Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Fighters' Legacies Wouldn't Hinge on Result of Clash

A potential superfight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao would finally help end the debate as to which fighter is superior. But whatever the result, both stars would remain among the best of their generation.

The fight hasn't been finalized just yet, but it's probably closer than it's ever been to actually happening.

Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole first reported Tuesday that "a deal for the two superstars to fight at the MGM Grand Garden was imminent."

"My promoter and his promoters, there's negotiations already and there is an understanding," said Pacquiao Friday, per Iole. "I heard there's an understanding already. We're just waiting for the signed contract from them."

Over the past few years, many have argued how Mayweather vs. Pacquiao would impact each guy's legacy. While the outcome wouldn't be insignificant, it also wouldn't serve as the be-all and end-all seminal moment in their careers.

In truth, how much does either fighter have to gain from a win?

Should Mayweather be victorious, critics would point to the fact that Pacquiao hasn't aged well and isn't anything like his impenetrable peak right around 2008 and 2009. He's still very good, but it would be a bit like his triumph over a then-34-year-old Oscar De La Hoya.

In addition, the result wouldn't answer the larger questions about Mayweather's body of work. He is obviously great, but through no fault of his own, it's almost impossible for him to be the greatest. Iole wrote in May 2013 that his legacy suffers from what is a dearth of quality in boxing today:

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Mayweather is far beyond being judged against his peers, but the lack of depth and quality among them keeps him from seriously being regarded as one of the 10 best fighters ever.

Sugar Ray Robinson is, without question, the greatest fighter who ever lived. He was 128-1-2 before he suffered his second defeat, and he beat enough Hall of Famers to fill a football team.

The thing that Robinson, and more recent superstars such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, had over Mayweather was elite opposition.

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Pacquiao, meanwhile, has won titles in eight different divisions. What more does he have to prove? Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden added that he's beaten plenty of talented opponents already:

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Of course, in today's boxing landscape, simply winning a title isn't necessarily a sign of true excellence. Championships abound in each weight class—it's about whom you beat more than it's about hardware. And here, at least among his peers, Pacquiao shines.

Three of his wins came at the expense of clear Hall of Famers in their fighting primes—Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez. He caught all-time greats Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley at the end of their careers, and the rest of his resume is dotted with a number of very good fighters, including Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Margarito and Timothy Bradley.

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Similarly, defeat wouldn't irreparably harm everything Mayweather or Pacquiao has done to this point.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

In any sport, the legacy of any athlete hinges on his or her success or failures. In boxing, the successes tend to far overshadow the failures. Look through any ranking of the greatest boxers of all time, and each guy—save only a small handful—is bound to have a major loss or two on his resume.

Floyd Patterson lost to Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali. Roberto Duran straight-up quit in a fight with Sugar Ray Leonard. Marvin Hagler walked away from boxing altogether after his defeat to Leonard. De La Hoya wrapped up his career with losses to Mayweather, Pacquiao and Bernard Hopkins.

The list goes on and on.

Both Mayweather and Pacquiao have accomplished enough in their careers to cement their respective places in boxing history. They've picked up more than their fair share of massive victories and could claim at one point or another to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

None of that changes with the result of one fight.