“Much appreciated” - Floyd Mayweather expresses gratitude to Kendrick Perkins for recognition of his greatness
In a First Take segment on Friday, Kendrick Perkins declared Floyd Mayweather Jr. as the greatest athlete he has ever seen, and the legendary boxer expressed his gratitude for the recognition.
Kendrick Perkins explained for over a minute why he believes Mayweather, who ended his career with a 50-0 record, is the best athlete on the planet.
In response, Mayweather posted on X (formerly Twitter), expressing his appreciation for the acknowledgment.
“My priority has always been to invest in my craft and give the fans the best matches possible. Pouring my heart and soul into every fight, I aimed to earn the respect of fans, peers, and competitors alike through my unwavering commitment and passion for the sport,” Mayweather said.
“Whether or not I was liked by everyone, my dedication to the sport of boxing should be well respected. Once again, Kendrick, your recognition of my life's work is much appreciated. Thank you.”
In the First Take segment, Kendrick Perkins praised Mayweather's dominance in boxing.
“A person we don't talk about enough, because I know a lot of people in the world don't like him, but, damn it, you gotta respect him… It’s Floyd Mayweather Jr. 50-0,” Kendrick Perkins said.
“When you talk about dominating the sport, he did that...and he didn't just handpick his fights. He fought whoever was in his path. The way he dominated, he is the greatest athlete or the best athlete I've ever seen."
Mayweather began his professional boxing career in 1996, debuting at 19 and winning his first world title, the WBC junior lightweight belt, in 1998. He defended this title eight times before moving up to the lightweight division in 2002.
In 2007, he defeated Oscar De La Hoya for the WBC super welterweight title and then knocked out Ricky Hatton in the 10th round. He also won the IBF and IBO welterweight titles from Zab Judah in 2006 and the WBA (Super), WBC and The Ring welterweight titles from Robert Guerrero in 2013.
His most notable victory came in 2015 when he defeated Manny Pacquiao for the WBA (Super), WBC, The Ring and WBO welterweight titles, becoming a unified welterweight world champion.
He defended his WBC super featherweight title eight times, his WBC lightweight and WBC superlightweight titles twice and his WBC welterweight title thrice. His last professional fight was against MMA superstar Conor McGregor in 2017, which he won via a 10th-round TKO.
Mayweather retired from boxing in 2008 but returned in 2009, continuing to fight until his final retirement in 2017. He amassed a 50-0 record, with 27 knockouts, and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2021.
Who is Kendrick Perkins’ basketball GOAT?
The basketball GOAT debate is a heated topic, with fans arguing over championships, individual statistics, impact, and more.
Typically, this debate focuses on LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
In this context, Kendrick Perkins proclaimed LeBron as the greatest after he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA all-time scoring list.
“I don’t wanna hear s**t! I’m not debating a damn thing when it comes to the GOAT. Old heads, haters, trolls… sit this one out! I always believed but now it’s concrete and nothing left to discuss… Carry. The. Hell. ON! Congratulations my brother,” Perkins said on X (formerly Twitter).