Is Manny Pacquiao the Greatest of All Time?
By Damien Norman
52 victories, 38 knockouts, World Champion in 8 divisions… the current WBO Welterweight Champion, ladies and gentlemen… Manny Pacquiao!
Although he just received one he really doesn’t need an introduction! Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao has single handedly glorified the Boxing scene for many years and is seen as the reason why people still watch the sport.
His achievements inside the ring have been nothing short of astonishing and at the age of 32 he still has time to add to his legacy
So what makes this star from the Philippines so special?
A lot of Boxers are seen as arrogant, self assured and gluttonous but not this man. Not only does he have amazingly quick hands and feet, breathtaking movement and staggering power it’s not just his skills inside the ring that make him the global star that he is.
Pacquiao is one of the most likeable characters in the game by far. Nearly every time you see him, whether it be walking to the ring or during an interview he always wears a huge smile. He seems to love life and enjoys every moment of the journey and you have to respect that in a man that is constantly under the most intense pressure, not just to perform inside the ring but to be a role model and ambassador for the sport.
It is hard enough just being a celebrity; that alone comes with a lot of responsibility, a responsibility that many fall foul of, but to have the weight of the World on your shoulders knowing that the Sport probably could not survive without you must be a complete bombardment and for that you have to respect him and the way he goes about his business.
In a Welterweight division thriving with superstars there are still potential tests and clashes for Pacquiao and at least two or three fights that would be considered as a massive test, but is hard not to write a Pacquiao article without mentioning the ‘F’ word and unfortunately that’s what’s coming…
Floyd Mayweather, JR., is seen by many as the man of the division and a large percentage of neutrals believe he would beat Pacquiao. He is of course an enigma of the sport and you never quite know what he is doing. One minute he is on the wrong side of the law, the next he has retired … it is a sore subject but a fact that the biggest fight in the World would be Pacquiao and Mayweather, JR.
Mayweather is unbeaten in 41 contests and the master of defense; a very impressive Boxer. He is not the only undefeated welterweight though, and the likes of Andre Berto, Mike Jones, Viacheslav Senchenko and Kell Brook are all showing extreme promise and similarly knocking on the door to face Pacquiao.
Although Pacquiao has 3 losses on his record 2 of them came before 2000 (at Flyweight) with the third being the huge World title showdown with Erik Morales in 2005, a Unanimous Decision. He does also have 2 draws on his record however in the 6 years that Pacquiao has been unstoppable he has won all 13 fights and has taken out some of the finest too so I think it is fitting to say that we can overlook the losses and appreciate what a fine warrior “Pac Man” is.
The welterweight division has provided us with some fine stars throughout the years and although Pacquiao is definitely up there how would he fair against a couple of these former Champs?
I for one appreciate what Manny Pacquiao has done (and continues to do) for boxing but let’s not forget what the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson and Tommy Hearns also did for the sport.
Can you believe that Sugar Ray Robinson fought 173 times with 108 knockouts!? Ok, boxing was different back in the 50’s/60’s, but when are we ever going to see a boxer of that caliber box in to the hundreds!? An amazing feat from a man that sparkled inside the boxing ring. Standing at 5’11 he had tremendous reach and silky skills, a true legend that is always at the heart of any Boxing history related topic.
Skipping forward a decade to the 70’s with Tommy Hearns. He had 61 professional contests, making his debut in 1977 he continued to Box on right up to 2006… nearly 30 years as a professional!
I could cover about 6 pages alone talking about some of the epics that both Sugar Ray Robinson and Tommy Hearns were involved in. Of course I have just mentioned my two personal favorite pastime superstars; I am sure there are many that are reading this article and screaming a few names at the screen too; Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Henry Armstrong, Jose Napoles… A few of some of the finest Welterweights the World has ever witnessed.
Of course when Pacquiao eventually bows out of the Sport he is destined to go down in history as one of the all time greats. Above the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson and Hearns though… I’m not so sure.
Pacquiao faces Shane Mosley in May this year. It is going to be a test for Pacquiao but it is not the fight that we are all waiting to see and I haven’t spoke or read about a single person giving Mosley a chance.
Pacquiao has already achieved masses as a Boxer but with one fight, taking on Floyd Mayweather, JR., he would have the opportunity to quite literally cement his name in the history books and would go down as the man that took all the available fights, just like the past heroes did. Some feel Pacquiao is dodging Mayweather and others see it as the other way around… the truth is nobody really knows and until they finally sit down, negotiate the fight properly and get in the ring nobody will know. There is of course the recent retirement from Mayweather however at this stage I am taking it very lightly.
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