Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought some of the biggest names in boxing history. Fighters such as Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya appear on Mayweather’s resume, yet the former champion holds his fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a special place in his memory.
“Money” Mayweather is considered one of the great masters of defensive boxing, and his 50-0-0 record confirms this. In his career, the American fighter won 15 championships in five different divisions, from featherweight to middleweight, and was undisputed champion in four of them.
In a recent interview, Mayweather named his favorite fights of his career, which include bouts against Diego Corrales, Arturo Gatti, and Ricky Hatton, among others. Although the former champion didn’t list them in a specific order, he did leave his fight against Canelo in a special place.
Mayweather vs. Canelo, a PPV hit
“Money” and Canelo faced each other on September 14, 2013, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight, nicknamed “The One,” had a huge publicity stunt behind it and, as expected, drew a large crowd at the arena and on PPV.
Mayweather won the fight by unanimous decision; however, that’s not what the former champion remembers most. “Canelo and I were able to lock up, and did record-breaking numbers,” Mayweather recalled. And he’s right: the fight sold 2.2 million pay-per-view units, the second-highest number back then.
Mayweather often measures the success of his fights by their ratings or the paycheck he received for entering the ring; for example, he recalled that his fight against De La Hoya had 2.5 million PPV buys. Meanwhile, his bout against Pacquiao had an astonishing 4.4 million PPV buys.
The fight against McGregor paved the way
Although he cannot be considered a boxing great in the strictest sense, Mayweather mentioned his 2021 fight against former MMA champion Conor McGregor as one of his favorites because it set a precedent. “I think Conor McGregor was good because we broke the mold and showed that MMA and boxing can come together,” Mayweather explained.
This fight was surrounded by controversy; however, that was the hallmark of Mayweather’s career. Likewise, his reasons for choosing his favorite fights may not be the most orthodox, but they certainly align perfectly with what the former champion has shown throughout his life.
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