When Floyd Mayweather retired last year, he did so as the undisputed best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. But now that Mayweather is returning, he's no longer the best. That distinction now goes to Manny Pacquiao, and HBO's Max Kellerman did a great job of explaining exactly why that is: Pacquiao challenges himself against bigger opponents, and goes after them like a warrior.
"On the same day Floyd was announcing his comeback against a naturally smaller man, Pacquiao was destroying a naturally bigger man," Kellerman said. "Don't forget, Manny Pacquiao won his first world championship as a flyweight. And he continues to do what boxing fans have always wanted Floyd to do: Make fights against the biggest, most threatening opponents and, once the bell rings, go to war. Manny Pacquiao is one of the very greatest aggressive fighters in the history of boxing. Floyd Mayweather is one of the best pure boxers who ever lived. They're the two best of their era, and in my opinion, if they meet, it will be the most historically significant fight since Pernell Whitaker and Julio Caesar Chavez over 15 years ago."
I couldn't agree more. The reason I would now pick Pacquiao and not Mayweather as the best in the world is that Pacquiao has pushed himself in a way that Mayweather hasn't.
Source: http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/05/13/max-kellerman-manny-pacquiao-does-what-floyd-mayweather-should/
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Showing posts with label Pacquiao vs Mayweather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pacquiao vs Mayweather. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
P4P Poll: Mayweather or Pacquiao? Who's Number One?
Manny Pacquiao, fresh off his two-round destruction of Ricky Hatton, is widely considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world today.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the consensus pound-for-pound king when he elected to take a sabbatical from boxing after stopping Hatton in ten rounds in December 2007.
Well, Mayweather is done doing whatever he was doing while 'retired' and will face Juan Manual Marquez in Las Vegas on July 18. The hope and expectation of everyone in and around the fight game is that Mayweather will beat Marquez (no easy feat) and then face Pacquiao to decide - in the ring - who is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
Until then, fight fans will have to decide for themselves who they consider to be the pound-for-pound king . . .
The 30-year-old Pacquaio is unquestionably in his prime as he appears to continue improving under the tutelage of trainer Freddie Roach. Mayweather is a low-mileage 32 and there's no reason to believe he won't be able to return to the form that allowed him to compile a perfect 39-0 record between 1996 and 2007.
Both fighters share Oscar De La Hoya and Hatton as their two most recent ring opponents. Pacquaio's overwhelming victories have The Golden Boy and The Hitman questioning whether they will ever fight again. What's important to remember about Mayweather's wins over Oscar and Ricky is that - while they were less impressive than Pacman's blowout victories - they both came first. In other words, Mayweather arguably beat better versions of both Hatton and De La Hoya than the ones that entered the ring against Pacquiao.
So who do you rate as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world today? Mayweather or Pacquiao? Vote in our poll.
Source: http://boxing.about.com/b/2009/05/13/p4p-poll-mayweather-or-pacquiao-whos-number-one.htm
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the consensus pound-for-pound king when he elected to take a sabbatical from boxing after stopping Hatton in ten rounds in December 2007.
Well, Mayweather is done doing whatever he was doing while 'retired' and will face Juan Manual Marquez in Las Vegas on July 18. The hope and expectation of everyone in and around the fight game is that Mayweather will beat Marquez (no easy feat) and then face Pacquiao to decide - in the ring - who is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
Until then, fight fans will have to decide for themselves who they consider to be the pound-for-pound king . . .
The 30-year-old Pacquaio is unquestionably in his prime as he appears to continue improving under the tutelage of trainer Freddie Roach. Mayweather is a low-mileage 32 and there's no reason to believe he won't be able to return to the form that allowed him to compile a perfect 39-0 record between 1996 and 2007.
Both fighters share Oscar De La Hoya and Hatton as their two most recent ring opponents. Pacquaio's overwhelming victories have The Golden Boy and The Hitman questioning whether they will ever fight again. What's important to remember about Mayweather's wins over Oscar and Ricky is that - while they were less impressive than Pacman's blowout victories - they both came first. In other words, Mayweather arguably beat better versions of both Hatton and De La Hoya than the ones that entered the ring against Pacquiao.
