By Mark Havey: In order to ascertain who is the greatest of any given era, the best must face the best at their primes. That boat has already sailed. People are quickly losing interest in a super fight of Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. Those are the wise fans. They are the ones that won’t be left disenchanted should the fight ever happen.
the fight should have happened back in 2010. The mystique of each fighter was still intact and both seemed unbeatable. Both had scaled heights that seemed unassailable. But both men are past their best. I’m not saying that they are no longer the best and I am not saying which one I think would win. But one will have slipped more than the other and one would have started out better than the other. If they fought tomorrow you still wouldn’t no which one was the greatest of their era. you would only know who is better at that time.
Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino legend was once a fearsome, dominant force, and still is. but once he was destroying the toughest of men. He is still a great fighter but the days of knocking out whoever is put in front of him have passed. In fact he hasn’t scored a knock out since he destroyed Miguel Cotto in 2009. He is content with winning on points. His last fights didn’t go to plan. Some said he should have lost to Marquez. That argument went out the window when the punch stats were revealed and Pacman clearly dominated the stats. He lost to Bradley and the boxing world saw pandemonium. Of course Pacquiao was the better fighter. but like it or not, he did lose. He lost because the judges said he lost. Theirs is the only opinion that matters. on the plus side, his opponents still testify to his bone crunching power and blinding speed.
Floyd Mayweather is surely the world’s best defensive fighter and will be remembered as one of the greatest ever in that department. There have been fights where he has avoided being hit all together. His last fight coursed some mixed feelings. Some said he struggled against a damaged and past his prime Cotto. And true Floyd’s once great footwork and defence struggled to evade the Cotto onslaught. His nose was bloodied and some punches seemed to hurt the once untouchable. But other fans said Floyd had finally proved that he could take a big shot. I certainly agree with that. The fight before was against Ortiz. Renowned as a man of suspect heart, he came out strong. Mayweather hit when he shouldn’t and scored a knocked out. It wasn’t cheating but certainly lacked sportsmanship. However Floyd was winning with ease and it was only a matter of time. but of course the fight would have lasted longer and who knows what could have happened. But I could only see a Mayweather win. Another important thing to note is the deceptive record of Mayweather’s. Unbeaten on paper yes, but not in boxing fans who remember. At the time everyone, including Mayweather’s family felt he lost to José Luis Castillo. Mayweather blamed injury and I believe him. But he still should have lost. But again, its judges that matter. On the plus side, Mayweather’s defence is still better than anyone else’s and his chin is now established.
Anyone hoping for a battle doesn’t know Floyd Mayweather. The fight would go one of two ways. Floyd fights on the back foot refusing to engage. Throwing single or double shots and wins on points. in this case Pacquiao fans will come forward saying “Mayweather is a chicken and run all night”. Case two, Pacquiao misses loads but lands some decent shots. Eventually a big punch gets throw and Mayweather is sprawled out on the canvas. Mayweather fans come forward screaming of a lucky punch. There are no lucky punches in boxing. And a boxer who wins on the back foot is within the rules and still the winner. In all truth the winner will be the best but not necessarily the greatest. Just the best on the day. Personally I prefer to look forward at the great fights that will happen in the future, not the great fights that could have happened in the past. Of course I would still like to see the fight. But it was once important, it isn’t now. Boxing doesn’t need Pacquiao vs Mayweather. No one is bigger than boxing.
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