“Beat Everybody in His Era” – Floyd Mayweather Picks Larry Holmes Over Mike Tyson as Best Heavyweight Despite Defeat

Published 05/15/2022, 9:00 AM EDT

Former five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. is one of the biggest names in the history of boxing. Meanwhile, Mayweather once claimed that Larry Holmes is a better heavyweight than Mike Tyson.

Mayweather was talking on an Instagram live with rapper Fat Joe. In conversation, Joe asked him who he thought were the five greatest boxers of all time.

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In response, Mayweather said, “We’ll go, Money Mayweather, we got to go, Pernell Whitaker. Imma go, Roberto Duran, man you put me in a tight predicament.”

Moreover, he also added, “If we’re going to go heavyweights. I’m going, to be honest, I’ve got to go Larry Holmes.”

Manny Pacquiao Reveals His Mount Rushmore of Boxing, Which Excludes Undefeated Rival Floyd Mayweather and Legend Mike Tyson

However, Joe was taken aback by Mayweather’s response. He mentioned that Larry Holmes would not be above Tyson or Lennox Lewis.

In response, Mayweather clarified his statement. He said, “Larry Holmes beat everybody in his era. When Larry Holmes got beat by Mike Tyson. He got beat by a young hungry champion and he came out of a year’s retirement and got beat by Tyson.”

Moreover, he also gave more proof to back up his statement. Mayweather said, “I’ve got to say, Larry Holmes, he had the basic fundamentals, he had the jab. And, even right now, he’s still living a great life because he made smart investments.”

Floyd Mayweather’s Top 5 picks

Mayweather had a pretty diverse set of names for his pick of the top 5 boxers of all time.

It comes as no surprise that the champ has chosen himself as the top boxer of all time. In fact, he has claimed that he was the best boxer on multiple occasions.

However, the champ might not be wrong in assuming the same. Prior to retiring undefeated, Mayweather has fought and defeated multiple big names in his career. Moreover, he knew how to sell his fights, making him one of the reigning PPV kings.

Pernell Whitaker was the longest unified lightweight champion in the history of the sport. Moreover, he defended his title a whopping six times.

Roberto Duran has had an impressive 103 wins in a career spanning 33 years.

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A prime Larry Holmes was a true force to reckon with. In fact, he is one of the only people who has stopped the legendary Muhammad Ali.

Aaron Pryor has had one of the most impressive yet controversial careers in the sport. Moreover, he boasts of an impressive record of 39 wins in 40 fights, with a whopping 35 knockouts.

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WATCH THIS STORY – Most Expensive Cars Owned By Floyd Mayweather: Bugatti Chiron, Ferrari Enzo And More

What do you think of Mayweather’s claim? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Joshua Ben Joseph is a Boxing writer for EssentiallySports. He started his career as an editorial cartoonist and holds a BFA degree with a specialization in Animated Filmmaking and Screenwriting from AISFM, Hyderabad. An avid lover of boxing history, Joshua believes his writing extends his lifelong adoration for combat sports.

“Beat Everybody in His Era” – Floyd Mayweather Picks Larry Holmes Over Mike Tyson as Best Heavyweight Despite Defeat

Floyd Mayweather’s Top 5 picks

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