So who do you rate as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world today? Mayweather or Pacquiao? Vote in our poll.
Source: http://boxing.about.com/b/2009/05/13/p4p-poll-mayweather-or-pacquiao-whos-number-one.htm
MAYWEATHER NOT EAGER TO FACE PACQUIAO IF ARUM IS INVOLVED
It appears that the animosity between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his former promoter Bob Arum will prevent a clash involving the two best fighters in the world from happening any time soon. Sources close to the situation have informed us that although Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe likes the idea of a fight with Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. himself is adamant about his refusal to allow Arum to make anymore money off of his name.
Before his retirement, Mayweather vowed that he'd never do business with Arum again. Apparently, his hiatus from the sport has done little to change his mind. The last time the two worked together was in 2006 when Floyd fought and defeated Zab Judah to capture the IBF welterweight title. "You know, I appreciate Bob. You know, everybody – there's life, we're going to have our ups, we're going to have our downs. But, when it's time to go to a fight, we know it's business and we have to get along...The best fighter ever with the best promoter ever, and it's just an honor to be with Bob Arum," Mayweather would state during a conference call to promote that fight. In return, Arum showered Mayweather with his own compliments, stating, "His speed is phenomenal. The way he throws punches, phenomenal. The way he is conditioned, phenomenal. I mean, he's the entire whole package....Ray Leonard was a great fighter, Marvin Hagler was a great fighter, Duran certainly was great, Oscar had a couple of years where he was very good, but there's nobody that is a whole package like Floyd."
That was probably the last time the two men shared kind words about each other. Shortly thereafter, they parted ways as Floyd paid Arum $750,000 to buy out the remainder of his contract. It didn't take long for a war of words and lawsuits to follow. Mayweather made accusations that Arum mishandled his career and filed a lawsuit claiming he was shortchanged on money from previous pay-per-view bouts. Arum retaliated, smearing Mayweathers name, belittling his skills and countering with his own counterclaim that Top Rank was owed money from Mayweather. While it's unclear as to whether or not those lawsuits were ever resolved, the animosity between Mayweather and Arum still exists to this day. In fact, prior to Mayweather announcing his return, when asked about the possibility of a fight with Pacquiao, Arum replied, "He could go fuck himself. Tell him that...Fuck Mayweather! Pacquiao's the big attraction!"
Ouch! Damn Bob!
Well it looks like Mayweather shares some of those same sentiments as he recently made it clear to those close to him that he won't be rushing into a bout with Manny Pacquiao so long as Arum is involved, which, of course he will be. Geesh! Can't we all just get along? Let's hope that cooler heads prevail and both Arum and Mayweather can put their differences aside to give fans a real fight to save the sport. After all, if it makes dollars (and it will), it makes sense (and it does)!
Source: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content4911.html
Before his retirement, Mayweather vowed that he'd never do business with Arum again. Apparently, his hiatus from the sport has done little to change his mind. The last time the two worked together was in 2006 when Floyd fought and defeated Zab Judah to capture the IBF welterweight title. "You know, I appreciate Bob. You know, everybody – there's life, we're going to have our ups, we're going to have our downs. But, when it's time to go to a fight, we know it's business and we have to get along...The best fighter ever with the best promoter ever, and it's just an honor to be with Bob Arum," Mayweather would state during a conference call to promote that fight. In return, Arum showered Mayweather with his own compliments, stating, "His speed is phenomenal. The way he throws punches, phenomenal. The way he is conditioned, phenomenal. I mean, he's the entire whole package....Ray Leonard was a great fighter, Marvin Hagler was a great fighter, Duran certainly was great, Oscar had a couple of years where he was very good, but there's nobody that is a whole package like Floyd."
