Mayweather, known as 'Money', ended his career with a perfect 50-0 record. He won belts in five divisions and became boxing's biggest pay-per-view star. The Boxing Writers Association of America even named him 'Fighter of the Decade' for the 2010s. He called it quits in 2017 after beating Conor McGregor.
Mayweather's defense was slick. He used a shoulder roll technique to catch, block, and roll with shots from even the hardest hitters. His list of wins includes big names like Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Arturo Gatti, and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
But James 'Lights Out' Toney isn't impressed. He says Mayweather learned that shoulder roll from him and couldn't do it as well. Toney spoke to FightHype and didn't hold back:
"Mayweather is not even close to being the greatest of all time. He strategically avoided big names. He wouldn't fight in my era, the 1990s. He waited for certain fighters to retire before fighting others."
Toney got specific with his criticism:
"He wouldn't fight Chavez. He couldn't beat Chavez. Hatton was garbage."
The former champ did give Mayweather props for beating 'Canelo', though.
Since retiring, Mayweather has stepped into the ring for exhibition bouts. He's faced Logan Paul, Deji Olatunji, and Tenshin Nasukawa.
The debate about boxing greatness goes on. Fans and experts look at records, quality of opponents, era of competition, championships won, and fighting style. Mayweather and Toney fought in different decades, making direct comparisons tough. But that won't stop the arguments anytime soon.