BOXING: MAYWEATHER IN RARE AIR.

Byline: Robert Morales Staff Writer

Floyd Mayweather Jr., in one breath, comes off as boastful.

"The guy hasn't been born who can beat me," he said last week.

In the next breath, he shows some modesty.

"I am just happy to be mentioned in the same breath as Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali. They are legends."

Mayweather rapidly is becoming one. He is 35-0 with 24 knockouts and is 14-0 in world title fights. Mayweather has won world titles in three weight classes, and today he will try to make it four when he challenges Zab Judah for his International Boxing Federation welterweight title at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. HBO pay-per-view will televise for $49.95.

Mayweather is a scary combination of speed and power. He performs his craft with sheer artistry and the caliber of his ring intelligence is rare.

"There are a number of aspects that make a great fighter," said Mayweather's promoter, Bob Arum, who promoted many of Ali's fights.

"One is speed. His speed is phenomenal. The way he throws punches, phenomenal. The way he is conditioned, phenomenal. He is the entire package.

"And besides all of those skills, other than Ali he is the most intelligent fighter that I have ever seen. This is no (lie). Floyd can see a punch coming before the other guy knows he is going to throw it. Do you understand that? (Sugar Ray) Leonard was a great fighter, (Marvin) Hagler was great, (Roberto) Duran was great, Oscar (De La Hoya) had a couple of years where he was good. But none of them were as good as Floyd."

This could be construed as typical promoter rhetoric. But when Angelo Dundee and Gil Clancy, living legends and two of the great trainers in history, sing similar praises about Mayweather, it's wise to take heed.

Dundee has been in boxing since 1948. He trained a long list of greats, including Ali and Leonard.

Speaking Wednesday via telephone from his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Dundee could not have been more flattering in his assessment of Mayweather, who has won championships in the super featherweight, lightweight and super lightweight divisions.

"He definitely belongs," said Dundee, when asked if Mayweather is in the same class, pound-for-pound, as Ali, Leonard, Duran, Hagler, some of those considered the great fighters of the past 40 years.

"He is that good a fighter. He has proven it at every weight level he has fought.

"He do what he do and he do it well. He is not a one-way fighter; he can do it both ways."

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Photo:

Zab Judah, left, says a few words to Floyd Mayweather Jr. after the weigh-in Friday at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News