That was probably the last time the two men shared kind words about each other. Shortly thereafter, they parted ways as Floyd paid Arum $750,000 to buy out the remainder of his contract. It didn't take long for a war of words and lawsuits to follow. Mayweather made accusations that Arum mishandled his career and filed a lawsuit claiming he was shortchanged on money from previous pay-per-view bouts. Arum retaliated, smearing Mayweathers name, belittling his skills and countering with his own counterclaim that Top Rank was owed money from Mayweather. While it's unclear as to whether or not those lawsuits were ever resolved, the animosity between Mayweather and Arum still exists to this day. In fact, prior to Mayweather announcing his return, when asked about the possibility of a fight with Pacquiao, Arum replied, "He could go fuck himself. Tell him that...Fuck Mayweather! Pacquiao's the big attraction!"
Ouch! Damn Bob!
Well it looks like Mayweather shares some of those same sentiments as he recently made it clear to those close to him that he won't be rushing into a bout with Manny Pacquiao so long as Arum is involved, which, of course he will be. Geesh! Can't we all just get along? Let's hope that cooler heads prevail and both Arum and Mayweather can put their differences aside to give fans a real fight to save the sport. After all, if it makes dollars (and it will), it makes sense (and it does)!
Source: http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content4911.html
Pacquiao v. Mayweather: Who's the best of the decade?
We may well get an actual fight before the end of the decade (which comes this year -- feeling old?) to truly hash it out, but for now, the debate rages on.
Recently, RING Magazine's Michael Rosenthal put up a "Greatest fighters by decade" post on their blog. For the 2000s, he put Pacquiao in the top spot, with Mayweather as the runner-up.
Rosenthal says that he got a lot of mail about it, and not all of it was kind. He then makes his case for Pacquiao, and it's quite the impassioned plea:
The reactions got me thinking: OK, what is the overriding reason I believe Pacquiao is better than Mayeather, as well as Juan Manuel Marquez, Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe, Winky Wright and a few others who might have credentials?
The answer finally became clear: Because Pacquiao moves me, as does Marquez to a lesser extent. The others don’t.
I acknowledge that a strong case can be made that Mayweather is the best fighter of the 2000s. He is the most naturally gifted of these fighters and has a perfect record (39-0, 25 knockouts). He has what it takes to win and does so, plain and simple.
If that’s how you define the best fighter, then he’s your man. God bless you.
That’s not my definition, though. To me, skills and winning are only part of the equation.
I admire the sublime ability, speed and athleticism of Mayweather, as I did Pernell Whitaker. They are virtuoso boxers, master technicians, certainly among the best of their eras. At the same time, there’s something missing with both of them, in my opinion. I call it the “thrill factor.”
To me, the greatest fighters aren’t just admirable; they’re part technician and all warrior. They, too, have exceptional skills and win consistently but also take risks, both in terms of who they fight and in the ring. They seek out the best possible opponents and then go to war, putting both their record and well being on the line.
I think this is a great, great argument, and yes I put Pacquiao ahead of Mayweather as it stands now, too.
The difference, I think, is in a lot of what Rosenthal is saying: Pacquiao went out and sought the greatest challenges. Mayweather makes a show now of fighting men he admittedly deems "too small" to beat him. What kind of fighter is that?
I am not discounting Mayweather's skills, nor am I a hater. The man is absurdly talented, and he can be poetry to watch perform. He is a brilliant tactician who seems like he's generally two steps ahead of his opponents. And he is more than deserving of being called one of this decade's two best.
If Mayweather does it for you over Pacquiao, then I won't argue. But if the two of them finish out their careers as the two have gone so far, ask yourself this: Who's going to be revered for decades? It's Pacquiao. Mayweather will be respected (and I think respect will even grow over time for his skills). But Pacquiao has inspired, become a hero in both his native Philippines and in the sport worldwide.
He has become the beacon of light for a sport that has seen a depressed decade, if not the wasteland or cemetery it has been made out as by the misinformed. Mayweather doesn't have that sort of fire, that passion in him. He could have never been That Guy.
In some ways, I question if it's not plainly related to the fact that relatively speaking, boxing came easy for Mayweather. His father was a fighter, his uncle a better one. He was born, as they say, with boxing gloves on. And both his father and uncle are great teachers. Pacquiao fought his way out of poverty, going from scrawny flyweight world champion to ripped, fully formed junior welterweight champion of the world. It has not been "easy" for Pacquiao to get where he is. He wasn't backed from the moment he entered an amateur ring, groomed for success. He fought. Mayweather performed as a great artist might, rarely missing a note on stage.
