Manny Pacquiao Versus 10 of the All Time Greats

Active fighters are generally either overrated or underrated in terms of their all time ranking, depending upon who you talk to.

The "Golly Gee Whiz!" crowd tends to overdose on the hype and pledge allegiance to whoever the corporate media is propping up as the latest and greatest. But then you have the "Cynical Sammy" crew, who have seen it all and will never accept that anything new is as great as advertised.

Manny Pacquiao's place on the list of all time pound-for-pound greats is a tricky one to pinpoint. This is especially true since the fight that should be his ultimate career defining moment continues to wait to be made.

An eventual match up with Floyd Mayweather Jr. would be an important piece of the Pacquiao resume. But either way, Manny Pacquiao has been a dominant fighter for years, across 30 pounds worth of weight classes.

Fans have seen more than enough from him to have fun talking about how he would do against other all time greats.

Willie Pep at Featherweight (126 Pounds)

Willie Pep's illustrious career stretched from 1940-1966. Many boxing historians consider him to be the greatest featherweight champion of all time, especially prior to his 1947 airplane crash. He was also among the very best defensive boxers of all time.

Anyone who has watched Manny Pacquiao develop as a fighter knows that he is a much more skilled boxer now, as a welterweight, then he was as a young featherweight champion. At 126 he was a dominant force, but he was able to become one based mostly on his explosive left hand.

Manny Pacquiao at featherweight had virtually no defense at all. Most of every fight was spent with his shoulders squared to his opponent as he pressed straight in, looking to unload the big left hand. Watch Manny in his recent fights and then go watch an older one and you will understand how talented Freddy Roach is as a trainer and how diligent Pacquiao has been at perfecting his craft.

To understand how flawed Pacman still was at featherweight (and also how explosive he could be), you need only watch his first battle with Juan Manual Marquez. Manny came out in the first round and shocked Marquez, knocking him down three times.

But over the next round or two Marquez was able to adjust to the left, and then he started to effectively counter. Manny had no answer for it. Without that three knockdown first round, the fight is not a draw, it's a fairly one-sided decision for Marquez. 

Marquez is an all time great, but he's not on the level of Willie Pep. If you put Pep in a fight where he only really had to solve one problem, he's not going to lose that fight.

I give this fight to Pep seven or eight times out of 10. For sure, Manny's left is so dangerous that it would always give him a chance to beat a fighter Pep's size. But Marquez gave Manny a boxing lesson at 126. And Pep was one of the sport's all time great professors.

Gabriel 'Flash" Elorde at Super Featherweight (130 Pounds)

This match up was irresistible: Two of the most exciting 130-pound champions of all time and the two best fighters to ever come out of the Phillipines (apologies to Pancho Villa), head to head. 

Like Manny Pacquiao, Flash Elorde was a southpaw who turned pro as a teenager and lost some early fights to less talented, but more experienced, foes. Elorde was never quite the international star Pacquiao has become (aside from Ali, who was?), but he was equally revered by his countrymen. 

Elorde was the better technical fighter, especially when compared to Pacquiao at 126-130 (where he lost to Erik Morales). He was a great fighter in the 1950's, boxing's golden era, when the overall number of extremely talented fighters was higher, and when a hard knocks education in the sport was the rule of thumb. 

In 1955 he beat the world featherweight champion Sandy Saddler in a non-title fight just four years into his career. In the rematch, Saddler was booed by the crowd for his dirty, rough-house tactics and Elorde was again ahead on points when the bout was stopped in the 13th round due to a cut over Elorde's eye. After that, nobody let him anywhere near a world title for the rest of the decade.

Finally, in 1960, he won the super featherweight title by battering Harold Gomes, knocking him down six times and dispatching him in round seven.

It is, however, quite possible that Elorde would have been stymied by Pacman's power. While he fought well over 100 professional fights, it is very likely he never fought anybody who punched like his fellow countryman. Elorde was twice stopped in 14 by Carlos Ortiz, when he challenged for the lightweight crown.

