By Jeff Aronow: Oscar Valdez believes that boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is crazy for wanting to take on Gennady Golovkin, but respects him as a fighter. Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) would be moving up two weight classes to challenge IBF middleweight champion Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs) for his belt.
Pacquiao already beat junior middleweight Antonio Margarito in 2010, and he handled his size with ease. The Filipino star had too much speed for the slower Margarito, who is about as fast as Golovkin. If Pacquiao could do that to Margarito, he may do the same to GGG.
Manny can win his 9th division title
If Pacquiao, 41, wins, he’ll capture his ninth division world title, and he’ll go down in history as perhaps the more celebrated fighter that ever lived. It’s a win-win situation for Manny, as even if he loses to GGG, he’ll receive respect from boxing fans for taking the risk in the first place.
After what Golovkin did to welterweight Kell Brook when he dared to be celebrated by moving up to 160 to face GGG in 2016, Pacquiao might want to think twice about this match. Golovkin shattered Brook’s right orbital bone in the second round, and his career has never been the same.
“Everybody wants to fight Pacquiao. Pacquiao chooses who he wants to fight. He wants to fight Golovkin, he’s crazy,” said Oscar Valdez to Fighthub. “He’s a legend. Pacquiao, he’s just a legend.
‘With everything he’s done, being 40-years-old and beating Keith Thurman like that, it’s very impressive. Pacquiao, for me, will always be a legend,” said Valdez.
The money Pacquiao can make against Golovkin would dwarf what he can get facing the welterweights in his division. Pacquiao’s best options for paydays at 147 are Errol Spence Jr, Terence Crawford, and Keith Thurman.
The 43-year-old Floyd Mayweather Jr doesn’t want any of that smoke from Pacquiao despite having beaten him in 2015.
Pacquiao can win with rehydration clause against GGG
Predictions on Pacquiao vs. Golovkin from Mayweather Boxing Channel:
“I’m going to give it to GGG,” said cruiserweight Andrew Tabiti in picking Golovkin to beat Pacquiao. “I think he’s bigger unless they go to a catchweight. Back in the day, Manny Pacquiao used to get them guys down at a catchweight and beat them.
“So maybe that could be a money fight for GGG to retire. If it’s a middleweight, he could still dehydrate him [Golovkin] through a rehydration clause. So maybe Manny Pacquiao in that fight. I got the clause [weight] in the contract,” said Tabiti.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfTFi1uBOPI
“GGG,” said super middleweight Denis Douglin choosing Golovkin to defeat Manny. “Manny Pacquiao is great, but moving up to 160, calm down, Manny. You’re reaching a little bit at his age.
“I think Manny Pacquiao is great. Stay at welterweight and fight some of those young guys. But to go and fight GGG, I don’t think so. I don’t even want to see that, honestly.
“And I don’t want to see Amir Khan against Canelo; I don’t want to see none of these little guys moving up to fight bigger guys. I don’t want to see that. So that’s my opinion. I don’t want to see it.”
“Manny Pacquiao,” said former world champion Joel Casamayor going with Pacquiao to beat GGG.
Pacquiao would need to fight Golovkin at the full weight of 160 pounds for him to have a shot at capturing his ninth division world title. But that doesn’t mean that Manny couldn’t put a rehydration clause in the contract to ensure that Golovkin doesn’t rehydrate to 172 pounds overnight after the weigh-in.
Golovkin too big for Manny
“That’s a fight? Really?” said Shane Mosley Jr on a potential Pacquiao vs. Golovkin match. “I wasn’t expecting that, and I haven’t heard that. I think honestly, GGG might be too big.
“Of course, Manny is faster and things like that, but there are reasons why there are weight classes. I think he might be getting too much for him to handle, do you know what I mean?
“Yes, [Sergiy] Derevyanchenko out-boxed GGG, in my opinion, but Derevyanchenko is a lot bigger than Manny Pacquiao. I think that might be too much for him to handle,” said Mosley Jr.
“And I got GGG. I think Manny is too small, and he’s already been small in moving up in all these weight classes,” said Jeff Mayweather. “But I think this time, he’s in with a guy that is way too big and way too strong.”
“Manny Pacquiao,” said Thomas Hill. “I got Manny Pacquiao because he’s got speed, and GGG is old, man. Manny is old too, but Manny still got some juice in the tank if you know what I mean. He got that special juice. He’s strong, strong.”
Golovkin, 5’10 1/2″, is shorter than the 5’11” Margarito, and Manny had no problems at all in getting in and out all night to sting him with scoring punches.
Size is overrated when you’ve got the type speed and footwork that Pacquiao possesses. He’s like the 147-pound division’s version of Vasily Lomachenko. Golovkin had a lot of trouble with the footwork that Sergiy Derevyanchenko used against him last October.
Pacquiao moves better than Derevyanchenko, and he would be able to shift angles of his attacks on the inside to light Golovkin up.
Is Pacquiao too old to beat GGG?
“It’s going to happen?” said Kevin Johnson on the Golovkin vs. Pacquiao fight. “Is Pacquiao moving up? Oh, hell, no. I’m sorry. Damn, Manny Pacquiao. To me, that’s even.
“The reason why I say it’s even is Manny Pacquiao has the speed, and he has the power as well, of course. He has the energy to keep going to come in and come out.
“Do you know what I’m saying? GGG is more of a brawler and a one-punch knockout artist. It’s going to be hard to get that jittery Manny Pacquiao with him going in and going out to the outside. That’s even to me; I don’t know. It’s a draw.”
“GGG because Manny Pacquiao is 41-years-old,” said Lavonte Early. “Yes, GGG is old too, but I feel like GGG is going to cut off the ring, and he’s going to come forward and all those pitty-pat punches he’s [Pacquiao] throwing, that’s not going to do well against GGG. I feel like GGG is going to bring it out.”
“I’m going to say this right now. Manny Pacquiao is a great, legendary guy, but this is not what you want to do,” said amateur standout Jeremiah Milton. “Ask my man Kell Brook.
“I really liked Kell Brook back in the day. Kell Brook was hot, but that fight [against Golovkin] really changed the pace of his career after that.
So if you’re looking to get the money and get out of the game, you can make that fight happen. But GGG, there are weight classes for a reason,” said Milton.
Pacquiao looks younger and is fighting at a higher level than the 38-year-old Golvokin. People age differently from one another, and Golovkin is more like a 40-year-old, whereas Pacquiao is the equivalent of a 30-year-old. He just hasn’t aged the way GGG has.