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Cotto took way more punishment from Pacquiao's combination output punching and constant switching angles, but don't think Cotto in the downslide, could had hurt the bigger Canelo, who was just coasting for a win, not because Alvarez struggled that much but because he could do so without receiving punishment. To Pacquiao it was a challenge he aimed to add to his legacy, to Canelo it was a career management, a smaller fighter in the downslide that could catapult his career. De La Hoya was a zombie when he fought Pacquiao, when he fought Mayweather Jr he was already quite faded despite his very competitive performance, Oscar's gas tank was already quite affected and his punching power had faded quite a lot, imagine moving down from 160-154 to 147 after not making Welterweight for 7-8 years. To be fair, Manny had moved up 2 weight classes to fight Oscar who thought he was fighting a smaller man at a disadvantage. Manny does deserve credit. Not to the degree of beating Oscar De La Hoya who was in the later 90s and early 2000s. Oscar's gas rank, and reflexes were shot. His punching power and punch resistance lesser than it was against Mayweather Jr. For Shane Mosley, was already the end of his career, he likely felt he could nothing to beat Pacquiao overwhelming style. Stylistically he never faced this style before and struggled agaisn't fighters closer to his height, like when he lost to Cotto out timed and fighting on the inside. At the time, Mosley was coming off a draw agains't pillow fisted Sergio Mora and dominant loss to Mayweather, despite rocking Floyd once. Alvarez afterwards, also hand picked Mosley to catapult his career.
Duran has been dominant at Lightweight outside of Buchanan and his first loss to De Jesus. Above lightweight, he did have dominant wins in Cuevas, Palomino, and Moore. Leonard, Hagler and Barkley there is reasons at least, two of them are legends at their prime and he fought a huge Middleweight despite that Roberto was on the downslide. Roberto was the smaller man, unlike Pacquiao against Morales, Barrera and Marquez. Who are close to his size when he was acclimated to 126-130. Marquez at 130-147.
Pacquiao is a fighter who is a athletic phenom, who relies on reflexes, conditioning and accumulation by punch combinations. Duran is a fighter who acclimated to the divisions by relying more on his skill for defense/offense, weight acclimation for punch resistance and punching power. He downed Barkley and rocked Hagler in multiple intances giving him a swollen eye. He didn't down Jorge Castro, but to be fair he was 45 years old beating a 30 year old former Middleweight champion from Argentina.
Duran has been dominant at Lightweight outside of Buchanan and his first loss to De Jesus. Above lightweight, he did have dominant wins in Cuevas, Palomino, and Moore. Leonard, Hagler and Barkley there is reasons at least, two of them are legends at their prime and he fought a huge Middleweight despite that Roberto was on the downslide. Roberto was the smaller man, unlike Pacquiao against Morales, Barrera and Marquez. Who are close to his size when he was acclimated to 126-130. Marquez at 130-147.
Pacquiao is a fighter who is a athletic phenom, who relies on reflexes, conditioning and accumulation by punch combinations. Duran is a fighter who acclimated to the divisions by relying more on his skill for defense/offense, weight acclimation for punch resistance and punching power. He downed Barkley and rocked Hagler in multiple intances giving him a swollen eye. He didn't down Jorge Castro, but to be fair he was 45 years old beating a 30 year old former Middleweight champion from Argentina.
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