By Tom Graves: I rate Manny Pacquiao highly, so highly I consider him as one of the best pound for pound ever. ‘The Pacman’ has some truly great victories over top names, but recently I realized since his rematch with Juan Manuel Márquez in 2008, Pacquiao has indeed faced bigger opposition but those opponents have been slower punchers and boxers past their primes.

The 6 boxers Pacquiao has fought since 2008, have been top fighters, I would never claim anything else but I feel since the tough battle with ‘Dinamita’ Márquez which ended in a close Split Decision win for ‘The Pacman, the Filipino hasn’t fought a tough fast counter-puncher due to have so much trouble with the Mexican in that fight and in their first encounter also.

Starting with most recently, Antonio Margarito is a big tough relentless Mexican but most probably past his best and although he gave a good account of himself he is not considered fast or much of a counter puncher.

Joshua Clottey is one tough Ghanaian and I honestly cannot disrespect his boxing talent by any means but nothing stands out to make him extraordinary. He has average/moderate speed, good stamina and power with a solid chin but when it came to facing up to Pacquiao, he mostly stuck on the defensive using his brilliant defensive skills instead of mixing it up in there. Clottey has been known to counter punch and battle with a fair bit of pace but even if he did against Pacquiao I believe Filipino would of out-sped him by a long stretch.

Being a big fan of Miguel Cotto, I wish the fight against Pacquiao would have happened before his brutal TKO to Antonio Margarito (which I believe has something to do with the hand-wrap scandal), Cotto is tough and by no means slow, he has excellent timing and is just a generally good rounded fighter but he was past prime when the Filipino faced the Puerto-rican, although still dangerous and talented he gave Pacquiao no serious trouble.

Ricky Hatton could of been considered past his best when the two met in 2009, but we will never know for sure as the tough Brit didn’t make it to the third round bell and didn’t really get the chance to settle in and commit to his game plan. Hatton was fast, hard hitting and had the ability to counter punch but I feel those skills and the man himself had not been as good since the loss to Mayweather Jnr.
Oscar De La Hoya is one of the biggest names on Pacquiao’s resume but unfortunately he was way past his best, ‘The Golden Boy’ was weight drained as noticed by Pacquiao’s coach Freddie Roach. All though known to be fast, tough, skilled and could effectively counter punch, father time last Oscar that fight even before you put them in the ring.

I bet ‘The Golden Boy’ wishes he had the fight around 6 years earlier!

David Díaz was the next opponent Pacquiao faced after Márquez, he was talented and world class having beaten Jesus Chavez and Erik Morales in his career and at the time WBC Lightweight Champion but he gave little trouble to Pacquiao, he was brave through that bout but got sincerely outclassed until a nasty KO.

I believe although Diaz was a champ at Lightweight, this fight was just a tune up for moving up in weights and fighting the big names previously mentioned.

The point I am trying to make is it seems like since the hard battle with Márquez in 2008, Pacquiao hasn’t fought anyone with those characteristics that Márquez possessed such as power, hand speed, counter-punching, durability and the ability to box like a technician and also then go into the trenches & put up a ferocious fight.

These characteristics are deadly combined and the thing about Márquez is he has all these in him and I think you can all agree you haven’t seen Pacquiao in real danger and trouble throughout a 12 round fight since their last meeting. And of course the first fight was even closer ending in a draw which could of gone either way.

The men Pacquiao fought since then have been worthy opponents and I am not saying Pacquiao has been fighting nobody because those have been the top names out there which attracts the most business sense and they have beenGenuinely good fighters.

I just have a feeling that if Pacquiao fought a fast footed and fast fisted counter-puncher in their prime who can battle and box, he may not be victorious by KO’s, TKO’s and Unanimous Decisions like he has been in the last two years.

Depending on whether the big one; Mayweather V Pacquiao happens and Marquez’s gets a win against Michael Katsidis, defending his WBO and WBA Lightweight titles.

A possible Pacquiao V Márquez III, it isn’t for me to say if Márquez is now past his best but I guess we can judge in his next fight nor is it for me to say if it makes sense for Pacquiao to come back down to around Márquez’s weight to fight him.

But if ‘Money’ V ‘Pacman’ doesn’t happen for one reason or another why not a 3rd and final Pacquiao V Márquez.

We’ve had one draw, one win for Pacquiao and who really knows what the result would be if the 3rd fight happened.