Why Canelo and Pacquiao stand out more than Mayweather

[GrandpaBernard]

1st defensive wizard to become the PPV King and current PPV GOAT

that’s unique

[ruedboy]

Three top fighters. How you rate them depends on what you like in a fighter.

[club fighter]

You could have stopped at the first sentence.

[billeau2]

Okay, yes, Mayweather beat them both. He is technically better than both, H2H. He literally went 2-0 vs them. Let’s get that out of the way. No matter how much anyone wants to scream robbery or controversy, the fact remains that Mayweather outboxed and outpointed both Canelo and Pacquiao.

Canelo is a legend. His career is already very unique, one of a kind. He is literally the only Mexican to unify all 4 belts in the 4 belt era. He is the first fighter to unify all belts at 168.

Mayweather didn’t really do anything “unique”. He is great, one of the best without a doubt, but what he did had already been done before him. 50-0, big deal, 1 more win than Marciano’s 49-0. JCC went 89-0-1 before losing, albeit with a highly padded record. Ricardo Lopez went 51-0. Calzaghe went 46-0.

Pacquiao also did something unique, never been done before, champion in 8 weight classes.

I am not saying Canelo and Pacquiao are greater than Mayweather, he beat them both. I am just saying they can say they did something that has never been done before in the 100+ years of professional boxing, Mayweather can’t say that. They stand out. They literally are the first of their kind. Mayweather can just say he is the PPV king. Highest paid athlete of his time. Great accomplishments that was done by the greats before him. But he can’t ever say he did something unique. That is not a knock on his career at all. It’s the truth.

People may bring up his fight vs GGG. But Mayweather also has a similar issue in his career vs Jose Luis Castillo and Maidana I. Pacquiao has the same sh/t, vs Marquez. Close fights vs the best, is not a detriment to one’s career. It’s actually great to see top fighters be tested. Boxing would be boring otherwise.

I have not witnessed many fighters who actually fight every single fighter that their critics ask them to fight. When they asked him to fight them. Like Canelo has. There has yet to be a fighter critics told Canelo he is scared of needs to fight, and Canelo doesn’t take on that challenge.

Who is next? Benavidez is the next one critics are hyping up. That’s how you know they ran out of fighters to hype up. Someone like Benavidez is getting hype now. The guy who fights with his chin out in the open, throws wide punches, has already been put on his ass, literally put on his ass, has already experienced a gift decision over an unknown fighter in Gavril, and has already shown to have stamina issues and has a tendency to punch him self out. This is who they are hyping now.

Personally, I want to see Canelo vs Bivol, Beterbiev and Smith Jr, because I have no interest in reading these awful critics’ excuses after Canelo brutally KO’s Benavidez. I do not want to read about how Benavidez was not ready, he was green, he’s not elite, never beat an elite, Canelo only fought him cause he’s inexperienced and chinny, etc. A bunch of crap. Might as well skip all that, fight Beterbiev and Bivol. Start with Joe Smith Jr as a first, to get a belt. Then unify with the other top guys Beterbiev and Bivol.

If Canelo fights Benavidez and KO’s him into oblivion, Canelo critics will say he beat no one, and that Benavidez was never elite to begin with and had already been exposed by Gavril. And they would be right. Benavidez literally does nothing for Canelo right now. A meaningless fight. Adds zero to Canelo’s HOF legacy.


Ring champion at 154, 160, 168. Next stop should be 175. Beat the best there, unify all the belts and retire.

My intention here it's not to plug into the whole Pacquiao Mayweather fight question of who won. And I'm going to contradict myself and say nobody won that fight. Nobody beat anybody. If Mayweather hit Pacquiao with a few more punches and the decision was warranted great but that is hardly winning. Canelo was more or less dominated different situation entirely

[just the facts]

Floyd beat both easily and retired undefeated.

End thread...............

[GrandpaBernard]

Floyd beat both easily and retired undefeated.

End thread...............

If Alvarez is the next FOTD

that will make Mayweather a FOTD who schooled two other FOTD

[billeau2]

History has to happen. Many of these differing opinions will settle as time goes on. All these ratings, etc are relative. Canelo would help his cause if he looked to fight a fellow ATG. Going up and down in weight is a factor, but most of the accolades are somewhat relative: For example, was the champion you beat excellent? regrdless of what titles he held? Canelo fought triple G but did not show dominance over him. Its similar to Floyd fighting Pacman... where the fight was somewhat trivial, no man showed greatness, and it happened when both were past prime.

The last fighter to show elite ATG properties in this way was Jones. To beat Toney in prime that easily, and Hopkins to boot, showed the quality of dominating fellow ATG level opposition. That to me is still missing with Canelo and Floyd. Floyd did beat Calelo at a catchweight... it is what it is... Maybe that will propel Floyd historically...

[billeau2]

If Alvarez is the next FOTD

that will make Mayweather a FOTD who schooled two other FOTD

Its a real valid point. Historically one can deconstruct this fight, compare it to fights like JOnes and Hopkins (Hopkins was considered by some as young)... and thngs like weight class can be discussed as well.

[hugh grant]

If Alvarez is the next FOTD

that will make Mayweather a FOTD who schooled two other FOTD

Yes, floyd beat 2 fighters of the decade.
One was green with a cw, and the other was 70 fight into a career not far removed from being koed.O

So 1st sentence on paper sounds real good. Reality though 2nd sentence not so much. So if nothing else Floyd certainly got good timing though

[IronDanHamza]

130:
G. Hernandez
Corrales

135:
Castillo

140:
Gatti

147:
Baldomir
Pacquiao

154:
Cotto
Canelo (Ring)

That’s 8 different number 1 ranked/Ring fighters. Who were the other two #1 ranked fighters of the weight class he fought them in?

As far as top 3 fighters, there you cab see Floyd’s resume shines. Combined with the above listed fighters, Floyd beat 13 different top 3 fighters, to my knowledge.

Mosley #2 WW, #3 P4P
Ortiz #3 WW
Guerrero #3 WW
De La Hoya #3 JMW
Manfredy #2 SFW

Castillo twice.

Mosley was #1 right? Lineal champion? Or I don’t know.

I think even 9 is something no one else has ever done either.