Last week, during an interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Floyd Mayweather said something crazy. He said that he’s better than Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson. Why? Because Ali only fought in one weight class, lost to an inexperienced Leon Spinks, and was glorified for letting Foreman punch himself out of “The Rumble in the Jungle,” according to Mayweather (Floyd didn’t expound on the Sugar Ray Robinson comment.) Times were different then, and there weren't 15,000 belts for guys to fight for.
Funny thing is, one can argue that Floyd isn’t even better than Sugar Ray Leonard. Sugar Ray went in the ring and beat all-time greats in their primes, and so has Pacman. I'm not sure we can say the same about Mayweather.
In terms of legacy, Floyd Mayweather needs this fight more than Manny does. Manny may need the money, but not as much as Floyd needs the fight. An undefeated record in boxing doesn’t hold much weight if you haven’t really beat anybody. Rocky Marciano a.k.a "Mr. He Beat Joe Louis’ Ass" retired with an undefeated record. Is he the greatest of all-time? Nope.
In terms of legacy, Floyd Mayweather needs this fight more than Manny does.
This narrative fits perfectly into the “Who’s better, Manny or Floyd?” argument. Because, if we’re talking who fought who, Manny’s resume is more impressive. Money is 47-0 and Pacman is 57-5-2. Floyd fought greats when they were well past their primes. Oscar De La Hoya was well past his prime when they fought and so was Sugar Shane. Money May refused to fight boxers with long reaches like Paul Williams and Antonio Margarito.
He turned down a $8,000,000 purse—then the largest amount of his career—to fight Margarito in 2006 because he wanted his freedom from Bob Arum and Top Rank’s evil hands. He then retired to give his fragile hands a rest and to cash WWE and Dancing With the Stars checks, and then coincidentally came back when both fighters moved up in weight. Williams wasn’t a big enough name to fight Mayweather. Yes, he would’ve been a dangerous opponent, but Floyd is in the business of making money, and he doesn’t hide that. I’m not saying Mayweather couldn’t beat them. I’m just speaking on the fax.
Floyd also lost his first fight against Jose Luis Castillo but was given the decision even though Castillo landed significantly more punches and power shots according to CompuBox. Mayweather then beat him convincingly in the rematch. It bees like that in boxing. On the flip side, this was really when Money Mayweather was born. He makes eight figures a fight because he’s his own promoter. That’s a very smart move if you ask me, and one a fool would hate on.
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Manny Pacquiao also fought Oscar and Mosley well past their primes. He also destroyed Cotto—who Floyd had trouble with—and got rid of Ricky Hatton faster than Floyd did. The difference? Manny had epic battles with three borderline Hall of Famers in their primes before going on a road to fight Mayweather: Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Erik Morales. I’m not sure we can say the same for Mayweather.
Pacman fought Morales three times, losing once, and Marquez four times, losing once—both guys were old by then but Manny did get knocked the fuck out—and another ending in a draw. Manny also beat Timothy Bradley if you go by the CompuBox numbers but lost in a controversial split decision. That coupled with the KO loss to Marquez in his next fight lowered his stock considerably. The ball was now in Floyd's court.
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Now, if we’re talking skill? It’s Pretty Boy Floyd by a landslide. Mayweather is the smartest boxer in the game, has the best defense, and the fastest hands. That is a deadly combination. He will not let Manny bait him into brawling. The No. 1 rule in boxing is to hit and not get hit. The fans want to watch a blood bath but that’s not what the sweet science is about. You want a blood bath, go watch some UFC. This is why I think Floyd will win. But there’s a voice in my head that’s preparing me for a draw because, as I said before, it bees like that in boxing.
Manny’s resume is more impressive, but Floyd Mayweather is the best all-around boxer in the game.
What makes Manny good, though? He has no style, has great footwork, and is a southpaw which should prove difficult for a calculated, orthodox fighter like Floyd. Pacman throws punches from every angle, making him unpredictable in the ring. That same unpredictability plays against him, though, making him susceptible to being knocked out. A couple things Pacquiao has that will be sure to bother Mayweather are speed and power. Floyd had trouble with Miguel Cotto, Sugar Shane, Zab Judah, and Marcos Maidana.
All four of those guys had hand speed and power. I honestly think Floyd could’ve lost to a peak Sugar Shane. In his prime, Mosley had amazing speed and the power to match. Those are the fights video games are made for, though, so I digress.
Both these guys are similar and different at the same time. Both have speed and power; both are battle-tested—with the slight edge going to Manny; both have won multiple titles in multiple weight classes; and both are past their primes. However, Manny likes to bounce around and attack, while Mayweather likes to wait and counter. The first couple rounds will be boring, as both guys will try to figure the other out. This is, after all, the biggest fight of Floyd Mayweather's career.
However, Manny will have to knock Money May out to win because if it goes down to the cards, Floyd will come out on top, easily. Manny’s resume is more impressive, but Floyd Mayweather is the best all-around boxer in the game. And as they say, styles make fights.
Angel Diaz is a staff writer for Complex Media. Follow him @ADiaz456.
