It’s disheartening to see how Evander Holyfield’s legacy is often overshadowed, especially when you consider that he’s a four-time heavyweight champion, surpassing Muhammad Ali’s three reigns. Naturally, when a legend like Holyfield challenges the long-standing narrative that Ali is the greatest, it stirs up strong reactions. After all, Ali remains the face of boxing for many. What makes it even tougher is that some argue Holyfield doesn’t even surpass Mike Tyson in legacy, despite beating him. That kind of talk has to sting. In the midst of this debate, Floyd Mayweather’s uncle, Jeff Mayweather, offered a more measured perspective when asked about Holyfield’s claim, acknowledging his achievements but also pointing out why public perception hasn’t caught up.

The Mayweather Channel recently aired an episode featuring Jeff Mayweather’s thoughtful but firm disagreement with Evander Holyfield’s bold claim of being greater than Muhammad Ali. To present a balanced take, Jeff acknowledged Evander Holyfield’s point about being a multi-time world champion and recognized his accomplishments. “I guess he has a claim,” said the former super featherweight titleholder. But he also argued that greatness in boxing isn’t defined by titles alone. “It’s a whole lot more than just winning the title with Muhammad Ali,” he said. “Muhammad Ali was bigger than boxing.” While Evander Holyfield’s argument was based purely on boxing merit, the reporter pointed out a critical flaw: being a four-time champion also means losing the title three times.

But then the discussion turned to longevity and dominance. “If you’re a one-time champ and you held the belt for 20 years, you’re not the greatest because someone else won it four times?” the reporter asked, challenging the logic. Jeff Mayweather agreed with the sentiment. “But I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem like Holyfield, though,” he added, hinting that Holyfield’s legacy doesn’t quite reach the elite tier of all-time greats in public perception. The reporter then noted that some fans don’t even place The Real Deal in their top five greatest boxers, prompting Mayweather to reflect further. “The only thing I know about Holyfield as a heavyweight was that he beat Mike Tyson,” he said plainly.

However, Jeff argued that those victories over Mike Tyson don’t elevate Evander Holyfield above Iron Mike in the eyes of most fans. When asked if Holyfield was a greater heavyweight than Tyson, Jeff replied, “Well, he will never be considered greater than Mike Tyson.” The reason? “Because people are going to say by the time he fought Mike Tyson, he wasn’t the Mike Tyson that everybody knows. So he won’t get no credit for that.” It’s a sentiment echoed by many who believe Tyson’s decline (at 30) had already begun by the time The Real Deal fought him at 43 years .

Pushed further on the topic, the reporter asked who would win if both fighters had faced off in their prime. Jeff responded, “I don’t know. Mike Tyson was a real beast. I mean he was super fast. But Holyfield did beat him fairly easy. But I don’t know. I just think that Mike Tyson, his background, the way he grew up made him bigger than anybody else.” So while Evander Holyfield may believe he stands above Muhammad Ali in greatness, Jeff Mayweather isn’t convinced he even surpasses Tyson. But what exactly did Evander Holyfield say to spark this fiery debate? In case you missed it, here’s what triggered the entire conversation.

Boxing legend makes bold claim about GOAT status

Known simply as “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali remains one of the most iconic and influential figures in boxing history. After winning Olympic gold in 1960, Ali launched a legendary professional career that saw him claim the world heavyweight championship three times. His first title came in 1964, when he shocked the world by defeating Sonny Liston. Over the years, Ali’s charisma, footwork, and tactical genius captivated fans around the globe and solidified his place among the all-time greats. So while his resume boasts legendary wins and unmatched global impact, not everyone agrees that Ali is the undisputed greatest. One of his fiercest challengers to that claim is none other than four-time world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.

In an interview with Seconds Out, a few weeks ago, the 44-10 boxer made the case for why he believes he deserves greater recognition than Ali. “I’m the only four-time heavyweight champion of the world but they are still talking about Ali,” he said. “I broke his record and have held the only four-time heavyweight champion of the world for 24 years. You can’t talk about it until you break someone’s record, they don’t say nothing about me. How do you cut somebody out of history?” Holyfield also pointed out another overlooked achievement: becoming the first undisputed champion in both cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. “They keep saying Ali is the best fighter, no I am. He was three times, I’m four.”

That historic feat has since been matched by Oleksandr Usyk, who became the undisputed heavyweight champion after defeating Tyson Fury. Still, Holyfield feels that his legacy has been unfairly overshadowed. So, with his credentials and achievements laid bare, Jeff Mayweather’s skeptical take on Holyfield’s claim invites an important debate: Does breaking more records automatically make someone the greatest? And in your opinion, does Evander Holyfield deserve to be mentioned in the same breath? Or even above Muhammad Ali?