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 Mayweather has said that his welterweight title defense against
fellow American Andre Berto will be his final fight and should he
win, as is widely expected, he would match the 49-0 record of former
heavyweight great Rocky Marciano.
Should it turn out to be his farewell appearance in the ring, he
would bow out as boxing's richest ever prize fighter, having set
records in the sport when it comes to annual earnings, pay-per-view
buys and gate receipts.
"Mayweather has made more money than anybody else in the game of
boxing," Holyfield, who has been crowned world heavyweight champion
a record five times, told Reuters.
"He's brought the game up in a way that no other fighter ever has.
He took boxing and turned it to a whole other level, whether people
believe it or not.
"I don't think we ever thought a welterweight or a middleweight
would make more money than a heavyweight but that is what this man
has done."
Mayweather, 38, topped the Forbes list of the world's 100
highest-paid celebrities in June with an estimated $300 million in
earnings over the previous 12 months.
Holyfield, who had a career record of 44-10-2 with one no contest
when he finally retired in June 2014, expressed mixed feelings over
Mayweather's legacy as a fighter.
"He is undefeated, which speaks for itself," said the 52-year-old
American, who was nicknamed 'The Real Deal' for his own exploits in
the ring. "He can fight. He's everything that a lot of people may
not give him credit for.
"But he has done things his own way, which has been good but has
been bad too. When you talk about being the undisputed champion, he
has never been an undisputed champion, but he claimed to be it."
Mayweather is widely regarded as one of the best defensive fighters
of all time, and prides himself on his ability to evade punishment
with his skilful movement about the ring while making continual
adjustments against opponents on the fly.
POLARIZING FIGURE
However, he has been a polarizing figure throughout his career
because of his arrogance and flamboyant showmanship, and has
occasionally been criticized for selecting opponents when they are
past their prime.
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"The rules and regulations should determine what a fighter is, more
so than opinion," said Holyfield, who first became undisputed
heavyweight champion in 1990 with a three-round stoppage of Buster
Douglas.
"Whatever the undisputed champion means is that you are the best if
there are three belts and you've got all three belts, then it is
undeniable that you are the best fighter in that weight division.
"But if you choose to fight whoever you want to fight and you say
'I'm going to waive this belt', then it takes something away from
the game of boxing," he added, in a veiled criticism of Mayweather.
Holyfield, who also dominated the cruiserweight division before
moving up to heavyweight, spoke to Reuters after celebrating
National Alumni Day earlier this week for the Boys and Girls Clubs
of America (BGCA).
The youngest of nine children, he credits the Boys Club in Atlanta
for paving the way for his boxing career and teaching him the value
of strong character and sportsmanship.
"I don't know if I could have been a champion if it wasn't for the
Boys Club," said Holyfield, who is one of 16 million BGCA alumni. "I
went there for a whole year and it changed my life, it changed my
whole perspective on a lot of things.
"My coach, who was 70 years old, told me that I could be like
Muhammad Ali. And I told him, 'I am just eight years old.' But I
believed him.
"That sports club had an award for the person who showed good
conduct... and I became the person that I am today."
(Editing by John O'Brien)
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