Floyd Mayweather has named Emanuel Augustus as the toughest opponent he faced in his career. The undefeated boxing legend made this surprising revelation in a recent interview, looking back on his 50-fight career.
Mayweather, who retired with a perfect 50-0 record, fought Augustus when he was 24 years old. It was his 24th professional fight, long before he faced big names like Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao, and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
In an interview with Million Dollaz Worth of Game, Mayweather distinguished between the best fighter he faced and his toughest opponent.
"The best fighter I ever fought probably was Manny Pacquiao, because of his movement [and] he's a helluva fighter. I can see why he won so many fights and why he's going down as a Hall of Famer. There's certain moves that he makes."
But when it came to his toughest opponent, Mayweather didn't hesitate:
"But the roughest fighter probably was a guy named Emanuel Augustus. The Drunken Master. He was tough."
Mayweather and Augustus squared off in 2000. Even though Mayweather won every round and stopped Augustus in the ninth, the fight wasn't a walk in the park. Augustus made things awkward and even bloodied Mayweather's nose.
Augustus, known as "The Drunken Master," had an entertaining fighting style that could frustrate opponents even in defeat. He rarely turned down a fight and ended his career with 38 wins from 78 fights.
In 2001, Augustus fought Micky Ward in what became Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year and one of ESPN's fights of the decade. This fight further cemented Augustus's reputation as a tough, entertaining boxer.
Mayweather's choice of Augustus as his toughest opponent shows that sometimes the biggest challenges come from unexpected places. It's a reminder that in boxing, as in life, we can't always judge difficulty by name recognition alone.
