Floyd Mayweather Jr is widely considered one of the greatest boxers of all time and has the resume to back that claim up, as the Michigan native has worked tirelessly to perfect his craft and keep his perfect record of 50-0 unblemished throughout his career. Though he is boxing nowadays just for the money, against opponents with name value as opposed to building a legacy of career boxers, what he has accomplished over the past few decades may never be seen again.
Every fight fan remembers the biggest moments of their favourite fighter’s career. While Mayweather Jr has a long list of wins under his belt, there are a few that stand out above the rest. Here are the 10 best wins of Floyd “Money” Mayweather’s career – ranked.
11Juan Manuel Marquez
Date: September 19th, 2009, venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, result: unanimous decision
Besides having an all-time series of fights against Manny Pacquiao, Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez battled against some of the best boxers of his generation, including Mayweather Jr. Their meeting came right in the middle of “Money” Mayweather Jr’s obliteration of all challengers. Coming off of an extended hiatus, Mayweather Jr’s return against a dangerous opponent sparked large viewership numbers. Marquez had limited success against his adversary. He tried to stick to his game plan, but after frustration set in, the Mexican fighter tried the different approach of throwing caution to the wind. This played beautifully into Mayweather Jr’s counter-punching that enabled him to win by a large disparity and reminded the competition that he was still king.
10Victor Ortiz
Date: September 17th, 2011, venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, result: 4th-round KO
While the most memorable moment of the Mayweather Jr and Victor Ortiz fight was the illegal headbutt by the latter, this fight was instrumental in proving that age is just a number for the pound-for-pound king. During this established point in his career, Mayweather Jr, 34, was a master at cultivating fans to tune into his fights in hope of his demise. Regardless of his age, Mayweather Jr looked technically sound and was asserting his will routinely. He looked a step or two ahead of his younger counterpart. By frustrating the young Mexican boxer purely out of execution of a game plan, Ortiz lashed out with a cheap shot. The younger Ortiz was mighty and strong, but let his emotions get the better of him. In the midst of the chaos, Mayweather Jr capitalised on the moment by knocking out an apologetic and unprotected Ortiz to remain champion.
9Shane Mosley
Date: May 1st, 2010, venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, result: unanimous decision
At the time, Shane Mosley was the number three ranked pound-for-pound fighter on the planet and had a tough test in front of him against Mayweather Jr. Mosley had several big-time wins on his record, lost to a few elite fighters as well, but really looked sharp early on versus Mayweather Jr. In an extremely rare circumstance, Mayweather Jr’s button was severely pinged by Mosley in the second round to buckle the undefeated champion and put him on stilts. However, what makes Floyd so special is his ability to stay composed under duress. Mayweather Jr stayed on the course to win the rest of the fight by a large margin.
8Miguel Cotto
Date: May 5th, 2012, venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, result: unanimous decision
After another round of failed negotiations with the great Manny Pacquiao, Team Money Mayweather turned their attention to a different opponent, a former world champion Miguel Cotto. Cotto faced and beat some of the sport’s most elite boxers, and he would’ve loved to have nothing more than to tally a “1” in Mayweather Jr’s career loss column. Cotto came out with a pressuring offensive style to counter the Michigan native’s elusiveness. Mayweather Jr responded by mixing up light and heavy shots that landed around the guard of Cotto to ultimately turn the tables of the fight in the later rounds. Though the fight went all 12 rounds, Mayweather Jr nearly finished Cotto, but the tough Rhode Island native respectably hung on. It was another dominant performance for “Money” Mayweather Jr.
7Zab Judah
Date: April 8th, 2006, venue: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, result: unanimous decision
One of the biggest wins of Mayweather Jr’s career came when he took on Zab Judah for the IBF and IBO welterweight championship belts. However, during the fight, Judah, like a handful of Mayweather Jr’s opponents, tried to bully the more talented boxer with unnecessary – and sometimes illegal – physicality. Floyd refused to be big brothered by Judah, and responded with even more swiftness and skill. When Judah could not outbox Mayweather Jr, he turned to foul play. In the 10th round with Mayweather Jr up on the scorecards, Judah landed a blatant low blow followed by a punch to the back of Floyd’s head. This resulted in Roger Mayweather rushing into the ring to confront Judah and to protect his fighter. A scrum broke out, but the tension would eventually subside, and Mayweather Jr would go on to win the fight.
