Manny Pacquiao Poses Great Threat to Floyd Mayweather's Legacy

It was not so long ago that most boxing fans thought we had seen the best of Manny Pacquiao.

And as Floyd Mayweather continues to jab every opponent he faces out of the ring and into his "wins" column, the superfight we all wanted to see looked increasingly unlikely.

However, Pacman's magnificent display against Chris Algieri, knocking the undefeated boxer off his feet no less than six times, has whetted the mouth of the pugilist community once again, with the Filipino kingpin calling out the Moneyman for a showdown.

On Saturday night, it was the Pacquiao of old. Yes, you can question the King of New York's tactics against the legend during the contest—borderlining on weak and unworthy—but the movement and threat of the 35-year-old eight-division world champion was more like a fighter from yesterday—of years gone by.

Pacman hit with authority and precision, and if Algieri had any ambitions before the fight, they were whipped out of him within minutes of the opening bell.

Mayweather would have watched the fight with much interest, and he should be curious to see just how much Pacman has left in his tank.

Popular opinion concluded that Pacquiao was finished with boxing—despite him still lining up world title fights and clearly being active. But the Pacman who destroyed Ricky Hatton in 2009 had seemed to have left the building—it appears he was just on a long vacation.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Pacquiao ended the night by calling out Mayweather—he wants the biggest fight of a generation to happen, and he wants it now, per Martin Rogers of USA Today: "People can prepare for (a fight) [with Mayweather] early next year. It is a fight that I want. It is a fight the fans deserve."

These are bold words from the sometime actor and politician—it seems that he has one last big fight left in him, and he wants it to be with Floyd. 

And Rogers explains that both boxers' promoters have been in contact and believe a deal will be struck very soon, leading to one of the greatest contests in living memory.

It certainly is a fight every boxing fan craves, but is it really the challenge Mayweather wants right at this moment?

ESPN's Skip Bayless said it best after Pacman's latest victory, answering the logic behind that question:

The unbeaten Moneyman has now had 47 bouts, per BoxRec.com, and he has sailed through most of his fights in recent times. He has never looked in trouble during any contest, and this is for two reasons:

The first is he is just that good. He is the pound-for-pound king for a reason, and he has possibly the best defence of any fighter from any era. 

But the other reason is Mayweather picks his opponents carefully. He makes sure he does not compromise the box office by battling a no-hope dead weight, but he knows his opponents are within his talent levels of execution in terms of getting the job done—safe and sound.

If Mayweather had planned to face the Pacquiao of a year or two ago, this would make sense. Pacman had lost his edge, and a defensive Mayweather would have covered up and countered.

Kin Cheung/Associated Press

But the Pacman from Saturday night looked destructive. If he faced Mayweather in a ring tomorrow, he would spend the whole night in all-out attack mode.

It is questionable to think this is a challenge Floyd wants as a 37-year-old athlete.

From the rumours and whispers note by Rogers, it sounds like the fight will happen, and the buildup to the event will be awesome. But Mayweather will know—despite earning a king's ransom for the fight—that he is gambling with his legacy by stepping into the ring with Pacquiao.

Many still question the validity of Pacman's billing despite the multiple world titles the great man has won. But Pacquiao is the one boxer on the planet who can outfight Mayweather and deliver the one in 48-1. 

Mayweather will roll the dice because the dollars will force him to. But he will have to be in the shape of his life and be at his tactical best to defeat the Pacman who danced and slugged in Macau, China, on Saturday night.

Floyd calls himself TBE—The Best Ever. A loss to Pacquiao could make that claim obsolete.