Has Floyd Mayweather competed in any career defining fight?

[FloydtheDuck]

no

[Gazmac81]

the Delahoya and Hatton Wins are made him the star he is today IMO , both really good fighters and very popular so Floyd beating them made his career for me, the way he dealt with alvarez was impressive but the weight issue could be brought up.

[IKSRTFO]

Diego Corrales

[ReggieDiggs]

I feel like there is a sense of high level competition in the definition of career defining fight, but part of the problem for Floyd is the fights I'd classify as career defining he completely outclassed the guy. And idk that it has to be the two very best guys in a division or the sport either as far as the definition.

I think it could be argued Genaro Hernandez was a career defining fight. Floyd was 21, 24 months into his professional career, 17-0 taking on a peak 32yr old champion whos one loss was to the guy who was the p4p #1 guy currently (iirc, maybe #2 if Tito was #1). Genaro had just beaten future HOFer Azumah Nelson the previous year. Genaro almost had as many title fights (14) as Floyd had fights (17). This was a huge sink or swim, career defining moment for Floyd. Floyd proceeded to win 22 of the 24 scored rounds on the three judges scorecards before Genaro's corner stopped it.

His first defense 10 weeks later was vs higher ranked Angel Manfredy (25yrs) who was on a 23-0 (18) streak after losing two fights in his first year as a pro. He had W's over Calvin Grove, Jorge Paez, Wilfredo Ruiz, John Brown & Arturo Gatti coming into his fight with Floyd. This wasn't a gimme first defense & I remember @ the time this feeling like a whole hell of a lot closer than it ended up being. Floyd stopped him in the 2nd round. This is kinda glossed over nowadays but this was a huge W over a young elite proven guy in his own right @ the time.

After that fight Floyd had a long streak (1999-2000) of beating respectable guys & top guys, but no one close to the level he had achieved. Then he fought Diego Corrales in 2001. Diego was 23yrs old, 33-0. Floyd was 23yrs old, 24-0. Two young champions (despite Diego dropping his title before this fight). Many ranking groups had Diego ranked above Floyd @ this time (TMI poster details: as a Grand Rapids born cat & fan of Floyd since '93, '94 I even got spooked into thinking oh sh!t Diego is a badass. & was a Diego fan also fwiw, & in Floyd's career this is the only fight I've picked against Floyd in). Floyd won 26 of the 27 scored rounds by the three judges before Diego's corner stopped the fight.

I think you could argue Shane & Saul were up there as well, but I won't cuz I don't really see them as such myself, but both were impressive W's in the grand scheme of things for different reasons, but the problem again is he won 31 of the 36 scored rounds vs Shane & he won 17 of the 24 non-crazy peoples scorecards vs Saul. The problem with Floyd's exceptional skills is he showed them so soon in his boxing life, 14 years ago, that no one can compare to him now to even give him a career defining fight really & even if the guy is considered on par or above him he's beaten them so one sidedly they "ain't sh!t" on Sunday morning so the career defining aspect to those wins were snatched away.

[ReggieDiggs]

the Delahoya and Hatton Wins are made him the star he is today IMO

True, obviously Oscar much more so than Ricky, but yea basically. Beating popular guys can do more for you than beating tough guys. Manny got a bump for beating Oscar too.

[Ricky_]

He's became an unbelievable boring clincher who has never beaten a prime all time great.

[TexMex04]

Diego Corrales. No one expected the outcome of that fight. And if Im correct most believed Corrales would wipe the floor with him. Genero Hernandez.

[ReggieDiggs]

Diego Corrales. No one expected the outcome of that fight. And if Im correct most believed Corrales would wipe the floor with him.

I think it was closer in public/fan/boxing "peoples" perception of who'd win. I feel like the lean was more towards Diego, but maybe that was cuz that was which way I ended up leaning in this fight which had the expectation of being closely contested.

[NateJR]

Floyd has made some damn good and great fighters look average. Every fight someone was suppose to be a tough fight for Floyd, Floyd beat them easily. I think Floyd has a number of defining wins to solidify himself as the best of his era and one of the ATGs.