This match up is extremely close. Put it in Manilla in front of 100,000 screaming fans and we have a sporting event of mythic proportions. An emotional aspect would factor heavily into the fight, and passion would be running high. That would give a slight edge to the more rugged brawler, Pacquiao.

I see Pacman winning this match up six out of 10.  

Alexis Arguello at Super Featheweight (130)

Alexis Arguello was a great all around boxer. He was 5'10", with a 72" reach, giving him superior length against the vast majority of 130-pound fighters. To get an idea of what a exciting fight he would have been for Manny Pacquiao, go on youtube and check out Arguello versus Aaron Pryor, a fighter similar to Pacman in body type and explosive style.

Ultimately I feel like Arguello would not have had enough power to keep Manny off from him, and that he was was not fast enough with his footwork to keep getting out of Manny's way all night. I see Manny hitting some body shots early and then rocking Arguello throughout the middle to later rounds with thudding uppercuts and overhand lefts.

Then again, Pacquiao did lose to Erik Morales at 130, a fighter who is slightly shorter than Arguello, but with the same reach. If Arguello could manage to frustrate Manny technically and get him to abandon all strategy in favor of landing the big left hand, the "Explosive Thin Man" from Managua, Niaragua would have an excellent chance.  

In 10 potential matchups between these two I would give Manny a 6-4 edge.  

Henry Armstrong at Lightweight (135 Pounds)

"Hurricane" Henry Armstrong was the Pacman for your grandfather's generation, a ferocious, exploding whirlwind of punches delivered from every angle. He is the name most often mentioned as an alternative to Sugar Ray Robinson for the title of all time pound-for-pound king.

He is the only man to ever hold three world title simulnaeously. For a period of time in 1938 he was the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight champion of the world, all at the same time.

Note: I don't mean that he held some promotional, alphabet soup "belt" in all three weight classes. I mean that he was the undisputed world champion, all the way from 126 to 147 pounds. It is a record of dominance unmatched in the history of the sport.

To get a good appreciation for Armstrong, I recommend watching him win the welterweight title from Barney Ross. The last time I checked it was still posted on youtube.

Watching Armstrong-Ross is a bit like watching Pacquiao beat Oscar de la Hoya. You see a larger, obviously very skilled boxer getting anihilated by a ferociously quick and brutal force of nature. Armstrong is able to deliver punishment with both hands from every angle imaginable, and Ross looks game but way over his head from the first round.

Pacqiao uses level changes and angles in a similar manner to Armstrong, and a match up between them would be a thrilling shoot out. But Armstrong was the more well rounded fighter, and from the film I've seen, he looks even quicker.

I give this fight to Henry Armstrong at a rate of seven or eight times out of 10. Pacman is an all time great and would give a war to any fighter near him in size. But Armstrong just might be the best to have ever laced up the gloves.       

Roberto Duran at Lightweight (135 Pounds)

If there is some sort of Valhalla in the afterlife, where the all-time great ring warriors, returned to their prime fighting form, battle it out for the gods, I am pretty sure they have already got Roberto Duran-Manny Pacquiao booked. There is no way it would not be on of the most exciting, action-packed fights of all time. 

Duran is considered by a high percentage of boxing historians and fans to be the greatest lightweight of all time. He was the lightweight champion for pretty close to the entire decade of the 1970's, before moving up to welterweight to upset Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980. 

This fight would be a war from the opening bell, with both fighters afforded ample opportunity to show off their legendary stamina and resilience. My readers are aware of the power Manny Pacquiao can deliver, but Roberto Duran was his match in that department. You don't get a nickname like Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone) for nothing.

The difference would be Duran's superior defense. Both men very much subscribe to the "best defense is a strong offense" school of thought, but Duran was better at avoiding getting hit. In a war of attrition like this, getting hit less often is a decided advantage.

