With all the talk of purse splits, earning power, pay-per-view receipts, drug testing and political views, it’s easy to lose focus of what would really matter if Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao ever fought.
The fighting.
Grading Pacquiao and Mayweather’s respective performances against the same adversaries is the only real barometer of what would actually happen in the ring.
The matchups Miguel Cotto: The Puerto Rican did his home country proud on May 5, pushing Mayweather before losing a decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Cotto pressured Mayweather through most of the fight and connected on more punches than anybody expected. Floyd did, however, end up winning Cotto’s WBA junior middleweight title rather easily by unanimous decision. Meanwhile, Pacquiao fought Cotto on Nov. 14, 2009, at the MGM Grand. After a fast start, Cotto began to wilt under Pacquiao’s pressure in a punishing fight for the Puerto Rican’s WBO welterweight title. By mid-rounds, Pacquiao’s speed and power began to take over. The fight was stopped after a Pacquiao flurry. Final grades (out of 10): Pacquiao: 9, Mayweather: 8.5. Oscar De La Hoya: De La Hoya fought Mayweather on May 5, 2007 at the MGM in the highest-grossing pay-per-view fight in boxing history. And it was nip-and-tuck the whole way, as Mayweather used his superior speed and skill to combat a constantly-advancing De La Hoya. Floyd, so proficient and precise, won a split Advertisement
nod. De La Hoya, over-the-hill Advertisement and rusty by the time he fought Pacquiao on Dec. 6, 2008, should have ended his career with the Mayweather fight. Because Pacquiao, five inches shorter and three pounds lighter, destroyed him, using his superior speed and homerun power to force De La Hoya to quit on his stool after the eighth round. Final grades: Pacquiao: 10; Mayweather: 8.
?Ricky Hatton: Mayweather met Hatton, the Englishman whom the entire United Kingdom seemingly showed up to support, on Dec. 8, 2007 at the MGM Grand. RING TONES News and opinion on the sweet science.
Hatton, undefeated at the time, was successful in spurts, but ultimately lacked the speed or skill to seriously challenge Mayweather. In the end, Hatton lost by 10th round TKO. Two fights later, he met Pacquiao for the recognized junior welterweight title. In a fight stunning in its brevity, Pacquiao flattened Hatton in the second round with one of the most perfectly-timed left hands in history. Final grades: Pacquiao: 10; Mayweather: 9. Juan Manuel Marquez: It’s pretty well-documented that Marquez is to Pacquiao as Kryptonite is to Superman. The pair has combined for three memorable fights. In the first in 2004, Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times in the first round before Marquez came storming back to earn a draw. The second in 2008 was a controversial split decision for Pacquaiao. And the last, in November 2011, saw Pacquiao win a majority decision in a fight most people thought he lost. Enter Mayweather, who fought Marquez after a year-and-a-half layoff in September 2009, but still looked brilliant in winning every round. Final grades: Mayweather: 9.5; Pacquiao: 7. Shane Mosley: We all remember the second round on May 1, 2010 when Mosley clocked Mayweather with two vicious right hands and hurt Floyd for the first time in his career. It would be a fleeting moment as, a round later, Mayweather was back in control, showing tremendous versatility and recuperative powers. He went on to win a unanimous decision. By the time Pacquiao got to Mosley on May 7, 2011, “Sugar Shane” was a shell of his former self. Mosley fought to survive and Pacquiao won a unanimous decision. Final grades: Mayweather: 8.5; Pacquiao: 8.
Final tally
Pacquiao, 8.8; Mayweather, 8.7.
