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Is Pacquiao’s career complete if he doesn’t fight Mayweather?
Is Pacquiao’s career complete if he doesn’t fight Mayweather?
February 27th, 2010
By Esteban Garduno
In the teleconference call yesterday, World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao said the following: “I believe I don’t really need to fight Mayweather because what I have actually done in boxing right now, I think is good enough for me.” But is Pacquiao’s career really complete if he doesn’t fight Mayweather? I really don’t think it is. Pacquiao fought few recognizable opponents from the start of his career until he fought Marco Antonio Barrera for the first time in 2003. By then, Pacquiao had been fighting for eight years and had won titles in the flyweight and super bantamweight divisions.
However, didn’t take on anyone worth mentioning until he fought a battle scared Barrera in 2003. By that time in Barrera’s career, he had been through two grueling wars against Erik Morales. Pacquiao stopped Barrera in the 11th round. After that fight, Pacquiao fought to a 12 round draw with Juan Manuel Marquez. Beyond that fight, Pacquiao fought two more bouts against Morales, another fight against Barrera, which wasn’t really needed given the one-sided first bout between them.
In 2008, Pacquiao won a controversial 12 round split decision over Marquez in a rematch, a fight in which many people still think Marquez won. Pacquiao never gave Marquez a rematch. Pacquiao fought David Diaz in 2008, but he wasn’t considered to be the best fighter in the lightweight division at the time. Pacquiao then fought and beat and old Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and then most recently Miguel Cotto.
Those wins were good. However, none of those fighters were considered to be the best in their divisions at the time that Pacquiao fought them. De La Hoya was old, Hatton was more or less shot, and Cotto still hadn’t looked the same after taking a terrifying beating at the hands of Antonio Margarito in 2008.
As such, I think even with a win over Joshua Clottey, Pacquiao’s next opponent for March 13th, he needs a win over Floyd Mayweather Jr. to ensure he has a lasting legacy. The wins over Diaz, Barrera, Morales (who beat Pacquiao in their first fight), Marquez (a questionable draw and a controversial win), De La Hoya, Hatton and Cotto just aren’t enough in my view to make me think that Pacquiao’s career is complete.
He just doesn’t have enough wins over fighters that were truly considered to be the very best in their weight divisions for me to see Pacquiao’s legacy as a shining one. Hatton, Cotto, Morales, Barrera and the questionable win over Marquez just isn’t enough.
Pacquiao needs to give a rematch to Marquez, still fight Mayweather and ideally Shane Mosley for me to even consider Pacquiao as a great fighter. Without wins over those fighters, then I see Pacquiao as merely a good fighter but not a great one. Unless Pacquiao can find his way into and out of those fights without losing, then I don’t rate Pacquiao as one of the best fighters of all time. I see Pacquiao as having lost to Marquez twice, and I think Mayweather and Mosley would likely beat Pacquiao as well if given the chance.
February 27th, 2010
By Esteban Garduno
In the teleconference call yesterday, World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao said the following: “I believe I don’t really need to fight Mayweather because what I have actually done in boxing right now, I think is good enough for me.” But is Pacquiao’s career really complete if he doesn’t fight Mayweather? I really don’t think it is. Pacquiao fought few recognizable opponents from the start of his career until he fought Marco Antonio Barrera for the first time in 2003. By then, Pacquiao had been fighting for eight years and had won titles in the flyweight and super bantamweight divisions.
However, didn’t take on anyone worth mentioning until he fought a battle scared Barrera in 2003. By that time in Barrera’s career, he had been through two grueling wars against Erik Morales. Pacquiao stopped Barrera in the 11th round. After that fight, Pacquiao fought to a 12 round draw with Juan Manuel Marquez. Beyond that fight, Pacquiao fought two more bouts against Morales, another fight against Barrera, which wasn’t really needed given the one-sided first bout between them.
In 2008, Pacquiao won a controversial 12 round split decision over Marquez in a rematch, a fight in which many people still think Marquez won. Pacquiao never gave Marquez a rematch. Pacquiao fought David Diaz in 2008, but he wasn’t considered to be the best fighter in the lightweight division at the time. Pacquiao then fought and beat and old Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and then most recently Miguel Cotto.
Those wins were good. However, none of those fighters were considered to be the best in their divisions at the time that Pacquiao fought them. De La Hoya was old, Hatton was more or less shot, and Cotto still hadn’t looked the same after taking a terrifying beating at the hands of Antonio Margarito in 2008.
As such, I think even with a win over Joshua Clottey, Pacquiao’s next opponent for March 13th, he needs a win over Floyd Mayweather Jr. to ensure he has a lasting legacy. The wins over Diaz, Barrera, Morales (who beat Pacquiao in their first fight), Marquez (a questionable draw and a controversial win), De La Hoya, Hatton and Cotto just aren’t enough in my view to make me think that Pacquiao’s career is complete.
He just doesn’t have enough wins over fighters that were truly considered to be the very best in their weight divisions for me to see Pacquiao’s legacy as a shining one. Hatton, Cotto, Morales, Barrera and the questionable win over Marquez just isn’t enough.
Pacquiao needs to give a rematch to Marquez, still fight Mayweather and ideally Shane Mosley for me to even consider Pacquiao as a great fighter. Without wins over those fighters, then I see Pacquiao as merely a good fighter but not a great one. Unless Pacquiao can find his way into and out of those fights without losing, then I don’t rate Pacquiao as one of the best fighters of all time. I see Pacquiao as having lost to Marquez twice, and I think Mayweather and Mosley would likely beat Pacquiao as well if given the chance.
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