Floyd Mayweather Picks Lesser Known Fighter As His Toughest Opponent

Floyd Mayweather deems a lesser-known fighter to be the toughest opponent of his career.

The 50-0 fighter has won world titles in five different weight classes, beating the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton and Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.

But 'Money' believes Emanuel Augustus - called Emanuel Burton at the time - gave him the most difficulty inside the squared circle and even outdid him when it came to showboating antics.

Augustus, nicknamed ' the Drunken Master' thanks his bizarre punch sequences and unique puppet-like approach, retired with a record 38-34-6 record.

Coming into the bout in October 2000 in Detroit, he had 22 wins and 16 defeats in his professional career but he gave Mayweather, who had been super featherweight world champion for two years at the time, some serious trouble.

He was eventually pulled out of the fight in the ninth round yet earned the respect of Mayweather, who had his nose bloodied by him in the fifth after some combinations.

"If I was rating certain fighters out of every guy that I fought, I'm going to rate Emanuel Augustus first compared to all the guys that I've faced," Mayweather stated.

"He didn't have the best record in the sport of boxing, he has never won a world title. But he came to fight and, of course, at that particular time I had took a long layoff."

At the very end of the fight, where he suffered an injured right hand, Mayweather called Augustus a "tough motherf***er" when speaking to his corner and later showered him with praise in his post-fight interview.

"He's a true warrior, a true champion," Mayweather said.

"Before the fight, I heard he had got robbed [via poor judging decisions] a lot of times - and I believe that's true."

As the undefeated Mayweather continued to ascend, breaking numerous pay-per-view records and making millions, Augustus' topsy-turvy, inconsistent career lasted for another 11 years.

Six years ago, he was the victim of a random shooting where he was hit with a bullet to the head but somehow survived and lived to tell the tale.

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Topics: Boxing News, Boxing

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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