In 10 matchups between these two power-punching lightweights, I give six to seven out of 10 fights to the Panamanian, Roberto Duran, though I believe every single fight would be a war for the ages.

Julio Cesar Chavez at Lightweight (135)

This is the matchup that should get the guys talking at your neighborhood bar: Julio Cesar Chavez, probably the most beloved fighter ever for the millions of fiercely passionate Mexican fans, versus Manny Pacquiao, a fighter so gutsy and thrilling that the Mexican fans have pretty much adopted him as one of their own. 

In the 1980's, JC Superstar was as close to the current day Manny Pacquiao as we have seen in recent years, a non-heavyweight fighter exciting enough to garner both mainstream and international attention. His fights were held in soccer stadiums, in crowds that numbered six figures.

Also like Pacquiao, Chavez was a multi-division champion, winning world titles from featherweight up to junior welter. Chavez was never defeated until deep into his career and was considered for a number of years that he was active to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.

Chavez had a legendary chin and a ferocious, stalking body attack, that allowed him to grind opponents down. This would be a tough strategy to make work against Pacman, who is just not an easy fighter to bully. He would likely be more than happy to stay in range and shoot it out with Chavez.

I feel like Pacquiao's speed is the potential difference maker in this one. Neither fighter is an all time great at not getting hit, but Pacquiao changes levels more and delivers from more different angles. In a fight like this, the man who is beating his opponent to the punch more often is going to have an edge.

There have been rumors recently that a Mexican billionaire plans to put up $60 million of his own dollars to lure Pacman to come to Mexico and fight a local star in a major stadium event. But since he's already fighting Marquez, anyway, it's tough for me to see who else would be a big enough name to justify it.

But if this was 1989, the outcry to see an event like that happen around a Pacqiao-Chavez match up would have been deafening. It would have been among the greatest events in the sport's rich history.

I give Pacquiao the slight edge in this one, six wins out of 10 against the superstar.  

Pernel Whitaker at Junior Welterweight (140)

This hypothetical matchup is particularly intriguing, due to the style similarities between Pernell Whitaker and Floyd Mayweather Jr. "Sweetpea" was an Olympic champion and the preeminent defensive fighter of his generation. He was certainly no power puncher, but unlike Mayweather, he was very effective at putting together multi-punch combinations.

Whitaker drew with Julio Cesar Chavez in 1993, in a decision that is viewed as one of the most questionable ever rendered in the history of the sport. The week after the fight, Sports Illustrated placed Whitaker on the cover, under the one word headline "Robbed!"

I am also a part of a sizable minority who believes Whitaker should have gotten the decision in his fight against Oscar de la Hoya. His only other two losses came against a much larger Felix Trinidad when he was 35 and against Carlos Bojanquez over two years after that, when he clearly should have already retired.

Against Chavez, Whitaker used dizzying footwork and slick shoulder and head movement to masterfully control distance and avoid most of Chavez's punches while scoring with his own. He proved that, while he might have been a "sweetpea," he was far too tough to be bullied.

It was a difficult performance to pull off against Chavez, and would be even tougher to do against Pacquiao, who is quicker, and would have had the explosive power to hurt Whitaker just about every time he made a less than perfect move. Preparing Pacquiao for a Whitaker showdown would be the sort of puzzle Freddy Roach would relish. Think a dangerous, high stakes chess game, with Manny looking to explode into "checkmate" the second the opportunity presents itself.

In the end, I see this one splitting six out of 10 for Manny Pacquiao.    

Aaron Pryor at Junior Welterweight (140)

This is another matchup that promises action and excitement in every round. Aaron Pryor was an explosive, stalking power-puncher who could change levels and attack from different angles perhaps as well or better than any fighter who ever lived. He was near to being a carbon copy of the great "Hurricane" Henry Armstrong.

