The Best of Manny Pacquiao

When was the last time Manny Pacquiao lost?

When assigned to do an article on his greatest fights, I did a double take and the “L” word (loss) came up. Who did he fight? Who managed to put a loss on his boxing record?

As my bio states, I’m a history person and my instinct was to start chronologically. But that approach really doesn’t work. In the case of a boxer, the boxer’s evolution into a great boxer, one can easily trace the origins of greatness. When a boxer is at the top of his fighting and physical peak, his victories and losses are all about how he stands once the final bell rings.

Scorecards also serve as great proof to how a fighter performed on a particular night. But what the judges see and what the fans see on a given night is easily forgotten. For Pacquiao, his greatest fights occurred at the featherweight class.

At a mere 5’6-1/2, give or take a couple of pounds, Pacquiao had no equal.

Appropriately labeled the “Mexecutioner,” here are my top 5 Pacquiao favorites:

5) Pacquiao vs. Erik “El Terrible” Morales I (March 19, 2005: Result: Loss - Unanimous Decision)

A loss always serves as a reminder that on one given night in one given fight, a boxer showed up ready. In this fight now dubbed as Pacquiao vs. Morales I, Pacquiao learned a lesson in being ready to take a fight and to convince the judges that everything matters in a fight.

Erik Morales known for his epic battles with another Pacquiao victim, Marco Antonio Barrera, won the fight convincingly with a flurry of solid jabs followed by a power right hand. A defeated Pacquiao was not at all surprised at the end of the fight. The judges watched and awarded a well deserved victory for Morales (Paul Smith 113-115, Dave Moretti 113-115, and Chuck Giampi 113-115)

4) Pacquiao vs. Oscar “The Golden Boy” De La Hoya (December 6, 2008: Result: Win - 8th Round – Retired)

Call me sentimental, my heart went out to De La Hoya. I am a De La Hoya fan. On this night, I watched and cheered for Pacquiao. But I also winced and shook my head a lot as De La Hoya took Pacquiao’s punches hard. Even in this 140 lb weight class, Pacquiao did not allow the extra weight to deter his punching combinations and overall speed.

I didn’t want to see De La Hoya get beat. I saw it – the once great fighter in the corner with a wistful look of defeat and facing the call of stubborn retirement. De La Hoya stopped the fight in the 8th Round.

3) Pacquiao vs. Marco Antonio “Baby Faced Assassin” Barrera (November 15, 2003: Result: Win – TKO – 11th Round)

It was the first bout between these two warriors.

As I watched this fight, an announcer made a great comment, “It’s the changing of the guard. In order to become an elite fighter, you have to beat an elite fighter.” I included this fight because Barrera stood with him until the 11th Round.

Barrera faced a barrage of Pacquiao combinations. Finally, 11 seconds remained; Barrera couldn’t recover after a knockdown. Pacquiao didn’t hesitate to finish him off. He triumphs, Barrera defeated.

He becomes the new featherweight champion of the world.

2) Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez II (March 15, 2008 – Win – Split Decision)

There is a distinction between this fight and the next fight. Marquez wears black trunks. In reviewing these fights II and I (or I and II), both fights were visually the same. Four years later, Pacquiao emerges as the winner in the split decision.

In this fight, even the scoring reflects a draw, I mean split (Duane Ford 115-112, Jerry Ford 115-112, and Tom Miller 112-115).

1) Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez I (May 8, 2004 - Draw)

Pacquiao faces a tough Juan Manuel Marquez. With the exception of Marquez wearing white trunks, this fight was a good fight for both fighters. The opening round was brutal for Marquez. In the first round, Marquez was knocked down three times. How can a fighter come back after such a round?

Marquez survived and eventually fought the full 12 rounds. The judges couldn’t get more even in the scoring (John Stewart 115-110, Guy Jutra 110-115, and Burt Clements 113-113)

So there you have it, a good mix of fights that show attributes of Pacquiao’s evolution into who many consider the best pound for pound fighter for the moment. But remember, there’s still Miguel Cotto – wonder if that fight will go down as one of Pacquiao’s greatest?

Source: http://www.ringsidereport.com/rsr/news.php?readmore=2191