Floyd Mayweather, JR: Dream Matches – Alexis Arguello, Julio Cesar Chavez, Aaron Pryor, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, and Roberto Duran

By Dave “Mythical” Siderski

Whether you like him or not, and I personally don’t, Mayweather’s recent victory over Manny Pacquiao firmly established him as boxing best fighter of the past 20 years. He is an all-time great by anyone’s standards and quite possibly the best defensive fighter I’ve ever seen. That said, I’m still forced to wonder how he might have fared in a more competitive era, one where he wouldn’t be allowed to engage in the opportunistic matchmaking he does today. With that in mind, let’s put Floyd in against some of the legends of the 80’s and see how he fares.

Floyd Mayweather, JR. vs. Alexis Arguello

Some may view this as sacrilege but, in my opinion, this would be a bad matchup for Arguello. Alexis, for all his brilliance, was slow of hand and foot, vulnerable to clever boxers and quick handed fighters. Mayweather would prove to be his kryptonite.
Arguello certainly possessed the power to starch Mayweather. However, Floyd would not give him the opportunity. He would be much too fast for Arguello, who would be reduced to swatting at air. At the same time, Mayweather would control the pace and distance, scoring with quick, clean counterpunches the entire night. In the end, it would be a convincing win for Floyd.

Mayweather by 12 Round Unanimous Decision

Floyd Mayweather , JR. vs. Julio Cesar Chavez

I also believe Chavez was far too slow to handle Mayweather. Floyd would benefit from JCC’s tendency to start slow, building a huge lead early which he’d never relinquish. Floyd would box circles around Chavez, keeping the fight in the center of the ring and picking him apart like a vulture the entire night. Chavez would patiently stalk throughout the fight, however, these efforts would be futile. He’d never find openings for his power shots or establish his devastating body attack. JCC would be reduced to yet another guy who struggles to connect 20% of his punches against Mayweather. The end result would be another easy decision for Floyd.

Mayweather by 12 Round Unanimous Decision

Floyd Mayweather, JR. vs. Aaron Pryor

Mayweather vs Pryor at 140 is a fascinating matchup. “The Hawk’s” speed, volume punching and relentless swarming tactics would provide Floyd with a challenge unlike any other he has faced in the ring.

I envision Pryor building a lead over the first half of the fight, forcing Mayweather to fight at a faster pace than he would like. However, Aaron’s porous defense would be his downfall. Consider that Pryor was dropped by non-descript Akio Kameda, among others, a testament to his defensive deficiencies. A prime Mayweather would not let Pryor get away with the mistakes he made against other, less skilled fighters. Floyd would survive some difficult moments early. However, he would adjust and his superior defense and crisp, accurate punching would carry the day.

Mayweather rallies late to secure a close decision.

Mayweather by 12 Round Split Decision

Floyd Mayweather, JR. vs. Sugar Ray Leonard

Never mind the fight, I would love to be a fly on the wall as perhaps the two toughest negotiators the sport has ever seen do battle at the bargaining table. In the ring. Mayweather’s biggest
advantage would be his exceptional defensive skills. For all of Sugar Ray’s wonderful gifts, he could be hit. I envision Mayweather giving Leonard trouble early with Sugar Ray unable to get off with his patented combinations. He is lured into fighting at Floyd’s pace as Mayweather counters effectively, particularly with his right.

However, Leonard would adjust with his jab becoming an increasing factor in the middle rounds. The late rounds would be all Sugar Ray, his superior size and power now taking its toll. Leonard would pound Mayweather to the body and open up with sizzling combinations. In a 15 round bout, I believe Leonard would score a stoppage. However, given a 12 round distance, the pick here is Leonard by comfortable decision. Sugar Ray puts an exclamation point on the victory with a knockdown in the final round!

Leonard by 12 Round Unanimous Decision

Floyd Mayweather, JR. vs Thomas Hearns

This would be a nightmare matchup for Floyd. His normal strategy of controlling the pace, keeping the action in the center of the ring, and countering with accurate pot shots would be completely useless against the 6’1’’ Hearns.

If Oscar De La Hoya could bother Mayweather with the left jab, imagine what Tommy’s jab, among the most effective in boxing history would do. Unlike Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mayweather would be both unwilling and unable to apply the necessary pressure to turn the fight in his favor. He lacks the power to execute such a strategy and trying it would be tantamount to suicide.

In the end, Mayweather’s brilliant defensive skills would allow him avoid “Hitman’s” crushing power punches and last the distance. However, he would be in survival mode the entire night, unable to mount any significant offense of his own. At the same time, Hearns would be piling up points with his jab and putting round after round in the bank. Ultimately, this would be an easy win for Hearns.

Hearns by 12 Round Unanimous Decision

Floyd Mayweather, JR. vs. Roberto Duran

The Duran who bested Sugar Ray Leonard in June 1980 was a beast the likes of which Floyd has never faced. Unlike many others who tried to pressure Mayweather and failed miserably, Duran had the tools to succeed. In addition to his exceptional infighting skills, Duran was an underrated boxer and highly skilled defensively. He wouldn’t be a sucker for Floyd’s pot shots. Duran would pressure both intelligently and ruthlessly, dictating the pace and forcing Floyd out of his comfort zone. Given his tremendous skills, Mayweather would have his moments here and there in the fight. However, he’d also spent much of the night on the ropes as Roberto wore him down with his relentless attack. Duran wasn’t the puncher at Welterweight that he was at Lightweight so the fight likely goes the distance, concluding with a convincing decision win for Duran.

Duran by 12 Round Unanimous Decision

I believe Mayweather would have defeated most of the other notable 130 to 154 pound fighters of that era, easily handling the likes of Ray Mancini, Edwin Rosario, Jose Luis Ramirez. I’d give him a slight edge over Wilfred Benitez, in a battle of defensive wizards. Donald Curry and Hector Camacho possessed the tools to beat him but both lacked the psychological makeup to get the job done. Mike McCallum was probably too big for Mayweather, although it would have been an interesting fight. Let’s just forget about Hagler. This would be a colossal mismatch. Ultimately, Mayweather certainly would not have gone undefeated against the best of the 1980’s. However, he would have held his own and still gone down in history as an all-time great.

 

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