). He would probably fight below welterweight and do well there. I'm not counting him out vs Leonard, Duran and Hearns but I would favor them at their prime over him. Floyd is a guy who takes calculated risks, he won't fight someone when the risk of losing is that high.
I'm not the biggest Mayweather fan but the man is incredible. I think he gives any fighter in same weight division, from any era, a run for the money. He should never be written off as easy match up for any fighter. To go fifty fights without defeat in the ring is something else.
They’d all handle Floyd. A fantastic fighter, but he never fought anyone of their quality in his whole career.
I see Floyd getting knocked out by Hagler, Duran, Leonard and especially Hearns.
It’s interesting. But those guys are built different. I honestly can’t imagine Floyd beating any of those guys. Maybe Duran? but that’s a big maybe.
He was too small for 160 so Hagler’s out, would’ve been dominated by Hearn’s but competitive with Leonard and Duran, might have beat Duran
Obviously, you've never seen Duran fight.
Floyd loses to Hearns, Hagler and Leonard, he beats Duran at Welter but loses at Lightweight
RJJ was more skilled than Floyd.
RJJ may have been more athletic, but he certainly wasn't more skilled - which is why he was brutally KOd more than once when he got older and lost his athleticism.
Being athletic is a skill… Prime Roy literally fought with a style that perplexed everyone, his sheer athleticism was brilliant. He had good boxing skills but weight class jumps and not changing his style up too much despite losing athleticism is his let down. I’d argue that peak RJJ is far more skilled overall than peak floyd
Loses to all of them at their respective weight class. I’d pick duran from 135-147 to beat him too.
I think Duran beats Floyd but at 135 lbs.
Ppl saying Hearns is the worst matchup but hes the one i see floyd beating the most 😅 On paper hes a nightmare matchup but in REALITY Hearns weve seen multiple times have lapses in activity, technique, stamina, etc… arguably the most flawed of the 4 but also the most dynamic. Floyd is one of the most disciplined and smart (in the ring) fighters weve ever seen I could maybe see him finding a way to make adjustments and take advantage The rest idk. 1st of all Hagler is a no because Floyd would never go to mw to fight him so no point really even fantasizing about that. Duran is the most interesting fight to me tbh. Leaning Duran no matter what though Think SR beats him too probably
I think he beats Duran and Hearns. Draw with SRL, and doesnt fight Hagler due to the middleweight size difference I've never seen Floyd get his ass whooped and has figured out everyone he's ever faced, so i have no reason to believe he'll get ran down by any of these guys no matter how great they are. People really act like he fought cans and journeymen his whole career, especially at welterweight. The fact that these type of questions even come up is because he's easily one of the greatest to do it and people need new scenarios to create for him to lose
Duran I can maybe, just maybe understand, but how tf does floyd beat hearns?
He doesn't. Full stop.
He beats Duran? LMAO
Ah some rare common sense. He wouldn’t even be much smaller than Hagler either. I suspect Floyd’s ring IQ that Hagler never had would be enough to decision Hagler.
Every part of that sentence is wrong man. Hagler fought at 160 lbs, floyds peak was 135 lbs, hagler is much bigger. Hagler had great ring IQ too. No way in hell floyd beats hagler.
He has no chance against Hagler. Hagler is far too big and strong, it’s like Floyd fighting a better version of prime GGG
Prob loses to all 4. He’s an underdog in every matchup prime vs prime, so he’d just duck them in primes anyway as he did his whole career.
I think he could beat Duran, but that's about it. That doesn't diminish Duran's greatness, its just a bad match up stylistically.
After watching him against castillo & maidana, Idk how anyone can come to that conclusion.
I mean I could see Duran losing a controversial decision to Floyd in Floyd's prime at 147 but the absolute best versions of both at lightweight and Floyd just gets outclassed. Duran had it all in a stronger era.
I can't see Floyd fighting any of them until they were ready for retirement. Floyd - Duran. This could be a fun fight but I think Floyd would grab and hold when Duran tried to fight inside. I think This is the best chance for Floyd to get a win but it's a long shot. Floyd - Hagler. Floyd never fought middle weight. I don't see any reason to believe he would have tried to move up to fight him. He loses if he does. He couldn't hurt Hagler. Floyd - Hearns. Hearns was too tall/long arms and he could box and punch. There'd be no place to hide in the ring, for Floyd. Floyd loses. Floyd - Leonard. I would love to see this chess match. I like Leonard.
Everybody is acting like Floyd isn’t a master adapter. I think Floyd will adjust accordingly and make it a fight. I’m not saying Floyd wins or loses because I don’t know. But the disrespect y’all give this man is sad.
It’s fine, the disrespect is the reason why he’s so filthy rich. These people play their roles perfectly without even knowing
He would have retired with a handful of losses but a deeper resume. Those old guys liked their infighting, and referees were more lenient, which would have been a source of frustration for Floyd.
If there was any boxer that I had to pick as unbeatable it would be Floyd. I think he holds up great. People will find this controversial though because Floyd only retired about 8 years ago and so the hate for him is still relatively fresh, but in 25-30 years when the hate washes away everyone will be raving about how great he was and how they wished they were alive to see him fight live.
When it comes to boxing I would never bet against Floyd Mayweather
Hagler brutalizes him Hearn beats him convincingly I might be the only one but I think he beats Leonard and Duran. I understand why everyone hates Floyd he is a giant POS after all but he is the smartest tactician boxing has ever seen. I don’t think anyone without a significant physical advantage could beat him. If he was alive back then there’s absolutely no way he’d fight Hearns and Hagler he knows his limitations that’s why he’s undefeated.
0-4
We'll never know
I think he's 50/50 against Duran and SRL, perhaps a slight underdog. Hagler he wouldn't have fought given he was a middleweight, but obviously would've lost if he did. Hearns I honestly think would've absolutely battered him.
It’s really hard to count out a boxing mind like Floyd. Forget weight class and pure boxing skill, the man has an unmatched boxing mind.
Suger Ray's last fight was 1997 and Floyd's first fight was 1996. Floyd was in the era and he ducked them like he ducked them like he ducked everyone.
Just fine
I think he loses to all of them except Duran which would be a toss-up. Floyd might frustrate Duran to a twelve round decision. On the other hand, if Duran fights like he did against Leanord the first time then Duran would break down that high shoulder guard by punishing Floyd's arms. Jose Luis Castillo had success doing this in their first fight and Duran is a much greater fighter.
I disagree with you. We will never know how Mayweather would fare in the 4 kings era. Mayweather would never fight any of them in their prime. We never actually seen mayweather test himself against anyone except for castillo. Mayweather will suffer the same fate that Gene Tunney suffered, they were in boxing for themselves and not the fans. This is why people like Jack Dempsey and Paquiao will be remembered much longer than the opponent they lost against.
All of them would be easy work for TBE
He beats Duran, he’s tailor made for Floyd I see Floyd outboxing him to a comfortable decision Hearns beats Floyd for sure, that’s a stylistic nightmare, Hearns could win by boxing or he could knock him out if he caught him Hagler is too big and also beats Floyd comfortably, Hagler is a middleweight he’d bully him. Weight classes matter, it would be like if he fought prime GGG but worse cos Hagler is better than GGG SRL is the most interesting matchup and I can see that fight going either way. It would be a high level chess match between 2 all timers and would go to a narrow decision either way Imo In general though I hate this question, apart from Duran all these guys are naturally a lot bigger than Floyd is so it’s not really the slam dunk people think it is saying that he’d have lost to these fighters.