By Chris Williams: What happened to the modest Manny Pacquiao? Last night on ’60 Minutes’, when Pacquiao was asked by television interviewer Bob Simon who the greatest boxer of all time was, Pacquiao said “Including me?” Simon then gave him that option. Pacquiao then came back with “Of course me.” Okay, I understand how it’s good for fighters to have a strong self belief and all, but I don’t know how Pacquiao can see himself as the greatest fighter of all time if he’s taking on fighters at catch-weights for titles and not fighting them at the full weight.

The last time I checked, guys like Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Jack Dempsey fought at the full weight of the their divisions and didn’t use catch-weight bouts. I can’t see Pacquiao as a great fighter because of his catch-weight handicap he’s now using more and more in his fights. I also don’t see Pacauiao as the greatest because he failed to fight a rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez after beating him by a questionable 12 round decision two years ago. Robinson, Ali and Dempsey, three of the best fighters in history, were guys that beat their opponents beyond a shadow of a doubt. They weren’t the types that would be satisfied with winning by a questionable 12 round split decision and then moving on to guys like David Diaz, a weight drained Oscar De La hoya, Joshua Clottey and the like.

For me, I don’t have Pacquiao in my top 50 of the top fighters of all time. The catch-weight handicaps have tainted Pacquiao in my view, and I don’t like the idea of fighting less than the best fighters at each weight class either. Pacquiao should have fought Marquez again, and at least Shane Mosley by now instead of Clottey. I don’t see that as a cherry picking fight. How can you be the greatest fighter of all time when you’re not fighting Mosley, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Timothy Bradley, Sergio Martinez, Paul Williams, James Kirkland, and Alfredo Angulo? Beating guys at catch-weights, and beating less than the best fighters for vacant titles, like with Antonio Margarito, just seems wrong to me. I can’t see Dempsey, Robinson and Ali doing any of this kind of thing. This is why I see Pacquiao as not worthy of being the greatest or even a top 50 of all time.