Former pound-for-pound superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr has revealed who he believes is the best 135 pounder of all time.
‘Money’ Mayweather is widely considered to be one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter to have ever stepped into a ring.
After drawing the curtain on his stellar amateur career, Mayweather entered the paid ranks in 1996 and established himself as a serious contender within a matter of months.
The Michigan-native remained unbeaten for the duration of his 50-fight professional career, winning world titles in five weight divisions along the way.
After picking up wins over the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather eventually announced his hanging up of the gloves in 2017, shortly after he defeated UFC legend Conor McGregor in their huge crossover showdown.
Whilst naming his top five boxers of all time on Fat Joe’s podcast, it was little surprise that he included himself. Mayweather then also included Panamanian legend Roberto Duran, who he says is arguably the greatest lightweight of all time.
“I’mma go Roberto Duran … Duran was arguably the greatest lightweight ever and became one of the ‘four kings’ at welterweight and middleweight.”
Duran, who went by his iconic moniker ‘Hands of Stone’, won fans worldwide in a career that spanned across five decades.
The bulk of Duran’s success came during the 1980s and the ‘four kings’ era alongside Thomas Hearns, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard.
Despite scoring one win over Leonard, Duran was naturally smaller than his rivals and, like Mayweather says, was most destructive down at lightweight. In the division, he captured the WBA title in 1972 by defeating Ken Buchanan before successfully defended it 12 times with a blend of relentless aggression, elite inside fighting, and technical skill that cemented his legacy as, as Mayweather agrees, one of the greatest lightweights in history.
