Al Bernstein On Boxing: Manny Pacquiao – One For The Ages

While we all wait for the apparently inevitable announcement that Manny Pacquiao will fight Miguel Cotto, I think it’s wise to really sit back and try and put the Pacquiao story in perspective. Our goal here is to come up with some historical perspective that is reasoned.

In doing that you would think that the exploits of Pacquiao would take on less superhuman traits and be viewed through a prism less filled with hyperbole and more geared to hard scrutiny. That’s what you would think.

But, in reality, the process of taking a step back and really dissecting what Pacquiao has done in his career makes me more impressed and more willing to talk in terms of “greatest” and “historically important.”

I said a few weeks ago that if Manny Pacquiao beats Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley or Floyd Mayweather Jr., he will have stamped himself as the greatest EVER at lighter weights, 135 or below. That’s a bold statement, but I believe I can back it up with a strong case.

The quartet of Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez produced the greatest series of fights seen at any time in boxing. They occurred during a decade’s span in a few weight divisions. This series of fights exceeded even the Hagler, Leonard, Hearns and Duran combinations of matches.

Pacman and his little crew really did have better battles than Hagler and his legendary bunch. And even though Marquez has a legitimate argument to the contrary, Manny narrowly emerged from that pack with the best results and biggest name.

After all that, Manny added to his resume by moving up in weight and dominating—not just winning—but dominating. Marquez has gone up in weight and won, but has had to fight for his life during rounds in the move up the weight ladder. Pacquiao has totally dominated his opposition.

Now, I fully understand that David Diaz at 135 was only a so-so champion, and Oscar De la Hoya ended up being a shell of his former self when he fought Pacquiao (although he was a big favorite before the fight). I also concede that Ricky Hatton had slipped in recent fights—and some thought he was never a great fighter. But still, the WAY Pacquiao won against Ricky was impressive.

All of that is why I am not totally ready to deify Manny—but I am close. If he can beat Cotto, a true welterweight with power and ability, he will have proved that no one in history has been able to dominate the smaller weight divisions like him. From 112 all the way up to 147 he has performed well. That’s astonishing.

The interesting thing is that if he continues to be successful, and his rival Marquez does the same, it will all serve to heighten Marquez’ historical standing. I believe Marquez is one of the most underrated fighters in decades, and strangely, the more Pacquiao is successful, the more it reminds us just how good Marquez has been in his career.

Perhaps the most amazing part of all this is that Manny reinvented himself as a fighter when he moved up in weight. He became a true boxer-puncher, using more movement, combination punching and widening his arsenal to include more right hooks.

In his recent fights, he has been much more than the power punching, but sometimes one dimensional fighter he was in lower weight classes. He used power and toughness to get through wars of attrition. At the higher weights he has used guile, speed and, oh yes, still lots of power. I can’t remember another fighter who has made such a transformation in his late 20’s. It just isn’t done.

So, a unique place in history awaits Manny if he can find a way to beat Cotto. And what if he does that and then beats either Mosley or Mayweather Jr. after that?

Well, lets cross that congratulatory bridge when we come to it. For now, lets contemplate one miracle at a time.