Manny Pacquiao and the Greatest Fighters of All Time

With Manny Pacquiao scheduled to fight Timothy Bradley for the WBO welterweight title on Saturday in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the talk of the greatest fighters of all time has been on the lips of experts and fans alike.

For those asking, Pac-Man is most certainly one of the five best fighters in boxing history.

While many will argue that Floyd Mayweather should hold the No. 5 spot over Pacquiao, Money’s tactics in avoiding a fight with Manny proves that he knows who the better fighter is.

No. 1: Muhammad Ali

There has never been a man that has done more for the mainstream popularization of boxing than what Muhammad Ali did in the 1970s; both good and bad.

With 56 career wins and 37 knockouts, his power and ability in the ring made him arguably the most feared boxer in history. The rope-a-dope style Ali perfected frustrated his foes to no end, and gained him the fame that had been missing from boxing.

When looking back through the annals of boxing history, it will be Ali’s battles with legends like Joe Frasier and George Foreman that will stand out as the greatest fights of all time.

No. 2: Sugar Ray Robinson

While Muhammad Ali was the best all-around package in terms of bringing fans into the sport, Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest pure boxer. His mix of power, speed and finesse were a thing of beauty.

Robinson racked up an astounding 173 wins over his long career, with 108 knockouts. While many fighter have been accused of fighting through mediocre competition, that isn’t the case here.

With a list of Hall of Famers like Jake LaMotta, Kid Gavilan and Rocky Graziano, there is no doubt that Robinson dominated in one of the golden ages of boxing. That makes him boxing royalty.

No. 3: Joe Louis

When boxing legend Joe Louis’ career was over, his record stood at 69 wins (57 by knockout),  three losses and one no-contest. Two of those losses came toward the end of his career after being forced out of retirement, so Louis only had one true loss in his prime.

As arguably the greatest heavyweight fighter in history, it was his success during the 1930s that put African-Americans in a different light. While Louis wasn’t the first black world heavyweight champion (that honor belongs to Jack Johnson), he was the first to reach mainstream success.

No. 4: Mike Tyson

Before his arrest and prison time in 1991, Mike Tyson was 41-1 and arguably the toughest fighter many fans had ever seen. While it’s true he lost to Buster Douglas to break his undefeated streak, all of the top five have losses in their prime.

It wasn’t that Tyson was winning, though; it was how he was doing it. After 42 fights, the heavyweight madman had 37 knockouts and was hell-bent on taking the sport to new levels.

While boxing purists hated his attitude and demeanor, he brought fans in during a low point in the sport's history.

Tyson was never the same fighter after prison, but his career speaks for itself. For a period of more than five years, Tyson was arguably the greatest boxer of all time. He just couldn’t sustain it.

No. 5: Manny Pacquiao

While many will look at Floyd Mayweather’s undefeated streak and favor him over Pac-Man and his three losses, that is simply not the case.  As good as Money’s resume is, Pacquiao has beaten more talented competition consistently over the latter half of his career than Mayweather ever has.

Pacquiao has beaten boxers like Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto, to name just a few, Mayweather has been following Pac-Man’s lead their whole careers. Manny’s 54 wins are nice, but it’s the 38 knockouts that show his strength.

With unbelievable speed and enough power to dominate whatever weight class he is in, there is no wonder he was the first eight-division world champion.

Pacquiao would beat Mayweather. Floyd knows that.

Check back for more on Boxing as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s Boxing Page to get your fill of all things from the squared circle. For more on boxing, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics.

Follow @Donald_Wood