Johnny Nelson picks Jack Johnson ahead of Muhammad Ali

Nelson's favourite five all-time fighters

By Johnny Nelson, Boxing Expert & Columnist

Image: Johnny Nelson picks his all-time favourite five fighters

Floyd Mayweather has picked his all-time favourite five, so our pundits have done the same.

First up, Johnny Nelson picks his fab five and takes it beyond basic boxing achievements. And makes sure he does not make himself top of the pile!

Mayweather's top five

Floyd picked out his favourite fighters... including himself!

1) Jack Johnson - 55-11-4-KO35 (1897-1941)

Image: Jack Johnson paved the way for many, many more black fighters

Johnny says: He was years ahead of his time. In the racial climate back then, for a black heavyweight champion to even get the chance to fight for the title was something, but to win it and do what he did was something else altogether. He was the original Muhammad Ali. He's where my favourite word 'braggadocious' comes from. He was a complete craftsman in the ring, but out of it he pushed things and opened the doors for black fighters.

2) Muhammad Ali - 56-5-0-KO37 (1960-1981)

Image: Muhammad Ali influenced boxing and every other sport

Johnny says: Apart from ability, everything he did and said out of the ring was so exciting, effective and influential. He influenced so many fighters but no one quite did it as well as he did. He intimidated people with a smile on his face and he made it all so easy. And he could back up everything he said in the ring. Think of the wins over Sonny Liston, George Foreman and Joe Frazier and what he did. He influenced our sport and all sports.

3) Sugar Ray Robinson - 173-19-6-KO108 (1940-1965)

Image: Sugar Ray Robinson had the styles that everyone - still - follows

Johnny says: These are all history-making guys in terms of achievement but Robinson is the one that truly influenced us - and still influences us. Aside from what was going on in the world, the styles he worked with, what he could do, the different skills he brought to the table were taken on board by so many people. From Ali, through the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, to even young fighters learning the trade, Robinson is right up there. In everyone's opinion.

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4) Sugar Ray Leonard - 36-3-1-KO25 (1977-1997)

Image: Sugar Ray Leonard did it the 'right' way, says Johnny

Johnny says: Leonard had it all. His hand-speed, his skill-set were second-to-none. He did it all the right way. He won the Olympics, then turned pro and when he was at his peak he was a modern-day Sugar Ray Robinson. Everyone will have a different opinion but Leonard was just a personal favourite. I get where he's coming from and again, it is not just in the ring, but the influence he had outside it.

5) Mike Tyson - 56-4-0-KO44 (1985-2005)

Image: Mike Tyson (left) got people interested in boxing - on the front and back pages

Johnny says: I would like to do a joint fifth place with him and Rocky Marciano. For the size they were and the weight they fought at, the number of fighters they took out was unbelievable. They took them all out! Tyson though, although he was by no means a role model, put the fight game on the back pages, and of course, on the front pages at his prime. People who didn't even know about boxing were all of a sudden interested and intrigued. And it was not just the bad news. He had the world watching.

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And Mayweather?

All of these fighters have had huge influence outside the ring and on the fight game, but has Floyd done that? Has he been a role model to fighters? It is not just about what they achieved in the ring, it's their influence and the legacy they leave behind for younger fighters to pick up.

Floyd's all-time five

1 Floyd Mayweather W 48 L 0
2 Roberto Duran W 103 L 16
3 Pernell Whitaker W 40 L 4 D 1
4 Julio Cesar Chavez W 107 L 6 D 2
5 Muhammad Ali W 56 L 5

Floyd has put himself No 1 in his top five - which was no great surprise - and he is extremely talented but the five I've picked have influenced people in every different way.

I wanted to put Mayweather in my five because he has achieved a hell of a lot, but look at how he's done it. Has he boxed anybody and everyone? No, he hasn't. His legacy will not come close to plenty of fighters that came before him.

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