He still got it,” John Gotti III declared as he embraced Floyd Mayweather after their entertaining 8-round fight. The 50-0 fighter indeed displayed those skills and fleeting moments of excellence, which made him a household name in his heyday. His shoulder roll, quick head movement, and the visuals of him landing a combination and then pulling away from the opponent’s reach, all evoked a cheer from the crowd. If a full-packed Arena CDMX is any indication, ‘The Best Ever’ still holds sway over fans, and therefore, it won’t be long before he again steps into the boxing ring. But the question remains. Against whom?

Mayweather, at 47, still looks fresh in the ring and has now mastered the art of pushing his foe in an exhibition fight and riding on the wave of fans’ cheers, enthusiasm, and excitement. For sure, it could be a big event next time. What about the idea of ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ vs. ‘Pretty Boy,’ a clash between a man who only knows how to decimate and a fighter who knows how to stay elusive?

Mike Tyson vs. Floyd Mayweather: a clash of titans

A couple of ago, Mayweather hinted at the possibility of going blow-to-blow with Mike Tyson. Their different decades of activity and different weight classes hindered their hypothetical showdown when they were active. But now that exhibition matches are all the rage, it could be an opportunity to give fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After all, it could be one of the biggest fights in boxing history.

It’s a matchup that will attract eyeballs. It’s the epitome of a brawler vs. technician contest, where fans will keep their eyes glued to the screens so as not to miss a single moment of action. Every power punch could be evaded with swift leg moments, and every feeble counter-punch could be met with a thunderous blow. Not to mention their huge fan bases.

It has everything that a boxing fan craves. But Tyson is closing in on 60 and despite his willingness to don boxing gloves, his health concerns remain. If that happens, Mayweather could try to lay his hands on one of the hottest properties in the combat sports world, Jake Paul.

Sweeping the Paul family: ingredient of a revenge match

Paul, 27, has stirred the boxing landscape ever since he made his pro debut. While there were initial doubts about his boxing prowess and his ability to sustain himself in the sweet science, he has converted his fights into big paychecks. A fight between the rising star in boxing and one of the modern greats of boxing could be a fight to look out for. What’s more, there is a history of bad blood between the two and an angle of revenge, as Logan Paul got plummeted when he fought the former four-division champion in 2021.

More than a bout for supremacy, their fight could turn out to be an affair where ‘Problem Child’ finally cements his place in the boxing world and where Mayweather could leave the arena with more balance in his bank account. It’s a win-win situation for the two. But there is skepticism about the younger of the Paul brothers accepting a fight with a boxer, which could make him look bad in the boxing ring. Moreover, there are other two names that the fans want to see in the ring against the Michigan native.

Allure of high-profile rematches: Conor McGregor and Manny Pacquiao

It has been 7 years since Conor McGregor, and Mayweather shattered boxing records. Both were at the peak of their marketability, and it helped them rack up hundreds of millions. Since then, there have been rumors of them sharing the ring again, mostly sparked by the Irish fighter’s zeal to make a fight while his UFC career is at a standstill. However, he remains a draw and one of the biggest names in combat sports, and the fans will flock to the arena to see whether ‘Notorious’ could avenge his TKO loss to Mayweather after these many years.

Alternatively, Mayweather could give fans another classic affair by agreeing to a rematch with Manny Pacquiao. ‘PacMan’ did announce at a Rizin event last year that the two were about to meet inside the squared circle somewhere in 2025. Millions streamed their fight back in 2015, and the fans still want to see how a healthy Pacquiao would fare against Mayweather. Interestingly, the Filipino is in talks to make a professional return this year. Then a rematch with Mayweather might not remain a dream.

Floyd Mayweather is a polarizing guy. Some see him as the progenitor of many of the problems with modern boxing, including boxers ducking tough matchups and money becoming the most important factor in the sport. On the other hand, even his worst critics will agree that his defense was probably the greatest in boxing history.

A few would even argue he is the greatest boxer of all time because of his defensive wizardry and perfect, undefeated record. However, that distinction is already taken.  Muhammad Ali, nicknamed simply ‘The Greatest’ is, as his moniker suggests, widely considered the greatest boxer of all time. And while Ali was not undefeated like Mayweather, no one can accuse him of ever ducking a fight, not to mention the historically great opponents he faced in his career. However, now that Mayweather is retired and has embarked on an exhibition career, that is at least one aspect where even Mayweather himself will not claim he is near the former heavyweight champ.

Mayweather’s age will cause him to never approach Muhammad Ali’s exhibition record

Floyd Mayweather is gearing up to face John Gotti III in an exhibition this Saturday after their first exhibition ended in disaster. Since retiring in 2017 with a 50-0 record, ‘Money Mayweather’ has fought in seven exhibition matches and it seems he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

However, one thing is clear- while he may have a better professional record than Ali, and may even be in the GOAT conversation, the numbers are not even close when it comes to exhibitions. Ali, after all, was one of the most prolific exhibition boxers of all time, having fought in over 100 exhibitions throughout his life. Needless to say, there is virtually no chance that the Mayweather, who is already 47 will ever come close to fighting in as many exhibitions as ‘The Greatest’.

