Manny Pacquiao & the Top 20 Historical Fighters We'd Love to See Him Face

It seems like Pacquiao-Mayweather still might happen if the video of Mayweather calling Pacman out is to be believed.  If the fight happens then it will be the biggest possible in the sport, with two of the best in the world squaring off against each other.

The fight will be one of the most hyped in the history of boxing if and when both sides agree to terms.

With that said, it isn't the greatest fight Pacquiao could be in if he could be matched with any fighter from any era.

In fact there are at least 20 other fighters who the Filipino fighter could be matched with that would lead to not only bigger box offices, but more interesting clashes overall.

Since Pacquiao has fought in so many weight classes the fighters have been picked from featherweight to welterweight, since that is where Pacman has been most dominant.

Now that the ground rules have been set, here are those fighters.

Willie Pep

Mayweather may fancy himself a defensive wizard, but Pep was one of the best ever.  Any man who can have a legend circulate about winning a round without throwing a punch is truly a marvel at not being hit.

The Will o' Whisp might not have been the biggest puncher with supposedly 65 knockouts to his name in over 241 fights, but he won over 229 of those and was only knockout out in half of his losses.

Considering the man was able to come back from a plane crash shows just how durable the featherweight champion was.

He was also 5' 5" so he would physically match Pacquiao in size.  As for the fight, it would be a classic defense versus offense with Pacquiao having to find a way to neutralize Pep's brilliant ability to not get punched.

Kid Chocolate

One of the original Cuban amateur standouts, Kid Chocolate was a tough fighter.  He sparred with fighters like Benny Leonard and Jack Johnson, who were both champions at lightweight and heavyweight.

Of course at that time professional boxing was allowed in Cuba and so he made his debut there, which would lead him to to becoming the junior lightweight champion.

Like most boxers from Cuba he was a boxer who had some power, but could also use the ring properly.  His ability to outbox opponents was impressive and he had a bit more power than Pep with him winning 135 bouts with 51 of those wins coming by knockout.

He also was only knockout out twice in 10 losses.

His chin, mixed with a little bit of power and a lot of boxing savvy would have made him an excellent opponent for Pacquiao.

Naseem Hamed

Hamed was a fun fighter, but he certainly wasn't on the same level as the two fighters mentioned before him.  With that said, the build-up to a fight with Pacquiao would have been entertaining to say the least and he would have made a spectacle of the ring walk as well.

Hamed may only have one loss on his record, but it was a brutal one to Marco Antonio Barrera whom Pacquiao was able to beat twice in his career.

The way that Hamed held his hands low and shimmied around the ring would have gotten him brutally knocked out by Pacquiao, but while the match lasted it would have been as exciting as the press conferences and pre-fight pageantry. 

It's a fight that even with the results almost a foregone conclusion would have been worth paying $60 for.

Salvador Sanchez

Salvador Sanchez has a plethora of dream matches that he could easily be fit into.  No one really knows what the 23-year-old could have done in boxing if he hadn't died in a car crash.

He may have become one of the greatest boxers of all time, if not the best to ever lace a pair of gloves.

He might have easily fallen apart within a few years as well.  No one will ever really know.

What is known is how dominant he was in the ring and how he knocked out talented fighters like Azumah Nelson, who was unknown at the time.  He also beat fighters like Danny Lopez and Wilfredo Gomez both by knockout as well.

Sanchez seemed to have power and boxing ability along with tenacity and heart.

A fight with Pacquiao would not only have told fans more about what Sanchez was capable of in the ring, but probably would have been a war as well.

Arturo Gatti

It's tough to say what would happen in this fight.

Maybe it would be a war. 

Maybe Gatti would receive a one-sided beatdown.

There isn't an easy way to measure how the action would take place in this fight because Gatti himself was hard to measure.  The man seemed to be made of iron and could come back from the brink of defeat almost like clockwork.

In a battle with Pacquiao he might have made it epic, the likes of which is rarely seen or fans might have been treated to a wince-inducing shutout that should have been mercifully stopped early, but probably wouldn't have been.

It might not have been good for Gatti's health, but it would have been interesting to find out.

Bobby Chacon

Chacon is one of boxing's men tragic stories.

As a fighter he had to live through his wife's death, has had to deal with pugilistic dementia and has lost all of his savings.

But in the ring, he was considered one of the most exciting fighters in the world and would frequently put on exciting bouts for the fans.  The amount of heart he held and his knockouts combined with the times he was knocked out proved that he would leave everything in the ring.

A fighter like that would test Pacquiao in a way that most fighters nowadays can't.

A fight with Pacquiao also might have put Chacon on easy street with the money it would have made and stopped what became a sad lesson for young boxers to hopefully learn from.

Acelino Freitas

In his prime Freitas was able to knockout almost anyone he got in the ring with.  It should also be noted that the last two losses of his career happened within the last five fights of his career and by the time he lost his last fight to Juan Diaze, the fire that had once consumed the Brazilian fighter seemed to have disappeared.

