“He’s beat more world champions than any other fighter in a shorter time and fewer fights than any other fighter.” You might be wondering about this bizarre statement. But that’s Floyd Mayweather for you, ladies and gentlemen. Ahead of his 49th professional bout against Andre Berto, the undefeated champion uttered those words. The fight followed the momentous ‘Fight of the Century‘ against another boxing great who, incidentally, has decided to open a new chapter in his stellar career.

Four years after he suffered a loss to Yordenis Ugas, bidding goodbye to retirement, Manny Pacquiao is all set to face Mario Barrios in Las Vegas on July 19. The fight and the Filipino icon’s return have sparked a buzz across the boxing world. Given the tenth anniversary of their historic fight, a few felt perhaps Pacquiao would rank Mayweather among the toughest opponents he faced in his career. Lo and behold, it didn’t turn out to be so. Interestingly, someone else echoed similar sentiments, though for altogether different reasons.

Muhammad Ali, before anyone else: Roy Jones Jr.

@blackbearboxing shared a video featuring Roy Jones Jr. The boxing great joined Artur Beterbiev, Conor Benn, and a few others for an interaction that took place a few months ago. So the host asked, “Where would you mention Floyd Mayweather? Where would you put him in the rankings?” Expressing surprise, Jones Jr. shot back, “Who?” The retort was obvious: pretending not to know someone. The host nonetheless repeated himself, “Mayweather, where would you put him?” The former multi-division champion and Olympic silver medalist once again fired back, “Who?” With the clouds of doubt lifted, even the interviewer couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Later, explaining the reasons, Roy Jones Jr. said, “If you don’t respect Muhammad Ali, how can I respect you?” Earlier in the interview, he’d stated, “I think the greatest fighter of all time, the greatest athlete of all time, always in my book, is going to be Muhammad Ali.”

In the old Mayweather list, pound-for-pound great Sugar Ray Robinson barely found a place. Ali stood in the fifth position. His justification: “Ali – only one weight class and really lost to Ken Norton three times. What he did is he stood for a cause in an era when African Americans didn’t stand up for their people.”

Though an old clip, criticisms around Floyd Mayweather’s stature as an all-time great transit timelines and generations.

Floyd Mayweather way behind: Manny Pacquiao

After the recent face-off with Barrios, Manny Pacquiao joined a group of reporters for a quick Q&A. So Elie Seckbach asked him to name the top five fighters he fought in his career. Briefly reflecting, the PacMan handed over the names of Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, and Antonio Margarito.

The response invariably piqued Seckbach’s curiosity. Why didn’t he mention Floyd Mayweather’s name? “Floyd Mayweather is running the whole 12 rounds, and he won the fight. How is that amazing?” Manny Pacquiao replied. Though billed as the greatest fight in history, in reality, the 2015 Mayweather vs. Pacquiao turned out to be a dud, boring affair. Commercially, a huge success, the match nevertheless failed to live up to fans’ expectations.

So Pacquiao added, “I feel sorry for the fans because the fight was boring. That’s not what the fans are expecting from us as a fighter. As a fan, I want to see an exciting fight. Not a fashion show. Action!”

What’s your take? Do you agree with Jones Jr.’s and Pacquiao’s views about Floyd Mayweather?