Roger Mayweather has revealed the best fighter that he shared the ring with during his professional career.
Before he coached his all-time-great nephew Floyd, Roger Mayweather enjoyed considerable success throughout the course of his own fighting career, winning world titles in two weight classes along the way.
The Michigan-native reigned supreme at super-featherweight and light-welterweight, racking up no less than 59 victories before announcing his retirement from the sport in 1999.
Whilst he did suffer 13 losses during his tenure, Mayweather never shied away from a challenge and would go on to share the ring with a number of generational greats, including Mexican icon Julio Cesar Chavez, who he fought on two occasions.
Speaking to Boxing Scene, Mayweather named countryman Pernell Whitaker as the best fighter that he ever faced, who he says was ‘one of the best fighters ever’.
“The best pure fighter I ever fought was Pernell Whitaker. Whitaker was one of the best fighters in any era. I was looking at the Ring Magazine’s top 80 fighters of all time and they got him at number 10. The first 2 are Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong.
“Another guy was Roberto Duran. They got Willie Pep but that’s bullsh*t. Willie Pep wasn’t sh*t anyway. He was a white man and they always gotta put that motherf**ker on top.”
Known for his defensive brilliance, Whitaker entered the paid ranks just after he captured an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, California.
‘Sweet Pea’ would prove to be one of the greatest fighters of his generation during his time as a professional, winning world titles in four weight classes up until his retirement from the sport in 2001.
