Hi Brawler, good to see you on here again, pub finally kicked you out eh?
I personally think Mayweather, as talented as he is, would have had a harder time if he had came along before the 1990's. He fights once a year against carefully selected opponents, a luxury he would not have had in another era. There is no hate in that statement but he has had it easier than past greats, who had to fight more frequently, for less money and against the best around.
Mayweather has fought some top men but there are fights that he hasn't taken, Pacquiao etc.
I think that the era he would have struggled most in would have been the mid 70's to mid 80's. Mayweather has fought from super featherweight to light middleweight and during that era all of those divisions were packed with talent.
Mayweather started in 1996 as a super featherweight and fought for a title two years later, lets say he started in 1976, he would have had to fight Alexis Arguello at 130 lbs. Would the inexperienced Mayweather have won against Arguello....?
Then lets look at the other divisions Mayweather has won titles in, lightweight, light welterweight, welterweight and light middleweight. Between the mid 70's and mid 80's some of the top men at those weights were Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, Aaron Pryor, Wilfred Benitez. Mayweather could not have avoided all of those men, I would give him a shout of beating Benitez and Pryor but I think Leonard, Hearns and Duran at their best would have been too much for him.
I think Mayweather would be a title holder in most era's but I doubt he would go through 44 fights with no losses as he has in this era.
The 70s had the following as champions in the divisions that Floyd fought at:
Sammy Serrano and Alexis Arguello at 130 lbs.
Roberto Duran at 135 lbs.
Nicolino Locche,and Antonio Cervantes at 140 lbs.
PIpino Cuevas and Wilfred Benitez at 147 lbs
Koichi Wajima and Ayub Kalule at 154.
The 80s meanwhile had the following:
Julio Cesar Chavez, Wilfredo Gomez and Azumah Nelson at 130
Hector Camacho and Jose Luis Ramirez, Edwin Rosario at 135
Aaron Pryor and Saoul Mamby at 140
Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Don Curry and Lloyd Honeygan at 147
Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran, Mike Mccallum at 154
The 90s had the following:
Tony Lopez and Jeff Fenech at 130
Oscar de la Hoya and Shane Mosley at 135
Oscar de la Hoya and Kostya Tyszu at 140
Oscar de la Hoya and Tito Trinidad ay 147
Fernando Vargas and Winky Wright at 154
Floyd would definite struggle most in the 80s. he would be very lucky to have won two titles in that era ranged against that kind of very tough and very talended opposition.
1980s
Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Julio Cesar Chavez, Roberto Duran, Wilfred Benitez
I would think at 147, the 1940s...
Why?
1) Sugar Ray Robinson
2) Henry Armstrong
In what era or time frame in boxing would Floyd have struggled the most ? And, with what boxer(s) ?