Genero Hernandez

Diego Corrales

Oscar Delahoya

Ricky Hatton

Juan Manuel Marquez (not so much because he beat him but how)

Shane Mosley

Canelo Alvarez

All of those fights were career defining fights where a lot of people gave his opponent a good chance of winning. But of course it wasn't until after the fight they were either shit to begin with, old or some other excuse was brought up on why Floyd beat one of the best boxers in the world so easily. Floyd has proved himself time and time again, but when hate gets in the way of objectivity you get responses like you get form guys like _Ricky, Floyd the duck and few others even though none of them are really worth mentioning, they're all dumbasses in their own right.

[MachoTime]

What is a "career defining" fight?

My definition would be....

Ali vs. Frazier, Tyson vs. Spinks, Holmes vs. Cooney, (any combo of) Hagler vs. Hearns vs. Leonard vs Duran vs. Hearns vs..

Another example "WAS" Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. Or it still could happen. Might not be as good as three four years ago but still I think would be good enough. That's if Pacquiao wins in November.

Judging by PPV numbers Mayweather's biggest wins were DLH and Alvarez. I think those two fall just a bit short of a proposed fight with Pacquiao.

[cold187]

hatton

saul alvarez

mosely

corrales

gatti

he has had alot of important fights

[Badhusker]

With 24 or 25 Championship fights, there are several. What may be hard to believe by some is that Floyd has as many championship fights as Pacquiao has total fights in the US.

To me Floyd's best win was Corrales. People forget many thought he had a good chance of losing or at one time was afraid to fight guys like Mosley, DLH, Cotto, JMM, Hatton, Canelo, and even Guerrero, who had not lost in 7 or 8 years. Floyd is a guy that will never get full credit for how great he is because he has a lot of haters. Maybe time will change that like it did for Ali. Ali had many more haters in his time that Floyd does.

[ponch]

Corralles and Castillo: elite fighters in their primes (Corralles was sick but whatevs) and the best fighters in the division at the time, so for me it's got to be those two.

If Alverz could go on to have a really spectacular career, he'd be up there - but I don't see that happening.

[Rodian]

his fight against his baby mama....

[Impractical Poster]

He will when he fights Manny...

Other than that, I'd have to say Corrales.

[Badhusker]

He will when he fights Manny...

Other than that, I'd have to say Corrales.

Wrong. If he fights and beats Manny, or if he beat him 2 or 3 years ago, the goal post would have been moved again, with the haters wanting him to keep moving up until he loses. Give it up. Just who is categorizing Mayweather as an ATG or pin pointing his career defining fight important to? You?

[ReggieDiggs]

If he fights and beats Manny, or if he beat him 2 or 3 years ago, the goal post would have been moved again

So f#cking this. If Floyd beats Manny 9-3, Manny "ain't sh!t" Sunday morning. So it is written so shall it be.

[crusader]

He has many good wins and is an ATG, but he doesn't have a career defining fight in my opinion, at least in the sense of a fight that stands out above the others and immediately comes to my mind when I think of his career.

[Impractical Poster]

If he fights and beats Manny, or if he beat him 2 or 3 years ago, the goal post would have been moved again

So f#cking this. If Floyd beats Manny 9-3, Manny "ain't sh!t" Sunday morning. So it is written so shall it be.

That's just silly.

[Othro]

If he fights and beats Manny, or if he beat him 2 or 3 years ago, the goal post would have been moved again

So f#cking this. If Floyd beats Manny 9-3, Manny "ain't sh!t" Sunday morning. So it is written so shall it be.

That's just silly.

Floyd could knock Pacquiao out cold and he'd be considered damaged goods

[ponch]

Lol at moving the goal posts if Floyd beats Pac. Those goal posts have already been dismantled.

[Rodian]

Floyd is denying himself the satisfaction of beating Pacquiao and thus denying his own fans the same satisfaction.

Floyd fans are foaming at the mouth and have been tortured for 5 years now

[zero]

His resume is very impressive, the only person missing who he should have fought was Pacquiao in 2010. IMO Mayweather would have won this fight, it's frustrating it never happened.

[jockpunk]

Shamba Mitchell.

[funso banjo baby]

under the terms.... Laing and Honeyghan shouldnt count because they were not considered at the same world level as their opps and their was no built up rivalry.

but in general terms they were career defining, of course.