When Muhammad Ali said he was The Greatest, you tended to believe him. When Floyd Mayweather Jr. says the same thing, well 

Mayweather was asked on a conference call a few days ago whether he actually believes what he has said in the past, that he’s a better fighter than were both heavyweight legend Ali and the consensus greatest-ever Sugar Ray Robinson.

He answered in the affirmative.

“Why not?,” he said. “I take my hat off to them. I got respect for Sugar Ray Robinson. I've got respect for Muhammad Ali. But I'm a man just like they're men. I put on my pants just like they put on their pants. What makes them any better than I am? Because they fought a thousand fights? In my era, it's totally different. You know? It's pay-per-view now, so things change. It's out with the old and in with the new. Things change. Like I said, Muhammad Ali is one hell of a fighter. But Floyd Mayweather is the best. Sugar Ray Robinson is one hell of a fighter, but Floyd Mayweather is the best.”

Here’s a quick why not:

Robinson could do everything Mayweather can – and much more. He had power and wasn’t afraid to use it, as Mayweather seems to be. Robinson actually took risks in order to take out his opponents and entertain the fans. And consider this: He started his career 119-1-2 during an era deep in talent and was still fighting for titles into his 40s. Robinson fought 30-plus fights against Hall of Famers.

Ali could do everything Mayweather can – at heavyweight. And, although he wasn’t as aggressive as Robinson was, he too went after his opponents more than Mayweather does. Ali dominating the richest era ever in the heavyweight division, fighting 13 times against hall of famers. And he had charisma that Mayweather couldn’t begin to replicate.

Who has Mayweather beaten? Jose Luis Castillo? Ricky Hatton? An aging Oscar De La Hoya? That doesn't stack against the likes of Jake LaMotta and Kid Gavilan or Sonny Liston and Joe Frazier.

Make no mistake: Mayweather is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best fighters of his time. To compare him to the likes of Ali and Robinson is ridiculous, however. He needs to prove a lot more before we can even entertain such a concept.

Segue to Pacquiao: Mayweather also was asked where he thought Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao would go on an all-time list.

“Well, I don't know where I could put Mosley,” he said. “I can't see how a guy can call himself great. I can't see how a guy like Mosley can even call himself great or he can't talk about. I can't see Mosley talk about putting himself as a future Hall of Famer and this was a guy we don't know how long he was taking enhancement drugs. So this is something that we don't know.

“OK, Manny Pacquiao struggled twice, which we really know he got beat, struggled twice with Marquez, which we know he really lost, right? And we know he's been knocked out twice. And he's been out-boxed by Eric Morales, but they still give him Boxer of the Decade. So that's something I don't understand. He beat a Miguel Cotto who just got pummeled with a cast. So I mean, tell me what it really is. He beat Miguel Cotto that got pummeled with a cast and he beat a Ricky Hatton that got stretched by me. I'm trying to find out what it really is. That's not for me to choose. That's not for me to put him in the Hall of Fame.

“All I'm saying, if you're a clean athlete, take your test. That's all I'm saying. That's all I've got to say. If you're a clean athlete, take the test. Show the world, you know what, I'm a natural. Take the test, that's all I say. That you saw they come get you at any time and take the test.”

Not sure how he transitioned into the drug-testing thing.

Legacy enhancement: Mayweather hasn’t given Mosley a tremendous amount of respect but did admit that a victory over his fellow future Hall of Famer would strengthen his resume.

“At this point, it's about enhancing it,” he said. “So like I said before, I think Shane's a solid welterweight. He's been around the sport for a long, long time and he's done some things in this sport. I've done a lot of things in this sport. I've done a lot of things that a lot of fighters weren't able to do in this sport and didn't do in this sport. So like I said before, I think with Shane Mosley, it's going to of course, enhance my legacy.”

The same but different: Most observers would say that Mayweather and Mosley have some similarities: athleticism, quickness, sharp skills, ring savvy and more. Mayweather doesn’t see it, though.

“I think we're totally different,” he said. “I think that he's a fighter that always worries about landing one big shot. He's worried about who is extremely strong and I worry about being smart and winning. So we approach fighting in two total different ways, always. I mean, Shane may be loading up with wide shots and kind of using not really a fuller jab and I use a fuller jab. You know when I shoot my shots, I look at my opponents and I look where I'm punching. When Shane punches a lot of times, he closes his eyes if you go back and look at some of Shane's fights. So I think we are two total different fighters.”

Is there any way you think you might be similar?

“Yes, we're fighting May 1,” he said.

No WBA title at stake: Mayweather will not be fighting for Mosley’s WBA welterweight title because he didn’t want to pay the sanctioning fees. Good for him. More fighters should say no the sport’s money-sucking sanctioning bodies and their watered-down belts.

“At this level ÔǪ it’s not about belts,” said Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s advisor. “It's about fighting, like he said, to improve his legacy and also it's about money. ÔǪ Floyd's already the best fighter in the world. What does he need to fight for a belt to prove that?

Poll watch: The fans seem to be divided by geography, gender and media outlet in terms of whom they pick to win the Mayweather-Mosley fight, according to Golden Boy Promotions.

For example, those on the East Coast favor Mayweather while those on West Coast favor Mosley: East Coast – Mayweather 62 percent, Mosley 38 percent; West Coast – Mosley 52 percent, Mayweather 48 percent.

Here is a breakdown by city: Los Angeles – Mosley 55 percent to 45 percent; New York – Mayweather 56-44; Miami – Mayweather 70-30; Chicago – Mayweather 63-37; Houston – Mosley 56-44; San Francisco – Mosley 51-49; Dallas – Mosley 55-45; Atlanta – Mayweather 71-29; Phoenix – Mosley 53-47.

Here is a breakdown by gender: Male – Mayweather 53-47; Female – Mosley 51-49.

The figures were culled from CNN, ESPN, People, Spike, Entertainment Weekly and Univision, and were released on April 21 by Golden Boy.

Red alert: We’ve been hearing for some time about this red-headed, freckle-faced kid who reportedly has become a sensation in his native Mexico. Now, we finally get a chance to see him.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, only 19, is scheduled to fight Jose Miguel Cotto in a 10-round welterweight fight on the televised portion of the Mayweather-Mosley undercard.

Alavarez, whose nickname means Cinnamon, has become what Golden Boy Promotions calls “a boxing rock star” who sells out large arenas and does terrific television ratings. However, has never fought on international TV and is stepping up in competition. The once-beaten older brother of Miguel Cotto gave Juan Diaz a decent fight in his only title shot.

Golden Boy hopes to turn Alvarez (31-0-1, 23 KOs) into a cross-over star who will appeal to both Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, as well as other ethnicities in the U.S.

“I fight for my people each and every time I step in the ring,” Alvarez said, “and now to fight in Las Vegas on such an important night of boxing is the next step of my career. It's a very important fight for me and it's an honor to be part of this big Mayweather vs. Mosley event. Making it an even bigger fight, it's taking place on Cinco de Mayo weekend, it continues the great boxing tradition of Mexico vs. Puerto Rico and I am facing a tough opponent in Jose Miguel Cotto in order to show the world that I am a great fighter and a future world champion.”