Floyd Mayweather was simply one of a kind in the boxing ring, and had a skill set which has been largely unrivalled during his stint in the sport. 'Money' showed cat-like reflexes and elite defensive skills throughout his undefeated career, which saw him retire from professional boxing with 50 wins to his name.

Mayweather has since been fighting in exhibitions against a whole host of fighters including influencers and MMA stars such as Logan Paul, Deji and Aaron Chalmers which have still shown his supreme skills and defensive flexibility despite being well beyond his prime. During the heyday of his career, he was able to share the ring and go toe-to-toe with fellow greats including Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya.

And in typically sensational fashion, a new video of Mayweather's astonishing defence has been made which has caught the eye of a huge audience online.

Floyd Mayweather's career in full

As boxing careers go, Mayweather is considered to have had one of the best in the modern era having never lost a fight as a professional. His first career win came in October 1996 against Roberto Apodaca having built up a huge reputation as an amateur, and things just skyrocketed from there. He picked up his first world title of many just two years later to become super-featherweight champion which set up an alarming trend of dominance for other contenders from here on in.

He then moved up and won more world titles at light-welterweight and lightweight becoming a three-division champion when big fights started to appear for the slick moving American. He was fast becoming a pay-per-view star and all of his biggest events were yet to come which arrived at the back end of his career and cemented his name as the highest profile in the sport.

Mayweather's biggest fights came at welterweight where he fought and beat Arturo Gatti, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto before then securing wins over Canelo Alvarez and Marcos Maidana before the largest event of his career. 'Money' lived up to his nickname and generated huge revenue with long-term rival Manny Pacquiao in the biggest pay-per-view fight in history, securing a decision win and elevating his career to heights never seen in the latest century.

He then rounded off his career with a win over Andre Berto before chasing a perfect 50-0 record with a huge crossover showdown against UFC star Conor McGregor. The event was the second highest-selling in boxing history, and he cruised to a win to cement his name in the record books before retiring from the professional side of the sport. It was an incredible feat and dominance like this has rarely been matched, with several hoping to earn the huge revenue and fanbase that the American legend attracted at his pomp.

Floyd Mayweather's exhibition fights

Despite having a hugely successful stint as a professional, it is not over yet for the American who continues to showcase his skills around the globe. It began when he decided to take on Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, who he routinely stopped, before battling YouTuber Logan Paul three-years later in a non-sanctioned bout which went the distance and once again attracted huge numbers. It was to start a series for Mayweather who decided that he would capitalise on a gap in the market to continue his revenue stream.

Mayweather's activity then stepped up higher than even at the end of his professional career as he fought three times in 2022 across the globe, first beating ex-sparring partner Don Moore in a lucrative event in Abu Dhabi. He then returned to Japanese shores knocking out MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura, before stopping British familiar face Deji in another Middle East event.

It has also been a busy time in 2023 for 'Money' who made his UK debut against Aaron Chalmers outclassing the reality TV star, before his heated exhibition with John Gotti turned wild seeing his rival disqualified which could now lead to a rematch. The American legend has shown he is intelligent both in the squared circle and outside, providing low-risk opportunities for himself and expanding his profile further across the globe.

Will Floyd Mayweather fight again professionally?

Given his activity in a showcase style format, many boxing fans have begun to question whether Mayweather could return in a competitive scenario. The American star then emerged to be in talks with McGregor over a lucrative second meeting, which hopes had suggested that it would be done in a professional capacity.

However, after initially opening the doors to a professional appearance, it seemed to get played down after promotion Global Titans revealed their plans to make a real fight. Mayweather came into a chance meeting with long-term rival Pacquiao and entirely ruled out any return against the Filipino suggesting he wanted to take much lower risk events instead.

When asked about a professional return himself, he then said: "My career in real boxing is over. I'm retired. I'm still making smart investments, connecting with the right people and generating generational wealth. That's what's important to me, and that's what I want to keep doing. I don’t need to act like a tough guy. I’m fighting all these new guys, and just showing a new generation what the skills of boxing are. Skills that pay the bills."

Floyd Mayweather's defensive excellence

Mayweather has a defensive skill set which is almost barely believable, having used his elite movement and counter punching as a basis for his technical masterclasses throughout his career. The five-weight champion also had incredible accuracy with his punches and was extremely efficient which set him in good stead to outland his opponents regardless of their level.

According to Compubox, Mayweather had an average punch landed rate of 46% which is incredibly high and efficient which immediately set him apart from rivals. Incredibly in a true mark of his power on the back foot, his opponent's punch connection rate came in at around 16 per cent which is simply incredible and pays tribute to his reflexes and speed.

This has allowed him to become the boxer with the most untouched wins in history alongside Rocky Marciano, in an incredible career where his style has just proved impossible to overcome despite the efforts of some of the best. Despite not being a huge power-puncher which is typically associated with being entertaining, Mayweather lit up the eyes of fans with his dazzling technique and managed to achieve the best possible results.

Floyd Mayweather viral defence video

The boxing legend's elite defence is always a talking point and a subject of videos of fans who are simply amazed by his brilliance on the back foot. And this brilliance has been perfectly illustrated by a fan using a football-style method of creating a compilation of his best defensive moments. On this occasion, Mayweather is put on a pedestal by showing how he made his opponents miss including some of the best in the sport such as Alvarez and Hatton.

The video is a minute long and begins with his extraordinary clash of styles against Mexican Alvarez, who is considered a fellow great for his achievement in the sport. It was a brilliant technical battle, and the clip shows Alvarez trying to land on his rival who had his back towards the ropes. Mayweather first lands two counter shots in the time his opponent throws a swift jab before using sensational head movement to completely duck an incoming right hook.

A sequence of failed-hitting continues with Mayweather's speed simply too much to be pinned down as Alvarez resorts to battering his rival's arms in an attempt to drop either the bodyguard or head movement. The Mexican is an extremely skilled boxer and deserves huge credit for his attempt to break down a defensive master, having gone on to achieve at the highest level including becoming undisputed champion.

The next part of the clip shows his clash with De La Hoya, who is unable to land any swinging glancing blows as he frantically tried to batter the head of Mayweather. Frustration then begins to creep in as Mayweather follows up with a perfectly timed shot of his own right down the pipe. A compilation is then drawn up of British favourite Ricky Hatton missing with three clubbing left jabs and hooks, as the champion saw it in himself to easily duck and weave away from the attacks.

During these shots he was once again able to land counter punches of his own which is just impossible for opponents to deal with. Mayweather then moves out of his attack and lands a crunching left hook which drops 'The Hurricane' into the corner buckle. Shane Mosley met a similar fate as he was met with counter-punching resistance, with 'Money' able to lean away from his incoming shot and land a thumping right hook flush on his rival.

WATCH: Floyd Mayweather's viral defence compilation

A final sequence is shown against Juan Manuel Marquez, who tried to throw some crunching right hooks but was even thrown off balance as Mayweather made it look easy ducking out of the way with swift head movement. He stumbled backwards and the American was able to start his own offence, in a way where defence was the best method to build attacks.

Mayweather simply was one of the very best to ever do it and has certainly not been matched in the new era both for his stardom and elite expertise. It is no wonder that no fighter was able to beat him, given his defense was so superior and negated any power punching that a rival brought to the table.