6Marcos Maidana 2
Date: September 13th 2014, venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, result: unanimous decision
The first fight between Mayweather Jr and Marcos Maidana was a great fight. Maidana forced Floyd out of his counter striking comfort zone and into a gritty fight. “Money” Mayweather Jr admitted that the Mexican fighter was a very worthy opponent as Floyd wasn’t relaxed as he normally is against the ropes. This nerve-wrecking contest led to an immediate rematch and another big payday for the “The Best Ever”. Mayweather Jr made noticeable adjustments from the get go of the rematch. With a tighter guard and not nearly as casual in his demeanour, Floyd started his offence sooner and was ready to silence any critics. Though this fight had much less tussling, it showed the mastermind that Mayweather is. His in-ring IQ and ability to be two or three steps ahead of his opponents is why he is considered one of the best of all time, and it showed on that night.
5Arturo Gatti
Date: June 25th, 2005, event: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, result: 6th-round RTD
In the lead up to Mayweather Jr’s fight with Arturo Gatti, he was still known as “Pretty Boy Floyd”, but this was the first introduction to how Mayweather Jr’s trash talking could bring in more eyeballs and more dollars to his fights. Floyd didn’t cut his biggest paycheck ever for his fight with the brawling Gatti, but he quickly learned what sells. The fight was a dominant performance from the ascending Mayweather Jr. Gatti, who turns fights into phone booth slugfests, was no match for his swordsman counterpart. Mayweather Jr picked apart Gatti with various lead attacks that drew Gatti into an unwanted duel. Mayweather Jr beat down the former champion to earn the biggest win of his career at that point. A young Mayweather Jr would win his first and only super lightweight title with the victory.
4Ricky Hatton
Date: December 8th, 2007, venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, result: 10th-round TKO
3Canelo Alvarez
Date: September 14th, 2013, venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, result: majority decision
After establishing himself as the A-side in promotion, the next step for Team Money Mayweather was to pick off a young lion with massive potential. Enter Canelo Alvarez, a powerful punching Mexican with loads of potential. A fight against Mayweather Jr would put Alvarez on the map even if he wasn’t the master chess player he has become. The fight had many stipulations that leaned heavily in favour of the champ. Canelo had to remain at a certain weight on a certain date to keep the fight a go. Obviously, because of the opportunity, Canelo accepted and made it to fight night. Mayweather Jr showed that there are levels to this game and pulled out all of his defensive skills to frustrate yet another young boxer. Floyd looked exceptional with his evasion footwork and shoulder roll to win a one-sided affair.
2Manny Pacquiao
Date: May 2nd, 2015, venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, result: unanimous decision
It took many years of clamouring from the media and the boxing community to make Mayweather Jr versus Manny Pacquiao happen, but when it was finally set, the world tuned in to watch the clash of the best defensive boxer in history go toe-to-toe with a great offensive threat. The hype for this superfight was undeniable. The mainstream media handled this fight with the proper amount of hype and coverage. Pacquiao was a great challenge for Mayweather Jr. His pressure and power were thought to be the perfect combination to finally crack the Mayweather Jr code. However, the Michigan native was too slick that night for Pacquiao, as he had his guard reinforced to elude Manny’s genius offensive tactics. Floyd didn’t give a millimetre and Pacquiao couldn’t get any momentum going. Many have tried to disparage Mayweather Jr for not getting around to this fight earlier in the career of Pacquiao following the fight, but ironically, Mayweather Jr is older than the Filipino fighter by three years. Mayweather Jr may never receive his due from this shutdown performance.
1Oscar De La Hoya
Date: May 5th, 2007, venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, result: split decision
When Oscar De La Hoya faced Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2007, it was a passing of the torch from one incredible fighter to another. The fight had a Shakespearian backdrop with Floyd Sr leaving the Mayweather team because of issues with Floyd Jr coaching De La Hoya for several years. Eventually, the Floyds reunited in time for this epic showdown between the longtime champion and the rising star. Confidently, Mayweather Jr gave away the first few rounds of the fight to digest data, which gave De La Hoya a false sense of security. Once Mayweather Jr downloaded the Mexican fighter’s strengths, he turned up the volume and gained the respect of the champion with slick combinations. With prime punching power and a point to prove his greatness, Mayweather Jr went from “Pretty Boy Floyd” to “Money Mayweather” as he won in dominant fashion and banked his biggest payday to date. The rest is history.
