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By Adam Ewing

Edited by Abigail Chadwick

Saturday brought us a fight that had been in the works for half a decade. It is extremely rare that two of the greatest fighters of a generation are in the same weight class. Most fans of the sweet science have an opinion on who is the greatest of all time, whether it be Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson or Leonard, but another name deserves to be thrown into the conversation, that is Floyd Mayweather.

After handily disposing of Manny Pacquiao, his most rivaled adversary, Floyd “Money” Mayweather has secured himself as the greatest fighter of his generation. Some may argue that he is the greatest of all-time.

Floyd Mayweather was able to outbox Manny Pacquiao throughout all twelve rounds. There were only a few instances when Manny was able to land combinations. Social media showed that Manny was a heavy favorite going into this past weekend. The crowd at the venue where I was watching the fight was 99% Manny Pacquiao. But most of these fans had little to no clue about either fighter; most were there to simply cheer for a loss, giving Floyd his first professional loss.

Let me say this, to all those who cheered during the Phillipino national anthem and sent heckling remarks in the direction of Mayweather during our countries national anthem, one, he cannot hear you, we are in Shawnee, Oklahoma, two, YOU ARE BOOING DURING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. The unnecessary negativity made me realize the vast majority had no idea about the sport of boxing. They just wanted to see greatness fall. After round three, everyone at the Shawnee Buffalo Wild Wings knew that Floyd was well on his way to another victory.

What makes Floyd so great? He has defeated everyone in his path since a controversial decision at the 1996 Olympics. Mayweather’s first big win came when he dismantled Arturo Gatti. Then dethroned the former pay per view champion Oscar De La Hoya, whooped Zab Judah, made everyone realize Canelo is not great just yet, some other names he has beaten are Hatton, Mosely, Ortiz, and Cotto.

His head movement, mixed with an impenetrable defense makes it almost impossible to score on him in a three round fight. He does not take the abuse like Muhammad Ali did. The rope-a-dope strategy does nothing for your long-term health. Floyd Mayweather prevented his most worthy adversary from landing only a few combinations early in the fight.

Mayweather’s jab, and the respect his right hand earned him over 48 fights, makes him this generation’s greatest puncher. The amount of time Mayweather commits to the body in early rounds does wonders for his jab in later rounds. In the famous words of Joe Fraizer, “Kill the body, the head will die.”

There is no one left for Floyd to beat. If he did not have a guaranteed 32 million dollars left on the table, it is very possible he would retire after beating Manny Pacquiao. The only question that remains is who will be Floyd’s curtain call for his final fight?

Regardless of who his next opponent will be, it was an absolute pleasure to be able to see such a great fighter in his prime. Many a betting slip have been cashed with this mans name. For that I want to personally thank Floyd.

His greatness might not sink in until Floyd has left the fight game permanently. Let it saturate a few years, see what the sport is without him, and it will then be apparent that Floyd Mayweather Jr., is my generation’s greatest fighter.