According to most Filipinos, Manny Pacquiao is the greatest 130lber to have ever lived. (However, in the eyes of his fiercely proud countrymen, he is also the greatest fighter, Filipino, Asian, and mortal etc).
But seriously, there are legitimate questions as to whether Pacquaio could actually be regarded as the greatest 130lber of all time. When I wrote my Pacquiao vs Barrera fight report last week, I added at the end of the article the line that Pacquiao ?could be considered the best featherweight of all time?. It was 4am in the morning when I finished the article, and I had been meaning to say the he could be considered ?one of the best in history? (this was pointed out to me by a couple of readers). I changed the line in my article, but have had the nagging feeling this past week that there had been something in my hasty analysis.
Pacquiao?s resume includes a victory over Oscar Larios, and draw with Juan Manuel Marquez. But his main claim to fame is the two victories over two of the greatest featherweights of all time: Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales. And not only that, he beat them twice.
October 18th 2007.
There are some flaws in Pacquaio?s game. He jumps around a lot, has a wide stance, and sometimes doesn?t use his jab properly. Other than that, he is an awesome fighting machine with one of the hardest punches ever seen in the weight division. Pacquiao?s main asset is his enormous tenacity, his ability to bombard his opponent continuously without break. He also utilises this with great speed, darting in and out before his opponent has a chance to counter.
How would Pacquiao have fared against some of the other greats of the division?
Fred De La Rivera was one of the readers who wrote in, and asked me how Pacquiao would have done against the following fighters at 130lbs:
* Wilfredo Gomez * Salvador Sanchez * Azumah Nelson * Genaro Hernandez * Alfredo Scalera * Hector Camacho * Willie Pep * Naseem Hamed * Henry Armstrong * Sandy Saddler * Vincente Saldivar * Chalky Wright * Floyd Mayweather * Oscar De La Hoya * Tony Canzoneri
Oscar DeLaHoya and Floyd Mayweather were not really 130lbers, so it probably does not make sense to include them in the comparison. However, how would the Pac Man have fared against some of the greats?
My personal guess is that he would have done extremely well. His heart, speed and punch power would have been a threat to any of the top names, and there is no question he would have been competitive with them.
Anyway, I?d like the reader?s opinion on this subject, as issues of greatness are always entertaining. Send me your thoughts to [email protected], and I?ll post them next week.
