For the third time, Manny Pacquiao defeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. outside the ring after the Filipino boxing icon had a higher ranking in Yahoo! Sports’ boxing’s 100 most influential people compared to the fast-talking American fighter.
Pacquiao is listed at number 25 joining the likes of iconic boxing writers Larry Merchant and Bert Sugar; legendary boxers Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali; Hall of Fame trainer Angelo Dundee; and promoters Bob Arum and Don King in the Top 30.
“One of the elite active boxers whose passionate Asian following has helped make him an international superstar and fodder for non-traditional boxing media such as CNN, Time Magazine and GQ,” said Iole on Pacquiao.
The seven-division world champion even bested his idol, Oscar “Golden Boy Dela Hoya, who is at 37 while the undefeated Mayweather is at 70th place.
Dela Hoya is listed as a former boxer and promoter being the founder of Golden Boy Promotions.
Aside from being “one of the greatest boxers of his era”, the Olympic champion and six-division titlist is also the biggest pay-per-view star in history and an elite promoter.
Mayweather, meanwhile, became part of the largest fight in boxing history when his 2007 bout with Dela Hoya sold 2.45 million on pay-per-view.
Joining Pacquiao from 21 to 30 are Jake LaMotta (boxer), Cus D’Amato (trainer), boxers Hagler, Hearns, Duran and Chavez Sr., Sugar (author/journalist/historian), Merchant (broadcaster/journalist) and Damon Runyan (journalist).
Pacquiao, who just finished a three-city US promotional tour for his November 13 (November 14 Manila time) showdown with the returning Antonio Margarito of Mexico, also bested Mayweather Jr. for the 2009 Boxer of the Year and the Fighter of the Decade this year given by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA).
He has won seven world titles in seven different weight divisions and has won 12 straight fights since suffering from a 12-round unanimous decision loss to Erik Morales of Mexico.
Mayweather has continuously put down Pacquiao’s boxing achievements, has accused the fighting congressman from Sarangani province is into performance enhancing drugs and has repeatedly said that he and not the hard-punching Filipino southpaw is the best fighter in the sport.
Ali topped the list, chosen by Yahoo! Sports boxing and mixed martial arts writer Kevin Iole.
Iole said that even though Ali was not the greatest fighter, he was “among the finest and no one before or since has had the impact he?s had upon the game.”
“His style, with his hands at his side, circling the ring and flicking out jabs, has influenced generations of fighters. His ability to promote an event and give one a reason to watch has been unmatched.”
Joining Ali in the Top 10 are Joe Louis (No. 2, boxer); promoters Tex Rickard (3), Arum (4) and King (5); boxers Sugar Ray Robinson (6), Jack Dempsey (7) and Jack Johnson (8); television programmer Seth Abraham (9) and broadcaster Howard Cosell (10).
Listed from 11 to 20 are boxers Henry Armstrong and Sugar Ray Leonard, matchmaker Teddy Brenner, journalist Nat Fleischer, fighters Rocky Marciano and Tyson, broadcaster Don Dunphy, promoter Mike Jacobs, and trainers Angelo Dundee and Eddie Futch. ? Jon Perez, GMANews.TV
