George Foreman says Mayweather is better than Muhammad Ali

Boxing great George Foreman echoes Floyd Mayweather's assertion that he's better than Muhammad Ali

George Foreman told TMZ that Floyd Mayweather is pound-for-pound a better fighter than himself and Muhammad Ali.

On Monday, ESPN aired a clip in which Mayweather declared himself better than greats Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson.

Foreman, a two-time heavyweight champion, lost to Ali in the famous Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire in 1974. Now 66, Foreman expressed his admiration for boxing's current generation.

• Floyd Mayweather explains why he's better than Muhammad Ali

"This is a better generation by far," Foreman told TMZ. "They're smarter, they're stronger, they're overall just better fighters."

"We were good and we liked the attention that we got. But boxing is on a different level. This is an amazing generation."

Ali ended his career in 1981 with a 56-5 record. Foreman fought until 1997, eventually quitting at 76-5.

Foreman will be on SI Now on Wednesday and will also be taking over Sports Illustrated's Twitter account that day for a Q&A. ​

• All of SI's coverage of the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout

- Alex Putterman