Quote Originally Posted by CFH View Post
Pacquiao's opposition at 147 hasn't been great and the division has been relatively mediocre for a while now, but he's consistently fought the best fighters available (Mayweather aside) and has never ducked anyone.
Give me a break. Clottey, ODLH, Margacheato, Mosley right after getting his ass beat by Floyd? These were not the "best fighters available" at the time of those fights. Go check your back-issues of the Ring, or whatever your favorite ratings are. This is a fact.

Cotto and Clottey (surprisingly) are the most legit fights of Manny's WW run. And that's a Cotto that at least half the fans and commentators were calling shot at the time (which is true -- he's obviously never been the fighter he was before he got pounded with plaster for 10 1/2 rounds).

It's not for nothing that loads of people were angry when the Marg and Mosley fights got made because they were clear mismatches against completely unworthy opponents. (The Margarito match is the worst offender of them all -- no way you can defend that one.)