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Floyd Mayweather Jr. Names Muhammad Ali Fifth Best Boxer of All Time

Disrespect or matter of opinion?

Someone tell Floyd Mayweather Jr. that one of Muhammad Ali's nicknames is "The Greatest."

When asked to rank his top five boxers of all time on ESPN's Deportes' Nacion recently, the undefeated boxing champion placed Ali fifth, with four boxers, including himself, placed ahead of him. Money predictably put himself at No. 1, followed by Roberto Duran, Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez, before tabbing Ali as the fifth best boxer of all time.

Then he offered the following explanation as to why:

"Julio Cesar Chavez was 80-0 before he lost [correction 89-0] and he went to different weight classes," Mayweather told hosts of the show. "Muhammad Ali was only in one weight class. And Ali really lost all three times to Ken Norton, so this is just me being honest. It's so hard...these are my top five.

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"What Ali did was he stood for a cause in an era where African-Americans didn't stand up for their people and he stood up for a strong cause in his era," he added. "Ali was the greatest for standing up in an era where Black people didn't stand up for each other."

Is the self-proclaimed "The Best Ever" trying to simply get a reaction or does he honestly believe what he's saying?

Mayweather will take on Andre Berto on Sept. 12.

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(Photos from left: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images for BET, Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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