In the eyes of many, former pound-for-pound star Floyd Mayweather is the greatest fighter of all time.
The Michigan-native had an incredible professional career which culminated in him capturing world titles in five weight classes, having reigned at super-featherweight, lightweight, super-lightweight, welterweight and super-welterweight.
‘Money’ dominated the sport throughout the early-to-mid 2000s, racking up wins over the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez as he became the number one attraction in the entire sport.
He produced his 50th consecutive victory in August 2017 when he stopped UFC fighter Conor McGregor in the 10th round of their controversial crossover showdown at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Mayweather gave a surprising answer when asked to reveal the toughest opponent of his career, naming the durable Emanuel Augustus in a shock admission.
“Emanuel Augustus was my toughest opponent…
“His record didn’t show his skillset, but the guy was unbelievable.”
Mayweather faced Augustus during the earlier stages of his professional career, stopping the Chicago-native in the ninth round of their non-title bout at the Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan.
Augustus proved to be a durable opponent for many world class opponents during his tenure, facing the likes of John John Molina and Ruslan Provodnikov prior to his retirement from the sport in 2011, walking away from boxing with a record of 38-34-6.
Despite losing 34 times, only five of those defeats came by stoppage, with Provodnikov, Wale Omotoso, Allan Vester and Jesus Chavez joining Mayweather as fighters to have beaten Augustus inside the distance.
