By Clive Nigels: In recent fights, Manny Pacquiao has looked impressive. He has destroyed, out-punched or KO’d his opponents in a fashion we or the fighter themselves have not seen before. Yes, we can look at the weight draining, catch weights and the opposition being one dimensional fighters but they still needed beating and they got a beating like they have not had before.

But my opinion on Pacquiao swings between praising and doubting his achievements and for everything positive I can say about them I can quickly find a negative. I find myself questioning a boxer more than I have ever done so. Did Pacquiao have obvious advantages going into the fights, did he fight worthy opposition at the right time and at the right weight, these questions are only raised in order to challenge and try to justify Pacquiao being called a great fighter and pound for pound king.

Pacquiao popularity was on the increase from big fights like Barrera and the battles with Juan Manuel Marquez but from the moment he beat Oscar De La Hoya he became global. With De La Hoya still being a massive PPV draw, he was perfect for Pacquiao to be showcased to more boxing fans and even the casual boxing fan. Yes, people wanted to see this but this fight should not have happened, DLH had lost 3 of his last 6 and was fading slowly and the (catch weight) weight class was so vast it meant that De La Hoya was weight drained and dehydrated but the lure of millions and one last big fight for De La Hoya was too much. He got out-speeded, out-punched and was pummeled in a one sided fight and although Pacquiao was good he was made to look good.

Next came Ricky Hatton, a British warrior, a come forward pressure fighter and he carried the hearts of the British fans but when he was found out by Mayweather he was never the same man never mind the same fighter and he had found his level. However with Ricky having a huge fan base it was another commercial decision for Pacquiao to fight him and Ricky was brutally KO’d in a disorganized and embarrassing two rounds of brawling for the Hitman. Yet again Pacquiao looked good but was made to look good.

The WBO Welterweight title was next for Manny against WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, with his recent popularity soaring and as a pound for pound king he was made a mandatory challenger for Cotto but at another catch weight of 145lbs. This is another question mark against Pacquiao? Yes, the fight beforehand was seen as 50-50 and a competitive battle and yes he had the balls to fight the bigger man but minimizing the belt holder Cotto’s advantage with a catch weight for his title is and was open to debate! But with big money on the line, Cotto took the fight and was made to regret it. Although quite competitive early on, it soon became one sided and Pacquiao punched his way to a 12th round TKO! Once more Pacquiao was looking invincible but with dubious and debatable circumstances involving the weight stipulation.

After this fight Pacquiao was on top of the world, he was on a streak and he had proven a lot of people wrong despite the advantages but while the fan base was growing so was the opinion from hardcore boxing fans of Pacquiao hand picking his opponents and making un-level playing fields in his fights, there was also raised speculation that Pacquiao’s unbelievable climb through the ranks, whilst still carrying power and punch resistance was due to drug use!

A proposed big fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. was what the boxing world was talking about, one fans definitely wanted to see and when this didn’t happen we wanted the next best thing. What we actually got was a Manny sparring in front of 50,000 people in Dallas in a very one sided frustrating fight against Joshua Clottey. This fight was a joke and whilst I’m not saying it was a fix it was the closest thing to one. We knew Clottey was defensive and didn’t throw much, but he was pitifully inactive and unadventurous in this fight. Enough said.

Most recently Pacquiao fought Antonio Margarito in a fight for the vacant WBC light middleweight title. Yet again another question mark in this fight is that firstly why fight Margarito? Everybody again wanted the best versus the best and he then fights a fighter that had looked poor in his previous fight; there was the issue with the hand wraps and this had led to him being banned, but somehow and for some reason the fight was made and at another catch weight of 150lbs. It was generally a one sided fight, Margarito looked painfully slow and was constantly being beat to the punch and despite a few decent body shots and showing great heart not to quit, he was pummeled and his face was a mess.

So whilst I love Pacquiao as an entertainer and a fighter you really can’t argue with the facts surrounding his fights! Yes he is good to watch, you can’t argue with his skills but there are always question marks!

His next fight is Shane Mosley! As with all the above you can make a case for Mosley, he has heavy hands, he’s fast, solid chin and has a punchers chance but he is old and past his prime and is coming in off a loss and a draw; can you honestly see anything other than Pacquiao being too fast and wearing him down and eventually winning on a UD or late TKO!

What we have always wanted to see in sport is the best match ups, the best versus the best, in every other sport this happens with tournaments and play offs. There is a lot of competition in the world of contact sports these days with Mixed Martial Arts and UFC, who do things differently than boxing. Those fights are based on a structural hierarchy, as is the case with other sports. You win you move up, you lose, you move down.

I think events like the Super six are what is needed, fighters at the top in the division battling it out and naturally the winner/best has earned his right via process of elimination.