Pryor won his first 27 professional fights by knockout and had an 87% knockout rate for his career. He dominated the junior welterweight division in the early 1980's. The only loss of his career occurred after his first retirement, at a point in his life when he was already battling drug addiction.

Pryor had a legendary two fight series against Alexis Arguello, who moved up in weight to meet him in a super fight. It is too bad Pryor never got a match up with any of the future Hall-of-Famers who were fighting one class up at welterweight during his career. A clash with Sugar Ray Leonard was often rumored at the time, but never happened. A bout with Roberto Duran might have been an epic brawl.

The most interesting thing about this match up for me is wondering how Pryor would handle a shorter opponent. He excelled at exploding up from underneath, punishing his man from a variety of different directions. Against Pacquiao he might find himself dipping into some nasty uppercuts before he could even get the opportunity to fire his own shots.

But I don't see that as very likely. This matchup for me ultimately comes down to the "eyeball test." I just feel that Pryor, like Henry Armstrong, was simply greater than Pacqiao. I pick him six or seven times out of 10 to win a fast paced, thrilling shoot out against Pacman.  

Wilfred Benitez at Welterweight (147 Pounds)

I had not originally thought to have a Wilfred Benitez versus Manny Pacquiao slide in this story. But then I re-watched Wilfred Benitez's 1979 fight with Sugar Ray Leonard and the match up struck me as intriguing.  

Benitez was a textbook counter-puncher, slick and able to punish an opponent off from the slightest of openings. That could spell big trouble for somebody like Manny Pacquiao, an aggressive fighter who likes to throw a lot of punches.

But Benitez had certain tendencies Pacman would be able to exploit. His head movement could be predictable. Against Leonard he consistently ducked his head to the left nearly every time he threw his jab. Leonard made him pay for it, flooring him with a quick left hook.

Anybody who made the mistake of ducking to the left on Pacquiao would have a strong chance of waking up looking at the rafters. Not that Benitez would be likely to do that against a southpaw. But even if he just dipped right, he would find himself eating a Manny Pacquiao right uppercut in short order.

The thing is, Benitez, who won his first world title while still a 17-year-old high school student, excelled at making adjustments during a fight. He had a strong chin, and if Manny didn't knock him out, he might just wake him up. It's easy for me to imagine Benitez suffering an early scare and then winning going away in the later rounds.

It's one of the tougher match ups on here for me to make a decision about, but ultimately I give it to Benitez six times out of 10.    

Thomas Hearns at Welterweight (147 Pounds)

I included Thomas Hearns in this slideshow because I think it makes the ultimate point about how styles make fights. Thomas Hearns had an extremely dangerous style for a fighter like Manny Pacquiao and frankly, it's hard for me to see Pacquiao doing anything but getting brutalized by the "Motor City Cobra" at 147 pounds.

Don't believe me? Go to youtube and watch what Thomas Hearns did to Robero Duran when they fought at 154. No man in history beat Roberto Duran like that. Duran might have been slightly past his prime, but he was far from over the hill. After losing to Hearns, he went up to middleweight and fought 15 tough rounds against Marvin Hagler, and later beat Iran Barkley for another world title.

Hearns was extremely tall and long for a welterweight and he was murderous against short, aggressive fighters. I believe he would have easily been able to use his quick, stiff jab to keep Pacquiao out of range, before unloading on Pacquiao with zinging overhand rights every time Pacman tried to force his way inside.

Pacquiao is a power puncher and Hearns was a guy who could get caught once in awhile. For the sake of placating the always enthusiastic Pacquiao fan base, I'll be generous and say he might be able to win two out of 10 potential matchups with the Hitman.

But it's possible he gets shut out. There's a limit to how big of a fighter a guy Pacquiao's size can handle. Paul Williams is probably the closest thing to Thomas Hearns now fighting, and I've always thought that he would be a terrible matchup for Pacquiao, even though plenty of guys Pacquiao has beaten would probably be able to beat Williams.

And Paul Williams is no Thomas Hearns.