In the eyes of many, Muhammad Ali is considered to be the greatest fighter to have ever laced up the gloves.
He entered the professional ranks back in 1960, just a short while after walking away from the Olympic Games in Rome with a Light-Heavyweight Gold Medal.
Ali would go on to capture the world heavyweight championship on three occasions throughout the course of his 21-year tenure, racking up victories over the likes of Ken Norton, Joe Frazier and George Foreman along the way.
Despite proving himself to be one of, if not the best fighter to have ever graced the sport, there is one man that believes he deserved to be ranked even higher than the man they called ‘The Greatest’.
Speaking to First Post, five-division world champion and 2021 hall of fame inductee Floyd Mayweather claimed that he believes he is actually the greatest of all time, as he plays down the success and credentials of Ali.
“I feel like I have done just as much in the sport as Ali. It is hard for a guy to be like me, still sharp at 38. No disrespect to Ali, but I feel like I am the best. Ali lost in his career to Leon Spinks. He lost some other fights and is still known as the greatest. That is what it is.”
‘Money’ Mayweather drew the curtain on his exceptional professional career back in 2017, walking away with an unblemished record of 50-0 to his name, with the final victory of his tenure coming against MMA superstar Conor McGregor.
The Michigan native racked up a number of career-defining wins along the way, defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Alvarez, Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao to name just a few.
Mayweather’s high opinion of himself has rubbed some fellow fighters up the wrong way, including Roy Jones Jr, who takes serious issue with the claim of being better than Ali.
