By Klaas Mabetlela: The greatest pugilists somewhere somehow had to face the defining fight, event or moment that take them to the next level, cement and confirm their status. Some are lucky enough to have multiple of those moments. The recent great fighters in mind are Juan Manuel Marquez, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather.
For most, Juan Manuel Marquez just confirmed and cemented his Hall of Fame status with his stirring knockout of Manny Pacquiao. For me the defining fight that told me that this is the fighter to be reckoned with was his performance in the first fight with Manny. Marquez was shockingly dropped three times in the first round, but somehow dusted himself and got up to outbox Pacquiao most of the following rounds and earned a controversial draw. It showed me that Marquez possessed all ingredients of the great fighter; tenacity, boxing brain, fire in the belly and resilience. I was not totally surprised when he brutally knocked Pacquiao in their recent fights because in a way it has been built over the past 3 fights. He just hatched a risky but successful plan based on all the rounds he fought Pacquiao in the last 8 years. He also prepared the 4th fight better than Pacquiao.
Manny Pacquiao himself is one of the few to have had multiple moments and I am surprised that some casual fans doubt his Hall of Fame status now. The main paid his dues big time and produced many electric moments; even his recent brutal knockout loss was electric. Let us face it, who can name any boxer who started a professional career as a flyweight and went on to achieve iconic status. For me the defining fight for Manny was his clinical performance against Marco Antonio Barrera. Manny was moving up in weight to face one of the best pound-for-pound and Manny produced a virtuoso performance. He was everything that boxing is all about a produced a brilliant 11th round knockout. I also rate his fight with Miguel Cotto very highly because he dismantled a bigger man so clinically and fiercely.
Floyd Mayweather just like Pacquiao divides the casual fans to the middle and most just do not have idea of his body of work. His defining fight has to be his performance against the then unbeaten
(33-0) pound-for-pound king Diego ‘Chico’ Corrales. Most observers doubted if he would pull it off against the big punching foe who was rated above him. Mayweather went on to drop Chico a total of 5 times before stopping him in an electrifying fashion. For me the fight that told me that we have a very special fighter in our midst was the way he annihilated Arturo Gatti in their Jr Welterweight title fight. It is still the best pure punishment dishing exercise of the highest order in all my experience in boxing. Mayweather had a point to proof that night and he did so in the most brutal way. Most of casual fans today tag a boring label against him, but he has proven through his body of work that he can do everything in the ring and is always adaptable to the environment.
It takes a lot to build and achieve greatness and we need to give those special boxers their due because they are extremely special.
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