By Chris Williams: Sugar Ray Leonard has figured out how to beat Manny Pacquiao, but says it’s not easy to do. In an interview at ESPN, Leonard explains that there isn’t one specific way to beat Pacquiao because of the talent that he possesses.

Here is what Leonard said “There is not one way to approach a guy like Manny Pacquiao. He has incredible hand speed, great footwork. He’s always in great shape so you can never catch him on a bad day.” Leonard then goes on to say the way to beat Pacquiao by seeing the fight as a “kind of a chess match. It’s the only way to beat a guy like Manny Pacquiao.”

In other words, Leonard is basically saying that Floyd Mayweather Jr., or some other good boxer, just has to focus on boxing Pacquiao and fighting smart in order to beat him. I totally agree. The problem is Pacquiao hasn’t been facing any boxers in a long, long time. Just look at how he’s been facing lately: Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and an old Shane Mosley. Maybe you could consider Mosley a decent boxer/slugger. None of those guys are boxers and being matched against them has really helped Pacquiao. Had Pacquiao fought a great boxer in the past three years, we might not even be talking him now. Mosley showed in the Pacquiao fight how easy it is to box him and make Pacquiao miss. If Mosley were at least five years younger, I think he would have beaten Pacquiao in that fight. It’s also sad that it’s taken three year to finally give Juan Manuel Marquez a rematch. I think he’s too old now to beat Pacquiao after losing a questionable decision to him in 2008.