Examining Floyd Mayweather's Legacy After Win vs. Marcos Maidana

Floyd Mayweather scored a second-straight victory over Marcos Maidana to reaffirm his place as boxing's current pound-for-pound king. The win moves his career record to 47-0, which is a remarkable feat by any standard.

Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole had the scores:

Mayweather has never shied away from legacy talk. Many athletes prefer to avoid that conversation because there's seemingly no right answer. If they say they're great, they are bashed for having a big ego. If they say otherwise, they don't have enough confidence.

Money isn't worried about putting his ego on display. In fact, that's part of what made him a mainstream attraction in an era where boxing struggled to create buzz among a casual audience. He's terrific at selling himself, and that's essential.

Lem Satterfield of The Ring passed along comments from the five-division world champion back in April about where he thinks he'll belong when the dust settles after his career ends.

"Is it about the money? Absolutely. Is it about the fame? Absolutely. It's everything wrapped into one," he said. "I want to be the best. Not just the best fighter but I want to be the best athlete, period. When I leave, I will be known as 'TBE,' and that's the best ever."

Comparing eras in any sport is extremely difficult. That's why debates about the greatest player in the history of any sport will range on for eternity.

Boxing doesn't have nearly as much depth as it did in the past, which has resulted in less marquee bouts between two truly special fighters. Yet, it's fair to argue the boxers of today are in much better overall shape given the advances in workout technology and medicine.

Mayweather clearly believed he was the greatest ever even before he stepped in the ring for a second time with Maidana. The question for everybody else is if he truly belongs alongside the likes of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong.

It's hard to say he belongs ahead of those legends simply due to the lack of major victories. The fact he didn't face off with Manny Pacquiao when both were at the top of their game is a strike against him in the greatest-ever conversation. A win there would have done wonders for his legacy.

Ultimately, he will likely have to settle for being considered the best boxer of the current era. He's dominated the boxing landscape for a decade and started his rise nearly a decade earlier; that's a long time to go without a loss in such a punishing sport.

By adding another win over Maidana, who's a talented fighter but lacked the versatility necessary to pull of the upset, Mayweather at least keeps himself in the conversation among the best ever. Maintaining an unbeaten record is one of the main arguments in his favor.

The question is how much more can he accomplish. There aren't any truly career-altering matchups available right now, and it's unclear how much longer he will fight. But it's always difficult to walk away from the massive paydays he gets every time out.

In the end, wherever people rank him now is probably where he'll finish, as well. It's up to individual opinions as to whether he's the best ever or just another fighter in the conversation.