Floyd Mayweather, Jr. -Manny Pacquiao: Who Is the Best?

What does Manny Pacquiao have that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. does not?  The answer to that is a simple one-word response: respect.

Far too few boxing fans hold Pretty Boy Floyd in any respectful light, whatsoever. He has been called Moneybags, Motormouth, and worse, but the point remains that he is undefeated, without spot or blemish on his record. Pure (may I say?) as the driven snow.

How did Manny get such world-wide praise and adoration? Some say it is because he is a true warrior, content to fight anyone who is willing to become a sacrificial lamb to the boxing gods. Nothing could be more accurate.

These are my two favorite boxers who are currently throwing hands. So I will be delighted by the outcome, regardless of whose hand is raised at the end of the war.

The boxing world is chomping at the bit to see this fight made by the Muckety Mucks of the boxing world. It probably is dominating 99 percent of the boxing coverage, being talked to death by radio shows.

Writers, both professional and amateur are dangling participles all over the fruited plain in order to describe which one is better and why he will win.

If you came here to find that out, you have walked through the correct door, my good man, or lady.

Let us ponder for the next several moments which of these great fighters is the best, how they got here, and what will happen when their collision eventuates.

First, let us speak of speed. If there is a boxer with faster hands than Money Mayweather, I have yet to see him or hear his name called out from the far reaches of Boxing Lore. There have certainly been some fast ones, you can be sure. Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson, and a host of others. I have watched film of each of these I have mentioned and can't see that any could best Pretty Boy.

Manny is a different cut of cloth altogether. He is fast, not super-fast like Mayweather, but faster than most. In most of his fights he is usually the one with the best hand speed, as Miguel Cotto found out much too painfully. If I were rating speed on a 10-point system, I would give the nod to  Mayweather 10-8.

When we talk power, we must tread slowly. The first thing the tongue wants to say is that Manny is the better of the two. I concur, if we are speaking of one-punch ability.  Mayweather punches in so many flurries that the recipient simply cannot block them all, thus the rub.

Neither of the two possess the punch that makes someone "starve to down bouncing" such as a Tommy Hearns (just think about his KO punch that floored the great Roberto Duran like an oak tree) or a George Foreman.

In the power profile, I would have to give Manny an eight and Mayweather a seven.

If you plan to examine fighters, you certainly cannot neglect to talk about defense.

Here, Pretty Boy stands alone. He, my friends, is the tallest tree in the defensive forest of professional boxing. If the man chooses to box, he will hit the opponent with so many left hands that the opponent will beg for a right.

In doing so, he doesn't make the mistake of many, by letting his defenses rest. If he doesn't see an exchange as a good idea, he will be on his toes throwing eight or nine punches and receiving maybe one in return.

Described in the least common of denominators, Floyd would have to be called Poetry in Motion. It is utterly fascinating to see him let his hands go. If you are a true boxing fan, and can't appreciate that, then I don't know what your source of boxing pleasure could be.

Manny, being southpaw, is very unorthodox to say the least. He gives his opponent different looks, but the impossible thing to overlook is his perpetual motion. He is throwing hands from the beginning to the end, non-stop. In that regard, he reminds me of Vinny Pazienza from a few years back. Vinny wasn't nearly as good or polished as Manny but he was non-stop.

You could say that Pacman's defense is his offense. It is hard to pick your shots when you are being hooked and overhanded from pillar to post. The first time I ever saw Manny or heard of him, was when he upset Marco Antonio Berrera. He did it in stunning fashion, knocking out Berrera in the 11th round winning Ring's Featherweight championship in the process.

My defensive ratings favor Mayweather, 10-7.

Pacman has reeled off 11 straight wins since losing a decision to Erik Morales in January of 2006. Along the way he avenged the loss to Morales with two knockouts. His skills are very good, he is a spectacular finisher. Once he smells victory, he releases the hounds, then the end comes.

Since Morales took him to school in '06 he has endeared himself to fight fans (myself included) and experts everywhere. Beating Manny would be no minuscule task. Mayweather will need to box, box and box some more. He will need to knock knots on Pacman's head faster than he can wipe them away, if he intends to close the deal.

The closest thing to a MoneyMay loss was a split decision win over the great Oscar "D" in May of 2007. I don't know what fight judge Tom Kaczmarek was watching, but that is neither here nor there.

Mayweather naysayers and detractors want others to think he was beaten by Jose Luis Castillo, but that is all speculation.

What is the comparison between opponents?

Some of the notable fighters Mayweather has beaten are Toney Pep, Angel Manfredy, Gregorio Vargas, Diego Corrales (undefeated), Carlos Hernandez, Jesus Chavez, Castillo (twice), DeMarcus Corley, Arturo Gatti, Sharmba Mitchell, Zab Judah, Carlos Manuel Baldomir, Oscar, Ricky Hatton (undefeated), and most recently Juan Manuel Marquez.

Manny's list of notorious victims include Marco Antonio Berrera (twice), Erik Morales (twice), Jorge Solis (undefeated), David Diaz, Oscar, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.

Mayweather is undefeated at 40-0 with 25 knockouts, while Pacquiao boasts a record of 50-3 with two draws. His losses were to Rustico Torrecampo (third round KO), Medgoen Singsurat (third round KO) and Erik Morales. He had two fights which ended in draws. The first one was Agapito Sanchez and the other to Juan Miguel Marquez.

The notable common opponents are Oscar, Hatton and Marquez. They both defeated Oscar, Manny by TKO and Floyd by split decision. They both knocked out Ricky Hatton, Mayweather while he was undefeated and Pacman with a devastating two-round stoppage.

Marquez managed a draw with Pacman while Mayweather overwhelmed him with an unanimous decision.

The edge in common opponents goes to Manny, 10-9.

So, what can we look for when these two greats "get it on?"

If Mayweather fights tactically, hit-and-run style, he will win a decision. If he chooses to punch, I don't know if he can take it. The longer the fight goes, the edge goes to Floyd, in my opinion. Both times Manny was knocked out it came in round three.

If Pacman is overly confident or wades in without caution, he could easily be on the canvas wondering what happened.

It should be a fight that will go down as one of the greats. If Mayweather wins he will probably be forced to listen to hundreds or thousands of excuses as to why he won. If he loses, it will be a chorus of "see what happens when he fights a good fighter?"

If Manny can be the man who pulls the proverbial mask off the much scorned, so-called 'pretender", he will not only be the best pound-for-pound in the world, he will be one of the best ever to lace them up.