Boxing icon Floyd Mayweather recently said that Ryan Garcia, Gervonta Davis, and former opponent Canelo Alvarez are the three top stars of the sport.
Mayweather is now 46 and has retired from boxing six years ago. He holds an undefeated record of 50-0. His last match ended in a victory against UFC legend Conor McGregor.
After retiring, Mayweather made a return to the ring for exhibition bouts against reality TV personalities like Aaron Chalmers and MMA competitors.
In a candid conversation during a stroll with Garcia in a shopping mall, Mayweather said:
“There are some heavy hitters in the game right now but there’s only really three. Canelo, Ryan and Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. A lot of time people think well I got a belt. I’m a star. I got two belts. In today’s time, they think belts and a few million dollars makes you a star.”
“Being articulate makes you a star. Knowing when to speak and when not to speak. Everything plays a role in making you a household name, and I know this. That’s why they still talking about me. It’s been almost 30 years and the Mayweather name is always being brought up.”
A decade ago, Mayweather handed Alvarez his first professional defeat. The undisputed super-middleweight champion rebounded with an unbeaten streak in his subsequent fifteen matches. After that, he was defeated by Dmitry Bivol when he moved up to contend for a world championship at light-heavyweight.
For the most of his career, Gervonta Davis was under Mayweather’s management. However, they parted ways amicably before his world championship defence against Hector Garcia in January.
Mayweather backed Ryan for his April performance against Davis, when he was eliminated in the seventh round.
He said: “The only thing he can do is get better, I didn’t think it was a bad [performance] when I watched the fight. He needs to continue to focus and believe in himself and his skills. Young fighters may take things I’ve said in the past the wrong way. When it’s all said and done, we don’t care about his followers we care about his performance.”