Mike Tyson has claimed Floyd Mayweather's perfect, 50-0 record doesn't make him boxing's greatest - and pointed out two boxers with superior records than Mayweather.
Mayweather's 50-0 pro ledger means that he officially retired in 2017 with the longest perfect record in the sport, beating Rocky Marciano's iconic 49-0. 'Money' has used this as fuel for his claim to be boxing's TBE (or 'The Best Ever').
But heavyweight great Tyson disagrees and made a forceful argument that Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez - who at one point had an 87-0 record - and Sugar Ray Robinson both have more impressive stats.
"Floyd's a great fighter, don't get me wrong," he said on his Hotboxin' With Mike Tyson podcast. "But he had 50 fights.
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"Listen, Sugar Ray Robinson had 47 fights, he lost one, and he had a 78-fight winning streak. With, like, 60 knockouts."
"Don't tell me about you're the greatest fighter with 50-0. He's a great fighter no doubt about it, but 50-0? Chavez had 90 [fights unbeaten], he was fighting like eight times a year against whoever fought him, against whoever was in the rankings."
Chavez officially did get to 90 fights unbeaten (although his 88th fight was a draw with Pernell Whitaker most felt he deserved to lose). Ray Robinson actually got to 40-0 before he lost his first fight, then went an incredible 91 fights undefeated before he'd lose again.
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So Tyson - a keen boxing historian - is correct that both multiweight world champions put together far longer unbeaten runs than Mayweather.
Of course the counterargument is that Floyd retired with his perfect record intact, defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez before his final pro fight against Conor McGregor.
Chavez eventually retired with six official defeats, while American Robinson - widely viewed as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of the 20th century - retired with 19 losses. Both men having fought on long past their peak.
Mayweather was also fighting in an era when elite boxers fought far less often, so there was little chance he'd ever rack up over a hundred pro fights like the men Tyson views as the true greatest.
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The 43-year-old Floyd is actually 'fighting' again in February, as he steps in the ring with YouTuber Logan Paul. But as that's an exhibition bout it won't count on his professional record.
Does Floyd's 50-0 make him boxing's TBE? Or is Tyson right that the likes of Robinson and Chavez should be ranked ahead of him?
Let us know in the comments.
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All imagery: PA Images/YouTube
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Mike Tyson, Boxing News, Boxing, Fight News, Floyd Mayweather