Not to mention that Ali fought in a few exhibitionists against wrestlers under modified or mixed rules, which some see as the ancestral antecedents of the sport of mixed martial arts. The results of the exhibitions are mostly irrelevant since most of them are non-scored bouts.

But for what it is worth, Mayweather has a slightly better record than Ali in the exhibitions that were scored. ‘Money Mayweather’s current exhibition record stands at 3-0, Ali’s is 1-3. However as far as significance and the sheer number of exhibitions fought is concerned, Mayweather can never hope to come close to Muhammad Ali. However, in their pro career, ‘Money Mayweather’ thinks he has indeed proven himself better than ‘The Greatest’.

Floyd Mayweather believes ‘Canelo’ win makes him the GOAT

Humility is not Floyd Mayweather’s strongest suit. As fans well know, the Olympic silver medalist has called himself the greatest ever many times, even saying he was better than Ali. But Mayweather, firmly convinced of his greatness, believes he is better than Ali. In a recent interview, the former multiple-division champ, in quite mild terms, explained why he felt he had left Ali behind.

“I take my hat off to guys like Muhammad Ali… My career was a little bit different. Whereas when you look at Muhammad Ali’s career when he was 36 [years old], he lost to Leon Spinks. When I was 36, I fought a young lion like Canelo [Alvarez],” Mayweather said.

Needless to say, not many fight fans are convinced. After all, Ali fought the toughest challengers, some of whom, like Joe Frazier, George Foreman, and Larry Holmes are among the greatest to ever grace the sport. There is a reason that the era Ali fought in, is called the golden era of boxing.

Whenever Floyd Mayweather Jr. hits the boxing ring and wants to spar, he trusts one person to hold the mitts and instruct him. There have been very few who could impress him with their pad work, and it seems his eyes sparked when he first asked Crystal Thomas to do it for him. The fans regularly spot them breaking a sweat in the gym or indulging in intense training sessions, with Thomas guiding and helping the 50-0 boxer. That’s not it.

Thomas continues to pop up and attract eyeballs for her association with other top fighters from Mayweather Promotions, like Curmel Moton. So, the boxing fans are always eager for details about her and her life. If you are also such a fan; scroll down, and you can find it out.

All we know about Crystal Thomas and her background

Thomas is from Michigan and moved to Las Vegas to work with Mayweather Promotions over a year ago. She is a first-generation American, and her parents came to America from Iraq. She is a Chaldean, which is a small Catholic minority from Iraq. But when did her fascination for boxing start? Thomas initially picked boxing as a hobby and started training in January 2021. It was around that time that she started taking clients. While her boxing journey has been only 3 years long, she has already carved out a space for herself.

Interstingly, Thomas never thought in her wildest dreams that boxing would turn out to be a career path. After all, she graduated with a master’s in social work in 2020 and was a school social worker who loved working with kids. In a conversation with Behind The Boxer Magazine, Thomas said, “I always loved working with kids, and I was always an athlete growing up. So being able to work with kids and still do it in an athletic way is what made it even better for me.”

When she started boxing to improve her cardio, she soon found her calling in mitts rather than the punching bag. The Michigan resident had once put on the pads for a session with one of her friends. She still recalls the sensation and once disclosed, “I was like, ‘Damn, I kind of like doing this. I kind of like doing this more than hit the pad’. So it just came. I think it chose me.”

What started as a hobby has now put her in touch with one of the boxing greats. Thomas now works with ‘Money’ and the new crop of Mayweather Promotions stars. But how did the two ever link up in the first place?

How did Crystal Thomas start working with Floyd Mayweather?

Thomas went down memory lane and pointed out that it happened out of the blue. It was a random occurrence. What made her stand out was her zeal to learn and learn more. She narrated the incident where she decided to take the leap of faith first and initiated the conversation, introducing herself and her passion for knowledge.

Thomas admitted, “It was actually really random. When I had met Floyd, I mentioned that I wanted to learn, you know. I came to him and said, ‘Hey, I’m a boxing trainer, I live in Michigan, and I just want to grow. I want to learn more’. And he said, ‘Okay’. Well, [he] asked me to show him some of my work and I was like, ‘Alright’.”

Mayweather Jr., 47, offered her to come to Vegas, and he promised to “get things rolling.” And the world knows the rest. She has taken pointers from Floyd Mayweather Sr., trained with top fighters, and even introduced kids to the basics of boxing since she joined the Mayweather Promotions. But the experience of working with Mayweather Jr. as his trainer tops it all.

Blessings!!! Extremely grateful to be able to soak up knowledge from the GOAT. Floyd always pushes everyone to be great.” That’s what Thomas has to say about working with him. The two are currently putting in extra hours to ensure ‘Pretty Boy’ is in top condition when he faces John Gotti III in a much-anticipated rematch on August 24.