Freitas may not have had any career-defining wins against top competition, but he was able to beat almost anyone that happened to be across from him in the squared circle.

Plus a fight between Pacquiao and Freitas would have brought to of the most passionate fan bases together.

It would be interesting to see who would cheer louder, the Brazilians or the Filipinos.

That might have actually ended up being more interesting than the fight itself which is saying something.

Azumah Nelson

Nelson was one of the first of many tough Ghanaian's to step in the ring and make a name for himself.  Like most fighters out of Africa he wasn't given much notice when he started his career. Even when he fought against Salvador Sanchez, he wasn't supposed to be much of a challenge.

He not only gave Sanchez everything that he could handle, but ended up going on to have a stellar career.

Though he lost the the last three fights of his career, one of which was a 2008 rematch with his old rival Jeff Fenech, he was only knocked out once and was able to knock out over two-thirds of his opponents.

Pacquiao may have fought Joshua Clottey and beaten him, but it is safe to say that Nelson would have given him a much tougher match.

Flash Elorde

Even if Elorde wasn't a top super featherweight fighter and an all time great the fight still would have been amazing to watch.

Just like Pacquiao, Elorde came from from a poor family in the Philippines and took up boxing as a means to improve his life.  Just like Pacquiao, Elorde succeeded too.

He became the first boxer since Pancho Villa to become an icon to the Filipino people.  He was really one of the first and set the template for Pacman.

Even though he was also a southpaw he was more of a boxer type though with roughly one-third of his fights ending by knockout.  Even with his lack of power a match between him and Pacquiao would not only be entertaining, it would be one of the most significant sporting events ever to take place in the Philippines.

The reaction from the Filipino fans and the divide it would make among them would be interesting to watch.

Alexis Arguello

On a personal note, I cried the day I find out Arguello died.  He was the first fighter to show me that someone could be smaller than other men in the ring and still show heart and not back down.  His suicide in 2009 was devastating.

The only other thing more devastating than his passing was his skills in the ring though.  In his prime Arguello was known for knocking opponents out and sometimes countering them with powerful shots.  He became so well known for it he gained the nickname El Flaco Explosivo, which roughly translates into "The Explosive Thin Man."

A match between him and Pacquiao would have been reminiscent of his bouts with Aaron Pryor with whom Arguello had to legendary fights with.

Diego Corrales

This fight might fall under the Arturo Gatti or Naseem Hamed category.  The fight itself might have been one-sided, but it would be fun while it lasted.

Much like Gatti Corrales wasn't the most polished boxer, but he had power and heart and like those that came before him, it lead him to title shots and championship wins.

His first fight with Jose Luis Castillo is legendary and if you haven't seen it you need to go to YouTube and do so now.  It is one of the single greatest battles that has taken place in boxing in the last decade.

Unfortunately, neither man was the same after that bout with Corrales never winning another fight in his career before his death at 29.

If it had been possible though it would have been wonderful to see him duke it out with Pacquiao while he was still here.

Benny Leonard

A lot of times boxing fans, especially older ones, will put a certain amount of clout in boxers of the past when it is not deserved.  

Yes, boxers in the early days paved the way for the ones we see today, and they might have some of the fundamentals that are lost today, but they also weren't as untouchable as pundits want to make them.

Benny Leonard probably isn't one of them.

It's tough to say if Leonard was powerful in the ring or not.  His record is not exactly clear, as he may have had anywhere from 80-some odd fights to close to 200.

What is known is that he won most of them.  At one point he even retired as the lightweight champion, before the stock market crash and depression made him return to the ring.

Leonard was known for chatting with his opponents and even throwing them off their game with this tactic.  It would have been hard to pull that off with Pacquiao, but he might have been able to do it.

It would be interesting to watch and also to hear.

Roberto Duran

Before his "No Mas" fight with Leonard Duran was seen as one of the scariest boxers in the ring. Though he was a successful boxer at different weights it was his time as a lightweight where Duran earned his title "Manos de Piedras" or "Hands of Stone".

As a lightweight, there weren't many fights in which Duran competed that went the distance.  The man was a killer at that weight and would destroy most men.

In the end he lost one fight while he was a lightweight and technically that was at 140 pounds and a non-title affair.

Duran may be the one fighter on this list who has an exact weight and time at which a Pacquiao fight would have been best and it would have been when the Panamanian weighed under the welterweight limit.

Julio Cesar Chavez

Chavez just may be the most famous Mexican boxer to ever fight in boxing.

Considering how many fighters have gotten in the ring from that country, it isn't a statement to take lightly.

There was just something about Chavez that drew fans to him.  Part of it was the sheer number of wins he had.  Another part might have had to do with the fact that he had the always enjoyable come-forward style which lead to action fights.  It might have even had to do with how he broke down opponents over the fight with thudding blows and his relentless pressure.

