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Both men retired undefeated and both left the sport at what many consider the perfect time. Boxing must now debate the ultimate hypothesis: who would have won a fantastic fight between Floyd Mayweather and Terence Crawford?
Mayweather’s retirement in August 2017 came just two days before Crawford won his second undisputed championship, dismantling Julius Indongo at welterweight. At the time, Crawford was just beginning a journey that would elevate him to the sport’s modern elite.
Crawford ultimately followed Mayweather until his retirement in Decemberwalking away a few months after a stunning victory over Canelo Alvarez to complete a remarkable hat-trick of undisputed titles – this time at super middleweight. He capped a rise from 135 pounds to 168 pounds, a journey comparable in ambition, if not scale, to Mayweather’s own rise through the divisions, where he won world titles from 130 pounds to 154 pounds.
In an era where many fighters linger past their prime, Mayweather and Crawford proved that boxers can always leave the sport on their own terms. Their departure, however, has only fueled debate about how they might have behaved against each other at the height of their power.
Although he’s not willing to go after his nephew directly, Jeff Mayweather offered his take on the fantasy matchup during an appearance on The Mayweather Channel.
“I think he [Crawford] That would give Floyd a hard time. But I just think Floyd is simply the better defensive fighter.
“I think Floyd [and] Crawford’s best weight class was actually lightweight. Floyd may have been better at junior lightweight, but still at 30 and 35 he was getting knockouts.
Mayweather won his first world title at super featherweight on October 3, 1998, holding the WBC belt for three years before moving up to lightweight. It was during these early championship reigns that Mayweather demonstrated a nasty streak and finishing instinct that would become less pronounced as he became the sport’s supreme defensive technician in later years.
