Retired pound-for-pound great Floyd Mayweather has named one fighter that he believes would have defeated the legendary Muhammad Ali.
Known by his moniker ‘The Greatest’, Ali burst onto the scene after his success at the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome, which he walked away from with a Light-Heavyweight Gold Medal.
The Kentucky-native would go on to capture a version of the world heavyweight championship on three occasions throughout the course of his storied professional career, which spanned from 1960 up until his retirement from the sport in 1981.
Although he did suffer a handful of defeats along the way, Ali racked up victories over a number of legendary heavyweights during his tenure, including the likes of Joe Frazier, Ken Norton and George Foreman amongst many others. Many feel that, at his best, he was unbeatable.
In a round of ‘Winner Stays On’ with The Daily Mail, five-weight world champion Mayweather was asked to predict the outcome of a fantasy clash between Ali and former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, and he backed the Brit.
Lewis, one of the greatest British fighters of all time and in the argument for the best at heavyweight worldwide, had considerable success during his own campaign, also reigning as the champion on three occasions.
‘The Lion’ enjoyed victories over the likes of Vitali Klitschko, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield at the peak of his career, suffering just two defeats before his retirement in 2003 against Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, though he did avenge both of those losses in rematches. He has praised Ali as an idol and the best of all time.
