By Gav Duthie: On May 3 when five years of torture and torment is finally over we will finally know one way or another who is the best current boxer on the planet. We are already starting to hear ridiculous figures being banded around for tickets and PPV but for me this fight is more about legacy than money.
Yes, this will be the biggest fight financially of all time in fact it won’t even be close but where will the winner be immortalized. Of the greatest boxers in history where will Floyd Mayweather Jr or Manny Pacquiao sit in your opinion in G.O.A.T (Greatest of all time).
Current Lists
In researching for this piece the list of P4P all time varies from writer to writer. What never seems to be in dispute is that Sugar Ray Robinson always tops it and generally inside the top ten you will find ‘Homicide Hank’ Henry Armstrong, Muhammad Ali, Willie Pep, Joe Louis and Harry Greb. The highest I have seen Floyd Mayweather in any of these lists is #10 with UK newspaper The Telegraph writer Gareth A. Davies. He had Pacquaio just inside the top 100. Normally most writers/magazines like ESPN, Ring Magazine have the two fighters much closer together. Generally Mayweather sits anywhere between 20-40 and Manny Pacquiao top 30-50.
Of course these lists are subjective but surely if one beats the other this should elevate that fighter into the top ten of all time. The winner defines the era as they have both been so dominant for so long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABs8wLr6fzY
Last Super Fight
I was trying to think when was the last fight that could shape the overall greatest list so significantly. Mayweather against De La Hoya was obviously huge and at the time it was a big jump in weight for Floyd. For me this was more a money fight than legacy as Oscar was possibly on the decline despite nearly winning the fight. Other two top 50 fighters who fought each other twice were Roy Jones Jnr and Bernard Hopkins. Unfortunately the first fight was before their prime and the second one was well after Roy’s so it is difficult to count this either.
For me you need to go back to 1993 when Julio Cesar Chavez faced Pernell Whitaker. Arguably this was even bigger because both fighters were in their prime. Chavez was a remarkable 87-0 at the time with Whitaker 32-1.
No Controversy please
What we don’t need a repeat of is the controversial decision that we got that night. It was the ultimate aggressor versus the defensive master. Would Chavez break through the technical master class that was sweet pea. The answer was no. Chavez hardly landed a significant punch the entire night but Whitaker still didn’t get the nod. The decision was a majority draw so Chavez unbeaten reputation was intact. Whatever happens with Mayweather-Pacquiao it is so important for boxing that we get the right decision on the night. On the ESPN top 100 they had Chavez as high as #6 but many would argue Whitaker was better.
Final word
I think whoever wins the fight they should be considered in the top 10 greatest fighters of all time. If the decision is controversial like back in 93′ then we need to make sure there is a rematch. Fans and haters of either Floyd or Manny probably won’t accept this ranking but I feel in time the sinner will be immortalized as one of the greatest of all time.
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