It's all sports romance, really; cold, hard skill is very debatable, and no doubt Mayweather's has been at the highest level for longer. But that's not all we're talking about. Yngwie Malmsteen can shred; Stevie Ray Vaughn bled through his guitar. The comparison here is similar.
Source: http://www.badlefthook.com/2009/5/13/873892/pacquiao-v-mayweather-whos-the
Recently, RING Magazine's Michael Rosenthal put up a "Greatest fighters by decade" post on their blog. For the 2000s, he put Pacquiao in the top spot, with Mayweather as the runner-up.
Rosenthal says that he got a lot of mail about it, and not all of it was kind. He then makes his case for Pacquiao, and it's quite the impassioned plea:
The reactions got me thinking: OK, what is the overriding reason I believe Pacquiao is better than Mayeather, as well as Juan Manuel Marquez, Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe, Winky Wright and a few others who might have credentials?
The answer finally became clear: Because Pacquiao moves me, as does Marquez to a lesser extent. The others don’t.
I acknowledge that a strong case can be made that Mayweather is the best fighter of the 2000s. He is the most naturally gifted of these fighters and has a perfect record (39-0, 25 knockouts). He has what it takes to win and does so, plain and simple.
If that’s how you define the best fighter, then he’s your man. God bless you.
That’s not my definition, though. To me, skills and winning are only part of the equation.
I admire the sublime ability, speed and athleticism of Mayweather, as I did Pernell Whitaker. They are virtuoso boxers, master technicians, certainly among the best of their eras. At the same time, there’s something missing with both of them, in my opinion. I call it the “thrill factor.”
To me, the greatest fighters aren’t just admirable; they’re part technician and all warrior. They, too, have exceptional skills and win consistently but also take risks, both in terms of who they fight and in the ring. They seek out the best possible opponents and then go to war, putting both their record and well being on the line.
I think this is a great, great argument, and yes I put Pacquiao ahead of Mayweather as it stands now, too.
The difference, I think, is in a lot of what Rosenthal is saying: Pacquiao went out and sought the greatest challenges. Mayweather makes a show now of fighting men he admittedly deems "too small" to beat him. What kind of fighter is that?
I am not discounting Mayweather's skills, nor am I a hater. The man is absurdly talented, and he can be poetry to watch perform. He is a brilliant tactician who seems like he's generally two steps ahead of his opponents. And he is more than deserving of being called one of this decade's two best.
If Mayweather does it for you over Pacquiao, then I won't argue. But if the two of them finish out their careers as the two have gone so far, ask yourself this: Who's going to be revered for decades? It's Pacquiao. Mayweather will be respected (and I think respect will even grow over time for his skills). But Pacquiao has inspired, become a hero in both his native Philippines and in the sport worldwide.
He has become the beacon of light for a sport that has seen a depressed decade, if not the wasteland or cemetery it has been made out as by the misinformed. Mayweather doesn't have that sort of fire, that passion in him. He could have never been That Guy.
In some ways, I question if it's not plainly related to the fact that relatively speaking, boxing came easy for Mayweather. His father was a fighter, his uncle a better one. He was born, as they say, with boxing gloves on. And both his father and uncle are great teachers. Pacquiao fought his way out of poverty, going from scrawny flyweight world champion to ripped, fully formed junior welterweight champion of the world. It has not been "easy" for Pacquiao to get where he is. He wasn't backed from the moment he entered an amateur ring, groomed for success. He fought. Mayweather performed as a great artist might, rarely missing a note on stage.
It's all sports romance, really; cold, hard skill is very debatable, and no doubt Mayweather's has been at the highest level for longer. But that's not all we're talking about. Yngwie Malmsteen can shred; Stevie Ray Vaughn bled through his guitar. The comparison here is similar.
Source: http://www.badlefthook.com/2009/5/13/873892/pacquiao-v-mayweather-whos-the
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