Floyd Mayweather Labelled 'Delusional' over TBE Claims by Ray Mancini

Floyd Mayweather Jr. may refer to himself as “The Best Ever” after an impressive undefeated career that came to an end with a unanimous-decision win over Andre Berto in September, but Hall of Fame boxer Ray Mancini thinks he wouldn't have stood a chance against some of the fighters who plied their trade when he was active.

As reported by Omar Al Raisi of the National, Money uses the moniker because he believes he was better than the likes of Muhammad Ali. But Boom Boom Mancini, who fought alongside the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran, disagrees vehemently, as he told Boxing News:

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Floyd is a special fighter but all that ‘TBE’ stuff? He’s delusional. Sugar Ray Leonard? Roberto Duran? Tommy Hearns? He wouldn’t beat any of those guys and it’s disrespectful to them. First of all fighters should just be humble, and if they’re mentioned with the best guys of all-time, they should be honoured. You don’t turn round and say you’re ‘The Best Ever’.

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That's not to say the former WBA lightweight champion doesn't admire what Mayweather is able to do in the ring, however. In the same interview, he spoke about a conversation he had with Leonard, where he told the pound-for-pound great there are things Money does in the ring Leonard couldn't do:

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Ray Leonard is a good friend of mine and he came by and I said ‘This kid [Mayweather] does a lot of things you couldn’t do.’ Ray looks at me. I say ‘Relax, he couldn’t have beaten you, though.’ Leonard wanted to annihilate fighters, he didn’t want people to finish on their feet but this kid [Mayweather] will just slap you round for 12 rounds. He won’t take any chances, and that’s the difference.

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Mayweather announced his retirement after his win over Berto, per the Guardian's Bryan Armen Graham, another lopsided bout that took his impressive record to a perfect 49-0. That record is tied with Rocky Marciano's as the two best undefeated professional careers in boxing history.

Since Money's retirement, fighters have come out in droves challenging him to another bout. Amir Khan (per Boxing News, h/t Jacob Murtagh of the Daily Mirror) and Gennady Golovkin (per Keith Idec of BoxingScene.com) have both expressed their desire to meet him in the ring. Even rival Manny Pacquiao is open to another bout, according to Al Jazeera English:

Whether Mayweather will rise to those challenges is questionable. He has nothing left to prove and leaves behind a fantastic legacy, one that includes an undefeated record and wins over the likes of Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley.

That's an impressive group of fighters, although not as impressive as the kind of competition Leonard faced during his prime, with the likes of Duran, Hearns and Marvin Hagler all active in the same weight classes.

AFP/Getty Images

Not only where they some of the greatest fighters the sport has ever seen, but they also fought with an attacking mentality, as opposed to the technically brilliant Mayweather. Fans will remember the classic brawlers more fondly, and De La Hoya couldn't help but take a shot at Money after his win over Berto and subsequent retirement:

Of course, none of the fighters Mancini mentioned managed to do what Mayweather did: retire undefeated. And while he may not have been a fan of Mayweather's defensive tactics, Money's fighting style clearly paid off in the ring.

Boxing fans haven't been able to come to a unanimous decision on who the greatest pound-for-pound fighter was for decades, and Mayweather only adds another name to the discussion. Could Money have beaten Duran, Hearns or Leonard? We'll never know, but we'll likely be talking about it for years to come.

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