Whatever the reason, even American fans who usually need boxers to learn English before they become superstars fell in love with the son of poor Mexican workers.

His story is a classic one that has been retold in boxing countless times, but Chavez stands out as being the ultimate Mexican warrior.

Considering Pacquiao's penchant for beating Mexican warriors, the fight would have been a must have if they had both been in their primes at the same time. 

Aaron Pryor

It's "Hawk" time!  

It's a shame that he never got a fight with "Sugar" Ray Leonard because he might easily have beaten him. The man was able to dole out punches like a machine and didn't ever seem to tire.  It is exhausting just watching the fights he had.

From his intense stare-downs at his opponents while he pointed a glove at them to his devastating knockouts which connected with 35 of 39 opponents, Pryor was a man to be feared.

He only lost once in his career, but it was after his prime had passed.  Comparisons have been made between him and Pacquiao and though the fighters were both volume punchers who had power, Pryor might have had a little more speed then the Filipino congressman.

It wouldn't have been by much though.

If the Pacquiao and Pryor had ever met though it would have been like dynamite going off.

Kostya Tszyu

The Mongolian decedent had a terrific amateur career before he even turned pro having been groomed by the then Soviet Union.

After the collapse of the USSR, boxing fans got a chance to see one of the bet fighters in the world step into the professional ring.

Unlike most boxers who have an amateur background these days, Tszyu decided to start fighting quality opposition immediately.  It was a decision that would lead him to losing only two fights and becoming the undisputed champion at 140 pounds.

Tszyu had what has defined most champions.  The ability to punch, the ability to box and the inner fire to push through adversity.

His knockout of Zab Judah is still a YouTube sensation.

Even though Tszyu never will get to fight Pacquiao fans did get to see something close.  Ricky Hatton who not only was the last person to face Tszyu, and beat him, was knocked out by Pacquiao back in 2009.

Carmen Basilio

Carmen Basilio is known for one thing above all else.

Being tough.

In a sport that prizes itself on the toughness of it's competitors he stands head and shoulders above most.

The man wasn't known for power or being slick, but just his ability to pressure opponents and keep coming.  It kept him in fights with the likes of "Sugar" Ray Robinson and won him titles at welterweight and middleweight.

Though he might have been too big for Pacman, it would be interesting to see if Basilio could withstand the punishment that Pacquiao could have put out against him and come back for a win.

Emile Griffith

Griffith may just be the greatest welterweight to ever live.

The amazing thing is that he probably wasn't even half the fighter he could have been considering that he killed an opponent, Benny Paret, in the ring and after that tried to do his best to win fights by decision.

Because of this, it's hard to say how many more fights Griffith could have won if he hadn't been afraid of unleashing his power in the ring or knocking his opponent out.  Even with him holding himself back he still was able to not only win most of his matches, but become one of the most dominant welterweight champions in the history of boxing.

A match with Pacquiao in the days before he accidentally killed Paret would perhaps be one of the best of all time.

Even watching the two fight after Griffith's accident would still have been an entertaining affair.

Pernell Whitaker

Before there was Floyd Mayweather Jr., the supposed master of defense, there was Whitaker.  It may be nostalgia talking, but Whitaker seemed to be able to stand in front of opponents and make them miss and then make them pay in a way Mayweather never has.

His ability to be defensively perfect matched that of the all-time greats.  Whitaker's career might have shined a little better than it already did if two fights he had been in had gone his way.

Many watched him lose what was considered a robbery to Jose Luis Ramirez and then a somewhat disputed loss to Oscar De La Hoya.

He also had a fight in which he won turned into a no contest because he tested positive for cocaine.

Whitaker might have struggled outside the ring like so many of his peers, but inside he dazzled and amazed those who watched him work his chosen trade.

Fans who want to see Mayweather versus Pacquiao would perhaps be even more enamored by this fight if it had ever taken place.

Henry Armstrong

It may come as a shock to not see "Sugar Ray Robinson" at the top of the list, but Robinson was so dominant, even at middleweight, that he seemed like an unfair candidate.

Then again this is coming from a writer who has no interest in seeing Pacquiao matched with Sergio Martinez because of the inherent size difference in that match.

Armstrong on the other hand won titles at featherweight, lightweight and welterweight making him a much more balanced opponent.

He also was a windmill of energy who could duck and juke around leaving his opponents to hit air and then throwing large amounts of punches at them in return.

He was had power and the stamina to throw it for every round in a fight which finally got him the names "Hammerin Hank" and "Hurricane Hank".

A fight between Pacquiao who is also seen as a hurricane in the ring would leave fans gaping in awe and probably create one of the greatest events ever seen.

And yet, just like all the other fights mentioned here, it won't happen.

Unfortunately it will be another one of boxing's many what if's that have always surrounded the sport.