Bernard Hopkins believes Manny Pacquiao will leave a better legacy than Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The 43-year-old Mayweather retired three years ago with a record of 50-0 (27) two years after his unanimous decision win over Pacquiao 62-7-2 (39) in the richest fight in boxing history.
WBA welterweight champion Pacquiao, 41, won his first world title 22 years ago as a flyweight and has collected world championship across eight different weight class in his remarkable 25-year professional career.
“I’d rather have Manny Pacquiao’s legacy than Floyd Mayweather’s,” Hopkins told The Ring. “Manny fought everybody and Floyd fought guys (on his watch).”
Hopkins praised Pacquiao for taking on all comers, while saying Mayweather selected his opponents from a business perspective.
“That’s debatable, but also, I don’t think Floyd gave two you-know-whats about how people feel whether he fought the best guys or not. It was strictly business for Floyd,” he said.
“Manny fought who his promoter wanted him to fight and Floyd fought the guys that were financially lucrative.
“Mayweather is still a Hall of Famer; to me, it makes him great and smart at the business.
“When boxing is over, we have to start looking at our bank accounts and our children. A lot of boxers had big fights throughout their career but didn’t get compensated the best way they could and should have, but they have Hall of Fame recognition.”
Hopkins isn’t the only one who hold Pacquaio in high regards. Rising star Ryan Garcia recently said he sees the Filipino superstar as more of a role model than Mayweather.
“It’s a passing of the torch,” Garcia said last month. “He was a legend, the real legend. Floyd [Mayweather] was a legend of course in boxing but he had a chance to inspire kids but he did it in a different way, I guess with the money and everything.
“But I’m looking to do stuff beyond boxing. Manny Pacquiao did something beyond boxing. Floyd only did boxing. So I feel Manny Pacquiao needs to pass that torch to me.”
