Floyd Mayweather is considered one of the greatest boxers ever and was recently inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. 'Money' earned his respect through his emphatic achievements and boxing resume.
The American has showcased his defensive abilities and boxing prowess against the biggest names in the sport. This includes competitors such as Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and many more.
Although the former professional has an impressive pedigree of opponents on his record, he received criticism from the media when he was still an active professional. Mayweather spoke to EsNews, where he responded to media critics:
"Every now and then I go on my laptop and check it out. And they're [the media are] like, 'Mayweather fought Pacquiao when he was over the hill.' Well, I'm older than Pacquiao and they would say, 'Oh he fought [Oscar] De La Hoya when De La Hoya was over the hill.' We was both in our thirties at the same time."
Mayweather then added:
"Then they said, 'Oh, he didn't fight Canelo at the right time.' Well, I was almost forty [when] Canelo was the same age that Devin Haney is at right now. These are the things that the media write about... Nobody knows more about boxing than Floyd Mayweather."
Devin Haney is 23-years-old and is the Undisputed Champion of the lightweight division. Meanwhile, Canelo Alvarez fought Mayweather when he was 23-years-old.
Watch Mayweather's full interview here:
Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez
Mayweather's top five biggest pay-per-view fights have included Pacquiao, De La Hoya and Alvarez. Conor McGregor and Miguel Cotto also sit in the American's top five pay-per-view contests.
'Money' fought De La Hoya in 2007, where he secured a split decision victory over the then-34-year-old.
The American then beat Canelo in 2013, after dominating his opponent and earning a majority decision win. Mayweather was 36-years-old when he competed against Alvarez, but the younger man was one of the most exciting stars in the sport.
Although he convincingly beat the Mexican, Canelo has become a better boxer since his defeat.
The highly anticipated clash between Mayweather and Pacquiao finally came to fruition in 2015 but the mega fight arguably came too late for both men. The clash resulted in a unanimous decision win for the American but many thought it was a lot closer than the result suggested.
Watch Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao here: