A former rival of Floyd Mayweather believes there is just one other fighter in boxing history that could match the skillset of the Hall of Fame great.
Commended for his outstanding defence, Mayweather cemented himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time during his decorated professional career which began shortly after he captured a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mayweather would go on to become a world champion in five weight divisions during his tenure, ranging from super-featherweight to light-middleweight, before he eventually walked away from the sport with an unbeaten record of 50-0 to his name in 2017.
One man in particular who fell short to Mayweather on two occasions was Argentine great Marcos Maidana, who came very close to handing the American the first defeat of his career.
Their first bout in May 2014 saw Mayweather win by majority decision, leading to an immediate rematch, with the pound-for-pound superstar claiming a unanimous decision victory when they met again four months later.
While many view Mayweather as being one of the most skilled boxers ever, in a round of ‘Best I Faced’ with The Ring Magazine, Maidana claimed that Mexican icon Erik Morales was just as skilful as Mayweather in a surprising admission.
“Best skills? Mayweather and Morales. Although two totally different styles these guys really know how to box and to get away from dangerous situations to come back with their own arsenal.”
Maidana faced four-weight world champion Morales at the MGM Grand Garden Arena back in April of 2011, capturing the vacant WBA interim light-welterweight title in the process.
Whilst his showdown with Maidana came at the back end of his decorated career, Morales remains one of the best Mexican fighters of all time which he proved on more than one occasion during his 21-year tenure.
He was the first Mexico-born boxing in history to become a four-weight world champion, and defeated 15 world champions during his career, including Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera.
