In 2005, most thought that Manny Pacquiao was far too small to battle guys like Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, and Diego Corrales, but times have changed. Ricky Hatton was destroyed in two rounds and Miguel Cotto was given the beating of his life over the course of twelve rounds. Pacquiao has proven to be just as strong or stronger as he has moved up in weight and the doubters are now silent, most have jumped onto the Pacquiao bandwagon.
An impressive record of 50-3-2, 38 KO’s, with the only recent loss coming in 2005 to Erik Morales, which was avenged by knockout twice, he has been spotless. The list of the great fighters that have lost to Pacquiao are very impressive. He has beaten Erik Morales (KO in 10, KO in 3), Marco Antonio Barrera (KO in 11, UD 12), Juan Manuel Marquez (Draw, SD 12), Oscar De La Hoya (KO in 9), Ricky Hatton (KO in 9), and Miguel Cotto (KO in 12). He and trainer Freddie Roach are now aiming at the man that the entire world wants him to face, Floyd “Money” Mayweather.
Floyd Mayweather, JR., 40-0, 25 KO’s, came back to the ring after a brief retirement to easily defeat Juan Manuel Marquez, the man that gave Pacquiao the most trouble. Floyd was drawn back to the game partially by reported financial problems as well as a legitimate challenge to his spot as the pound for pound best arising. Mayweather, JR., had no interest in the challenges of Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams, both of which stylistically would have been a lot of trouble for him. It’s hard to imagine Floyd beating Paul Williams…which is a large part of the reason why that fight never materialized.
Manny Pacquiao is the perfect opponent for Floyd. There hasn’t been a fight this important for “Money,” since his 2001 victory over the then undefeated Diego Corrales. It was a fight that many picked Corrales to win and it was arguably the best performance that Mayweather ever displayed. He had a point to prove and beat Corrales from the opening bell until it was over in the tenth round. Although Mayweather has had some big fights, I don’t think that he considered them as meaningful as the fight with Corrales or this upcoming and inevitable clash with Pacquiao. This is the first time since Corrales where the boxing “experts” and more importantly, fans, are picking Pacquiao to win and win by knockout.
There are several factors that can lead to the end of the undefeated run of Mayweather:
Southpaw Trouble
Floyd Mayweather has trouble with southpaws. Zab Judah knocked him down and was able to win the majority of the early rounds with his speed and lefty stance. Chop Chop Corley stunned Mayweather as well. No orthodox fighter has had the success that Corley and Judah has had. When you think of what Zab Judah did, a fighter similar to Pacquiao, you have to be optimistic about his chances to topple Floyd. How Mayweather will react to a quick and aggressive southpaw will be interesting and his past trouble with the sort is a check in the favor of a Pacquiao victory.
Momentum
There is no question that the biggest name in boxing right now is Manny Pacquiao and his current run against top opposition has made him seem unbeatable. The talk surrounding Pacquiao is similar to the talk that surrounded Mike Tyson in his prime. The question isn’t if Manny will win, it’s when he will win. Manny Steward rightfully called Pacquiao a “machine” and that is what he is in the ring. Watching a Pacquiao fight, you just know he will win and perhaps there is a glimmer of hope for the opponent to be competitive. The main focus is on his last three fights: De La Hoya, Hatton, and Cotto. If you are only as good as your last fight, Manny is pretty darn good. He has all the momentum in the world and it’s hard to imagine him losing. When you watch Manny fight, you can see in his expression that he doesn’t believe he can lose. He gets hit and smiles and wants more.
Floyd Mayweather’s only recent fight has been a twelve round dance with Juan Manuel Marquez. Although it will not be considered an all time great bout, it did send a message to Manny. Floyd easily defeated a man that gave Pacquiao two close fights, but the win doesn’t mean that Floyd is better than Manny. It’s deceptive. In boxing, styles make fights and that holds true here. Marquez had zero shot against Floyd because of the styles involved.
Perfect Fight
Pacquiao fans point to his easy wins over Hatton and De La Hoya as proof that he is a bigger force in the ring than Floyd, while Floyd fans will point to his easy defeat of Marquez as proof that he is the king of the pound for pound ring. Although the fights and victories are impressive, they don’t mean a lot in consideration of the prospective bout.
What makes this Pacquiao-Mayweather bout so attractive is that they are the two best in the game without question, both at the top of their games, and with styles of both fighters involved, fireworks are guaranteed and whomever wins, it will clear the air as to who the pound for pound best in the game.
In 1981, Tommy “Hitman” Hearns and “Sugar” Ray Leonard collided in a bout that split the public down the middle, split the boxing experts down the middle, and captured the imagination of the world. History is about to repeat itself when this fight comes together and it will because there is a fortune to be made.
Miguel Cotto, Oscar De La Hoya, and Ricky Hatton have all been left in mangled heaps, and now Manny Pacquiao now targets Floyd Mayweather, JR., to finally settle it. It’s a rare thing in boxing to have the two pound for pound best tangle in their prime, but boxing is in for a treat in a bout that could go either way where we should see the best of both men on display. It is easily the biggest fight in the past ten years. Let’s hope it materializes soon.
