Ryan Garcia says one man is single-handedly the greatest fighter of all time: ‘You have to pick him’
What makes someone a true contender for the title “Greatest Boxer of All Time”?
Is it the quality of the opposition? The number of world titles? The range of weight divisions conquered? Or a combination of all of these – plus the intangibles they showed in the ring?
Ryan Garcia shared his own thoughts and personal choice for GOAT, during another appearance on Inside The Ring.
The opinion of an active professional can often influence or reinforce public choices. Still, Garcia’s selection didn’t gravitate toward traditional names like Sugar Ray Robinson or Muhammad Ali. Instead, he chose someone much closer to his own era – a fighter he grew up watching – Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“When you look at the eye test, the boxing knowledge as a boxer, you have to go with Floyd [Mayweather]. Floyd has it all: inside and out, he can get tough, he can dig deep.
“He’s got a long range of what’s in his bag, you know what I mean? It’s hard to read him.”
With a record of 50-0 (27 KOs) and 26 world titles won across five weight classes, Mayweather is certainly a compelling choice for the greatest fighter of the 21st century yet. At the turn of the millennium, the American had just a two-year reign as WBC super featherweight champion before dominating the sport for the next 17 years.
His ring craftsmanship made him almost untouchable at times. José Luis Castillo and Marcos Maidana, in their early attempts to dethrone him, had some success, but Mayweather had a habit of making even elite fighters look ordinary with his defensive mastery and precise counterattacks.
Next year, Mayweather – who has spent the last few years on the exhibition circuit – could don the gloves once again for a full professional return in a rematch with Manny Pacquiao, whom he beat in 2015.
