I wrote an articles voicing my opinion on Manny Pacquiao and being the all time greatest fighter. As you could imagine, I received many comments and several Emails from the readers. As I indicated in my article, this topic is all a matter of opinion. I voiced my opinion and even with all of the nasty Emails from those who disagreed with it, I stand firm.
Most of those who disagree with titling Pacquiao as the greatest fighter of all time were from the old school of boxing. Many were fans of the sport back when the American fighters stood on top of the mountain. This was the case with 80 percent of those who contacted me. So I have to ask this question…..Would Manny Pacquiao’s top spot, with everything that he has achieved thus far be remotely questioned if he were an American fighter?
One hates to inject race into any topic, but I am afraid that in this case its a fair question. If Manny Pacquiao was from Boise, Idaho, or Philadelphia, PA, or Boston, would the fans in America question if Pacquiao was the greatest of all time? 8 division world titles, and elected to the US Congress? Come on, there would be no doubt who America thought was the greatest of all time if Manny was born in New York. I think race plays a part in this. I do not think it’s matter of hate, I think it’s a matter of location.
I asked several folks in Mississippi who they thought was the greatest fighter of all time. 7 out of 10 of them said that it was Muhammad Ali. Would the same 7 people have voted for Muhammad Ali if he were born in General Santos City? No way.
Mississippi is a football state. Most fans in this state are big college football fans and big NFL fans, and some are boxing fans. If I asked Mississippians who they thought was the greatest football player of all time, many would say Jerry Rice, the former SF 49er Wide Receiver. If I asked the same group who they thought was the greatest QB of all time, many would say Brett Favre. Why would they say this? Because both Jerry Rice and Brett Favre are from Mississippi.
I guarantee you that if Manny Pacquiao was born and raised in middle America, he would indeed be titled and written in stone as the greatest fighter that has ever lived.
I am not from the Philippines. I am from Mahopac, New York and I don’t have a problem giving Pacquiao the GOAT title. He’s clearly done enough inside the ring to warrant such a distinction. His outside of the ring achievements stand on their own as well.
Pacquiao in my humble opinion is the greatest fighter of all time.
