Where Does pacquiao's Skill Set Rank Among ALL TIME GREATS?

[GrandpaBernard]

Even when he was at his very best no one serious considered him complete in the skills department. There are some very obvious skills that are lacking: unable to cut off a ring, can't fight inside, jab not too great, etc.

Then again you can't get to where he did by having no skills at all.

Hopefully, my thread doesn't get moved. I feel a better discussion can be had here where people have knowledge of boxing history

[jabsRstiff]

Manny lacks a lot of the classic skills we look for in great fighters. But, he got a ton out of what he did possess.......he is incredibly fast and could ambush foes with rapid bursts of powers shots (almost all left hands). He is awkward (though not uncoordinated) and unpredictable. Even though he relies so much on his left hand he darts in and out with it so quickly it's always been hard to detect when it's coming.

He does not have much of a right jab, hook, or uppercut. His right was surpisingly effective when he followed a left hand with it very quickly- throwing it more like jab/straight right than an actual hook.

He did not really fight on the inside. Staying in and working is something he didn't do.

Altogether, I say lacking or using classic textbook stuff may have made him more effective in the long run.

[New England]

he was a vicious offensive fighter in his prime'
vicious. his speed of hand and foot, as well as his power and willingness to throw combinations were what set him apart. in his prime he was a very accurate puncher.


his skills defensively certainly aren't on a tier with great fighters, but he made up for it with a hell of a chin and one punch knockout or fight changing power that carried all the way up to some of the biggest and most durable WW you will ever see. clottey was 170 on fight night for some of his fights. margarito was in the 160's. both had terrific chins. margarito was on the downside, but manny broke his face. he hit so hard josh clottey shelled up completely (and by all accounts nearly sh#t himself. literally.)


all of that said, it was the physical tools that pacquaio had that made him a great. he had some of the fastest hands and feet you will ever see on a boxer, with one punch power and a great chin to boot. oh, and he was a southpaw. one in ten men are left handed. that's a huge advantage that often goes under the radar, especially when a guy can punch.

[IronDanHamza]

He is a skilled fighter. He may not be overwhelmingly skilled, but, he certainly has skills.

But, historically, I wouldn't rank him very highly in terms of solely skills.

[BigStereotype]

Very skilled fighter but not in a classic sense. A lot like Ali in that sense. Not a fantastic jab, average ring general, no infighting skills and vulnerable to a few punches, but amazing speed, natural power and, later on, combination skills. I know people say he just flurries 1-2's, but watch him eviscerate Cotto. He throws body-head-body-head combinations off of one foot while pivoting around him. It's insane. Back in 08-10, he was one of the most naturally gifted athletes in the world. So yeah, he had flaws, but he was a hurricane.

[ATG Fighter]

Physically very gifted. He has some skills but not one of the more skilled ATGs.

[Miburo]

More athletic and powerful than skilled, but his skills improved greatly over the course of his career. If he only had to fight southpaws he would have looked a lot better skillwise on average.

[tadpole25]

he's a very good fighter, but he's in an era where all of the skilled athletes have moved onto UFC and NFL.

he probably would have been a tier 3 fighter in the 60's and 70's.

[Scott9945]

he's a very good fighter, but he's in an era where all of the skilled athletes have moved onto UFC and NFL.

he probably would have been a tier 3 fighter in the 60's and 70's.

Nobody Pacquiao's size is in the NFL. A "tier 3" fighter? Yeah, sure.

[Prince_Pugilist]

As an offensive fighter, Pacquiao is one of the greatest to ever step into the ring. His power, although famed in the left hand, still provides a weapon with the right, his speed of hand and foot is just remarkable and his reflexes are cat like. Manny can also throw punches from angles other fighters can't even imagine and he does it by mostly staying balanced, unlike say Nas. What he did to Barrera is still one of the most brutal performances inside a boxing by a young up and comer.

I haven't even begun to mention an ATG chin (I know, I know Marquez 4) and a never say die attitude. He went to war with some of the greatest fighters in history and never took a step back. He loves a good fight. Blood and guts is his forte.

Where the Pacman has been lacking is quite obvious, his defence often leaves himself wide open to counter right hands and looping shots. But he has been so good offensively for so long, hardly any fighter managed to knock him down or seriously hurt him till Marquez (the early teenage losses don't seem so relevant).

Offensively, I'd have Pac right near the top bit defensively he is middle of the pack. Having said that, overall he would give most fighters in boxing history from fw to ww the fight of their lives.