Boxing’s Greats of the States | Michigan: Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Boxers come from every corner of the globe. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring styles prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best boxer of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

***
Floyd Mayweather Jr. has plenty of detractors, but his place in boxing history has long been secure.

A defensive maestro who was nearly impossible to hit cleanly in his prime, Mayweather was also a lethal counterpuncher with the speed of a viper and the reflexes of a mongoose. The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native became the highest-grossing professional athlete in the world while compiling a perfect 49-0 record and becoming a five-division world champion. “Money” may not have taken on the best possible competition at all times, but when he did step into the ring against elite opposition, he walked away victorious and usually in clear-cut fashion. Diego Corrales, Ricky Hatton and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez were all unbeaten before they fought Mayweather, who also piled up wins against top-flight foes like Genaro Hernandez, Jose Luis Castillo, Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez. He was a two-time The Ring magazine “Fighter of the Year” and three-time Boxing Writers Association of America “Fighter of the Year.”

Yes, Mayweather’s mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao happened several years too late and he took on Oscar de la Hoya and Shane Mosley at the tail ends of their careers, but when “Money” was in the ring, he was about as good as they come. He may not beat the greatest pound-for-pound fighter to ever live, as his cronies would have you believe, but he was the best of his era.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Joe Louis, Thomas Hearns, James Toney, Stanley Ketchel, Roger Mayweather, Milton McCrory, Frank Tate, Chris Byrd, Oba Carr