Floyd Mayweather and Muhammad Ali are two of the most significant figures in boxing history.

Ali was an enigma inside and outside of the ropes, bringing a fresh style to the heavyweight division with a supreme confidence and becoming a cultural icon for his actions away from the sport.

Though ‘Money’ Mayweather hasn’t had the same impact as Ali away from the sport, he changed the game in many ways. Perhaps the best defensive fighter of all time, Mayweather claimed four of the top five biggest selling pay-per-view events ever on his way to a perfect 50-0 record and titles in five divisions.

Like Ali, his self-belief is unwavering. It perhaps doesn’t come as a surprise then that, when put to him by ESPN that Ali was the greatest fighter of all time, he had a simple response.

“It’s Floyd Mayweather.”

Elaborating, the 47-year-old looked at the criteria for the tag.

“What are we judging fighters on? If we’re judging them on standing up for a cause, then it’s Ali, hands down. But if we’re talking about taking less punishment and breaking all records then it’s Floyd Mayweather.

“Muhammad Ali paved the way for me to be where I’m at today. He’s a legend. But if we’re talking about record-breaking, we have to look at Ali losing his world title to a fighter with only seven fights [Leon Spinks].

“So, these are the things that we don’t look at. We only look at him standing up for a cause, which is the great thing because if Ali didn’t stand for that cause, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. So, I have to take off my hat to Ali. But I didn’t get into this sport for forty years to say there’s another fighter better than me.”

Mayweather doesn’t buy that the more thrilling the fight the better the fighter, rather that he proved he was the greatest by completely outclassing those who stepped in the ring with him.

“For me to be known as the best, I have to be in a drag-out, knockout fight? I can make the extraordinary look ordinary; that’s what’s so great about my career.”

Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather are three of the biggest names in boxing history.

Tyson is the youngest world heavyweight champion in history, becoming the number one attraction in the sport throughout the 80s and 90s.

Ali transcended the sport in the same way in the 60s and 70s, being involved in some of the biggest fights of all time including the ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ and the ‘Thrilla In Manila.’

Mayweather then took that baton as the face of boxing in the 2000s and 2010s, becoming the box office king before retiring with a perfect 50-0 undefeated record in 2017.

It was those accolades that led Mayweather to claim that he is the best boxer of all time, telling ESPN that he is better than Ali was.

“No one can ever brainwash me to make me believe that Muhammad Ali was better than me. Leon Spinks beat him when he had seven fights. They’d never put a fighter in there with Floyd Mayweather with seven fights.”

Tyson has reacted angrily to those comments, and needed just three words to let his feelings be known on Mayweather whilst talking to UCN.

“He’s very delusional.”

Tyson then expanded further and pulled no punches on Mayweather.

“If he was anywhere near that realm of great as Muhammad Ali, he’d be able to take his kids to school by himself. He can’t take his kids to school by himself, and he’s talking about he’s great?

Greatness is not guarding yourself from the people. It’s being accepted by the people. He can’t take his kids alone to school by himself. He’s a little scared man. He’s a very small, scared man.”

Tyson recently returned to the ring for a controversial fight with Jake Paul, and ‘Iron Mike’ has one question from the bout that he still wants answered.