Sugar Ray Leonard Doubts Floyd Mayweather Retirement, Leaves Money off TBE List

Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard has claimed Floyd Mayweather should postpone his retirement in an attempt to move to a career record of 50-0.

Speaking with TMZ Sports, Leonard suggested the undefeated American must come back in an attempt to surpass Rocky Marciano’s record, which Mayweather drew level with after beating Andre Berto in his 49th professional bout. “He has to go for 50, he has to go for 5-0,” said Leonard. 

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Leonard was also asked who his top three fighters of all time were, and left Mayweather out at the expense of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and himself. Here’s a look at the interview with Leonard in full, per TMZ:

Mayweather has previously claimed he is the best fighter to ever step foot inside a boxing ring and after a glittering career, he has a case. The American has beaten some big names in Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya, and secured clinical wins in the overwhelming majority of his bouts. But his defensive fighting style has won him few admirers from boxing aesthetes.

Still, as noted by Tom Craze of Bad Left Hook,  Mayweather has achieved pretty much everything he possibly could have:

His record may place him as one of the best ever professional fighters, but there are others, like the names mentioned by Leonard, who would also have a genuine claim to be considered as more entertaining and a lot braver in their selections of opponent.

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The likes of Ali, Robinson and Leonard all took on top competitors at the peak of their powers on a much more regular basis, making for gripping fights for fans to savour. Leonard, as we can see here, was a very special fighter at his best:

Perhaps Leonard considered Mayweather’s own choices for the top five fighters of all time when making his own picks. The 38-year-old chose himself, naturally, as the greatest boxer to have ever lived, but he opted for Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Roberto Duran and Ali trailing him in the top five, with Leonard excluded. 

Mayweather is certainly up there with the greats and going ahead of Marciano with one more fight against a credible opponent would certainly enrich his case to be considered as the best of all time. At the moment, there’s an underwhelming feeling about the finish to Money’s career, with Berto nowhere near the standard to appropriately test him.

Mayweather is a fierce competitor and the chance to go clear on 50-0 will be a tantalising prospect, as will the lucrative payday that'll accompany another fight. So as Leonard suggests, it would be a big surprise if Floyd was able to stave off those instincts and stay away from the ring for good.