By Fred-Lloyd Brunzki: Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are two of the most interesting topics in the boxing world today and shall be in the future. The speculations and questions will only be settled after they finally meet in the ring to decide who between them is the better boxer. As to who is greater is a different issue. These are the thoughts I would like to share:
1. Mayweather is the better boxer – Mayweather is sporting an unblemished record of 40 wins. Unlike other boxers, Mayweather is seldom hit except during his Lightweight fight with Jose Luis Castillo where many saw him losing on points. The fight could have gone either way. He is so skillful defensively that if he optss to just win on points, he can win easily. After all, what matters is winning the fight. Pacquiao on the other hand is the type of boxer who can be hit, his defense is poor but relies mainly on his “speed that kills”. But the kind of boxing fans want to watch is a fight. During the Marquez-Mayweather tiff only few expected Marquez to win but still sold more than 1 million PPV buys because boxing fans wanted to find out how Mayweather will fare against an excellent counter-puncher after coming out from retirement.
2. Pacquiao is the greater boxer – Mayweather is considered the greatest boxer because of his speed and defensive prowess that made him pound-for-pound king with an astonishing 40-0 win-loss record. But that greatness can be negated with a single loss especially if handed by a hand-picked, forgettable opponent. With the way he is choosing his opponents, it would seem that he will be keeping that record. His previous fight with J.M. Marquez was decided in his favor before the fight even started. Much more with his planned fight with Mathew Hatton. If Mayweather is considered great because of his perfect record, then Joe Calzaghe can be regarded in equal breath with him. Also Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and Edwin Valero who never tasted defeat could not be very far behind him in greatness. Manny Pacquiao is totally different story. We all know he became champion in 7-weight divisions and has reported he is hunting an 8th world title probably against a Junior Middleweight Yuri Foreman who is also promoted by Bob Arum. It is a fight for Pacquiao to become greater without losing anything in case of a loss. With his seven world titles in different divisions, he could still be greater than Mayweather even if he loses to the latter. Assuming that all Pacquiao’s fights in the future will result to losses until such time his record is surpassed, nobody could claim greater than him especially that he fought the most respected names who are all future Hall of Famers (Barrera, Morales, Marquez, Hatton, dela Hoya, Cotto)
3. 50-50 Purse split is reasonable – If the fight happens between Mayweather and Pacquiao this coming March or May, a 50-50 purse split is reasonable if both fighters are really interested to fight with each other. I believe the fight will happen after Mayweather-Matthew Hatton (sure win for Mayweather) and Pacquiao-Foreman. In the event Pacquiao snatches an 8th division title, the 50-50 purse split will not happen unless Mayweather swallows his pride and accepts a lower share which he should because at this point of their respective careers Mayweather is just an option for Manny Pacquiao. The bargaining table is heavily tilted in favor of Pacquiao much more if he emerges the winner against Foreman. In this case the fight will not happen after all unless Mayweather gives in.
4. The Pacquiao-Mayweather fight – A classic defense versus offense type of fight will characterize the bout. In the game of chess the best defense is offense. Mayweather’s style, unchanged in all his fights, will dictate the tempo of the fight. Basing from the Marquez-Pacquiao fight, we saw how Pacquiao struggled against a counter-puncher but we also saw how Marquez got knocked down by an unseen punch similar to what put down Diaz, Hatton, and Cotto. Dela Hoya could have suffered the same fate if he did not quit before the 10th round. After the Cotto fight, we saw that Pacquiao can deal with a stronger fighter than Mayweather. When the bell rings, Pacquiao will be slightly favored in the power department while Mayweather’s speed and stamina could be in doubt if he can sustain it against Pacquiao’s incredible work rate and blitzkrieg. Pacquiao will surely out-point Mayweather because there is no way that a fearful Mayweather can launch an overwhelming offense against a speedier, stronger, and gutsier Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather’s defensive skill is anchored on his fear to get hit while Pacquiao’s offense is borne from his gladiatorial spirit and this nature will decide the outcome of the fight. If ever Mayweather wins, it will be by decision. Pacquiao, on the other hand, could win by decision or stoppage.
5. Mayweather can duplicate or surpass Pacquiao’s feat – Mayweather has been pound-for-pound king. He is still unbeaten and holds 5-division world titles prior to his retirement. If he goes on fighting in the higher divisions, despite possible few losses on the way, he can equal or even surpass Pacquiao’s 7 division world titles because he has fought in the higher division versus Oscar dela Hoya. I believe that Mayweather can become better by doing what Juan Manuel Marquez did – adding offense to his arsenal that will make him a more exciting fighter that will bring him to new heights of stardom and achievements. Pacquiao has become a better boxer after learning from his 3 losses and acquiring a good trainer in Freddie Roach. Mayweather has his Uncle Roger and father who are self-proclaimed “best trainers in the world” so Mayweather becoming the greatest of all-time cannot be elusive.
6. Pacquiao will pick Valero for his last fight – Contrary to the wishes of Freddie Roach for the Filipino boxing icon to retire after a couple of fights, I believe that after a successful fight with Yuri Foreman, Pacquiao will fight Mayweather and Mosley provided both of them will win against their scheduled opponents. Pacquiao will not defend any of his belts but before retiring he will give a fight to Edwin Valero who deserves a break into a mega-fight. Who knows he may also fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. if he captures a title in the Middleweight division. But these fights if ever they happen are anti-climactic because whatever way it goes, Manny Pacquiao’s legacy as the greatest fighter that ever lived is already cemented in the annals of boxing history. To be continued…..
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