By Ryan Songalia
Less than a month has past since Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his retirement from boxing, effectively ending his three-year-reign as boxing's unofficial "pound for pound" king. Manny Pacquiao and Joe Calzaghe are the two names that are unanimously tossed around atop the opinion polls. With Pacquiao's latest performance, he may have grabbed sole possession of the distinction.
Pacquiao had endured the tenures of Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins and Mayweather atop lists, lingering in the top five as he racked up wins over Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales. He amassed a 5-1-1 (3 KO) record against the three best featherweights of the past 20 years.
Having paid his dues and waited out the undefeated withdrawal of his predecessor, it was now Pacquiao's turn to stand as the sport's most celebrated of champions.
Looking to pick up his fourth title belt against WBC lightweight titleholder David Diaz, Pacquiao responded to the call by turning in a masterful domination of his larger foe, capping it off with a picturesque one punch knockout in the ninth round.
The stigma of being a one-handed fighter, mostly due to his limited punch selection in the first fights with Morales and Marquez, was refuted deftly by Pacquiao's right hook barrages which repeatedly rocked Diaz.
Unlike Pacquiao's opponents at junior featherweight and featherweight, David Diaz was able to stand up to flush power punches that otherwise felled smaller fighters. Pacquiao's speed advantage proved more telling than his celebrated punching power.
With the performance, Pacquiao, now 47-2-2 (36 KO), successfully cleared the gap to 135. Pacquiao had previously held titles at 112, 122 and 130 pounds.
Pacquiao's fodder, David Diaz, came to make the most of his once in a career opportunity. Perhaps he tried to make too much of it.
Ring Magazine had Diaz ranked as the number three man at lightweight behind Joel Casamayor and Nate Campbell respectfully. Though Diaz is not the most physically gifted fighter of the lightweight bunch, he was chosen by promoter Top Rank as the handpicked welcoming committee for Pacquiao's audacious leap north to help Pacquiao adjust to fighting bigger men.
Diaz's previous fight, a decision win over Ramon Montano on the under card of Pacquiao's rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez, was in no way designed to raise the Chicago native's profile. The idea was to keep Diaz on ice and the strap around his waist while Pacquiao completes his transition out of super featherweight. Diaz was the prototype of a handpicked opponent.
Which is nothing different from the path Floyd Mayweather Jr. navigated en route to WBC gold at 140 pounds. After earning a shot at Arturo Gatti, the Mayweather-proclaimed "paper champion," "Pretty Boy Floyd" did what virtually everyone expected he would: Completely dominate and outclass the earmarked target.
Hopefully, that's where the similarities end.
Before pound for pound tags and other celestial accolades were adorned on Mayweather, he was noted for his daring and wanton domination of the most viable threats at 130 and 135 pounds. After defeating then-undefeated Diego Corrales at 130 and moving up to twice defeat the universally recognized lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo, Mayweather stamped himself as the undeniable force in those divisions.
Then when Roy Jones Jr.'s era of invincibility ended in 2004 and Bernard Hopkins' brief reign came to a halt with his pair of defeats to Jermain Taylor, Mayweather's willingness to take on the most dangerous and credible challenges seemingly abandoned his fighting philosophy.
At the time Mayweather left the 140 pound division for greener pastures and greener money, it was regarded as one of the hottest weight classes in boxing. Instead of cleaning out his divisions, Mayweather used his pound for pound status as a perch from which to discredit dangerous challengers Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito while contemplating unpopular rematches with Ricky Hatton and Oscar de la Hoya.
Pacquiao made mention in his post-fight interview how he was just a fighter and that Bob Arum and Top Rank were the ones who made the business decisions. If that is the case, then boxing fans can expect Pacquiao's quick exit from the most loaded division in boxing.
"We will defend the WBC lightweight title later this year," said Arum at the post-fight press conference. "There is a possibility we could fight Ricky Hatton next year. That remains to be seen."
Edwin Valero, the WBA 130 pound titlist with 24 knockouts in 24 fights, was the name most frequently mentioned at the press conference for Pacquiao's November 8 date.
Valero's career was briefly derailed after MRI results detected an abnormality before a 2004 bout. Though medically suspended in the United States, Valero continued his 19 first round knockout streak before disposing of Vicente Mosquera in 10 to win his first title belt. Since his American exile, Valero has based his career out of Japan under the promotion of Akihiko Honda.
Texas granted Valero clearance to fight earlier this year, and other states may follow suit soon.
"[Valero] had a medical problem but he’s been cleared at least in one state and hopefully it’s going to be cleared up here, too," Arum said. "I have been talking with my friend Honda and he’s game for the fight and I think people will love it because he’s a huge knockout guy."
With most of the top fighters leaning towards other matchups, Valero enters the conversation almost by elimination.
IBF/WBA/WBO lightweight champion Nate Campbell is tentatively slated to face mandatory challenger Joan Guzman, while Joel Casamayor headlines his first ever pay-per-view opposite Juan Manuel Marquez on the same night. Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis will meet the week before on HBO.
What detracts from potentially entertaining style matchups with Valero and Hatton are differences in weight. Valero would have to move up five pounds while Pacquiao would have to pack on five of his own to face Hatton. Neither fight has consequences pertaining to the division Pacquiao has added buzz to. By flying past the challenges at 135, Pacquiao would pass up a great opportunity to enhance his legacy.
Nate Campbell feels that until Pacquiao unifies the belts, his strap proves little.
"He looked good against a guy who was very, very slow," Campbell said. "He did what he was supposed to do, he boxed and moved and put his punches together nice. It wouldn't have made a difference because David can't hit anyway."
Campbell won 3/4 of the belts when he decisioned Juan Diaz earlier this year. He expressed his disappointment with HBO and their broadcasters for not mentioning him as a possible in spite of his credentials.
"Everybody is trying to make Manny Pacquiao out to be the world champion at 135. They want to say that he's moving up. OK, you can win titles in every weight class you want to move in, but if you don't unify any, you're truly not the champion."
Campbell feels that Pacquiao's popularity and television alliances will allow him to circumvent fighting other top fighters at 135 so long as it remains beneficial for all parties involved.
"History is written by those in power. Those in power love him, so they'll make him out to be the greatest thing that ever graced the ring."
Champions like Henry Armstrong, Roberto Duran and Julio Cesar Chavez, who also found success by moving up and down the scale, have made lightweight one of boxing's glory divisions. With Campbell, Guzman and other attractive matchups possible, the division's deep roster presents the opportunity for a lightweight renaissance.
The court of public opinion has been swayed by Pacquiao's opening statement. Hopefully it won't also be his final argument.
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