A visibly distraught Floyd Mayweather commented on Muhammad Ali after recently passing away.
Even though Floyd Mayweather refers to himself as “TBE”, or The Best Ever, he knows that he wouldn’t have inherited his love of boxing and his brash personality were it not for Muhammad Ali.
And just moments after Ali passed away peacefully in a hospital bed, ESPN caught up with Floyd Mayweather to share his thoughts on the boxing legend:
His message was short but succinct and to the point. For someone who the world perceives as cocky, it’s nice to see him deliver such a touching tribute.
However, the skeptics may claim that he’s only saying this because he just passed away. It’s easy to think that’s the case, given that Mayweather once appeared on ESPN to rank his top five boxers, and controversially placed himself at number one (no surprise there), while placing Ali at number five behind Roberto Duran, Pernell Whitaker, and Julio Cesar Chavez:
However, Muhammad Ali was the first trash talker the combat sports world had ever seen, and it was part of the reason he took the world by storm. Mayweather’s “Money” persona would never have existed without Ali, and it’s highly unlikely he would’ve devoted himself to perfecting the craft of boxing if he didn’t try to emulate Muhammad Ali in every aspect of his career.
Mayweather’s tribute to Ali is just one of many that the sporting world has already delivered, and a lot more are sure to pour in. Ali’s influence extends beyond just combat sports, and many athletes today have looked up to him in some way or another. While Ali lived a long life, his loss is a profound one that leaves a massive hole in the world of sports.
for more coverage of Muhammad Ali, you can check out our Boxing hub page.