With a career spanning almost two decades, generating a remarkable 49-0 record and hundreds of millions in revenue, few can deny that Floyd Mayweather earned merit as an extraordinary talent, as well as the moniker "Money."
Already regarded as the best boxer of his era, the recently retired champion now pines for public recognition as simply the best ever.
Mayweather could expedite his stake to supremacy by circulating his vitae against the legacies of great champions like Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Pernell Whitaker, Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe and other ambassadors of the sport.
But a more efficient way to reach ostensive preeminence is for Mayweather to knock out "The Greatest" obstacle in his way.
Perhaps you may have heard of him. His name is Muhammad Ali.
Pitted up against Ali's tall stature, some might perceive the shorter Mayweather as the presumptive long shot.
But when the last punch is thrown and the scorecards are tallied, Mayweather's legacy will stand taller because of one decisive datum: Two of the greatest upsets in boxing history feature overachieving underdogs outworking and outfoxing the same heavily favored foe.
Perhaps you may have heard of him. His name is Muhammad Ali.
The first upset occurred in 1973 when an unknown former marine named Ken Norton shook up the world by putting on a boxing clinic against Ali, penetrating his defense all night and breaking Ali's jaw in the process. After a long career, Ken Norton retired having beaten only one world-class fighter, Ali, but his surprising upset was enough to gain him entry into boxing's hallowed Hall of Fame.
But Ali's second upset loss is more damaging to claims on his inimitability.
It happened in 1978 when Leon Spinks, a contender with only seven professional fights under his belt, used the heavyweight champion of the world as his portable punching bag.
That only a year earlier a subpar fighter like Scott LeDoux etched out a draw against Spinks makes Ali's loss to Spinks all the more troubling.
Prior to Buster Douglas's colossal upset win over the undefeated champion Mike Tyson in 1990, Ali's loss to Spinks was the greatest upset in boxing history. Some may point back to Joe Louis's first career loss as a larger disappointment, but as disquieting as it was for many Americans to see the "Brown Bomber" get pummeled by a Nazi-endorsed German fighter, Max Schmeling was a reputable former champion when he stopped Louis, while Spinks was an unaccomplished pro with only six wins and a draw against mediocre LeDoux when he upset Ali.
Spinks went on to lose to Ali in their rematch and embark on an unexceptional career. His upset over Ali is the only reason the name Leon Spinks still resonates in boxing.
Ali offered other questionable performances against middling fighters.
In an early match against Sir Henry Cooper, the Brit bloodied up Ali's nose in the first round and caught him with a devastating left-hook in the fourth round, sending Ali to the canvas. Cooper's blow might have ended the fight had it not occurred at the end of the round, giving Ali time between rounds to recover and come back strong to win the fight. Similarly, Ali was losing to journeyman Ron Lyle on all three judges' scorecards as late as the eleventh round before the champion finally caught Lyle with a strong right that led to the TKO ending. Another run-of-the-mill contender named Chuck Wepner knocked Ali down to the canvas with a ninth-round body shot and gave the champ trouble for many rounds before Ali finished "The Bayonne Bleeder" off with only seconds remaining in the fight.
And let us not forget that even after losing to Norton in their first fight, Norton upstaged Ali in two additional fights even though the judges' scorecards gave controversial close decisions to Ali.
This is not to suggest that Muhammad Ali had anything short of a spectacular career. But his Ubermensch triumphs against Sonny Liston, George Forman, and Joe Frazier can't expunge those times in the ring when Ali appeared (if I may steal another expression from Nietzsche) human, all too human.
Unlike Ali, Mayweather had an unblemished career, bearing no broken jaw, no upset losses and no underperformances against novices. The only thing Floyd ever hurt in the ring other than his opponent's face and ribs was his hand in 2001 after punching Carlos Hernandez's head, and still won the fight single-handedly.
Achieving his first title in 1998 by defeating Genaro Hernandez in a flawless contest, Mayweather decimated Angel Manfredy in only two rounds and then scored a dramatic TKO over Emanuel Augustus in the fiercest fight of his career. Mayweather later took on the undefeated slugger Diego Corrales and knocked him down five times before the referee stopped the fight to save Corrales from further damage. And we must not overlook Mayweather's two hard-fought victories against the future Hall of Fame fighter who is highly recognized as one of the best lightweights of his generation, Jose Luis Castillo.
Later in his career, Mayweather secured impressive wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley. You would be mistaken to assert that Mayweather beat these three world-class fighters at a time when their best days were far behind them. Mosley's loss to Mayweather was only one fight removed from Mosley capturing the WBA Super Welterweight title from Antonio Margarito in one of the best performances of his career. Similarly, Marquez looked sharp and spunky when he sent Manny Pacquiao to sleep with a disturbing right hand, three years after Mayweather made the skillful boxing technician Marquez look amateurish. And those who suggest that Oscar De La Hoya was already ruined by "Father Time," are either overlooking the speed and prowess he displayed against Mayweather, or just flat out missed De La Hoya's impressive victories against Ricardo Mayorga and Steve Forbes right before and after he and Mayweather touched gloves.
Mayweather's crowning achievement came with his record-breaking "box office" performance earlier this year that added millions more to his bankroll and a new face, that of Manny Pacquiao, to his Mount Rushmore memorial of defeated world-class fighters--a monument that already featured Castillo, Marquez, Mosley and De La Hoya. And if you factor in additional champions Mayweather dispatched like Carlos Baldomir, Canelo Alvarez, Victor Ortiz, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Marcos Maidana, DeMarcus Corley, Zab Judah, as well as the aforementioned Diego Corrales and Genaro Hernandez, you can conclude that Mayweather defeated more elite or accomplished fighters than Ali or any other boxer in history. Sugar Ray Robinson has more victories, but Mayweather beat better boxers. And the fact that Mayweather was never hurt nor knocked down by any punch thrown by the impressive constellation of colleagues he conquered makes his career all the more incomparable.
Muhammad Ali no doubt enjoys a remarkable legacy. But two titanic upset defeats and too many unimpressive fights against subpar opponents are enough to suggest that we should submit to a new sultan of the so-called "sweet science" of boxing.
Perhaps you may have heard of him. His name is Floyd "Money" Mayweather.
Shayne Lee is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Houston and author of 4 books including Tyler Perry's America: Inside His Films.