When Pacquiao beats Cotto

[JazMerkin]

#1 If it was so easy to beat these guys then why not unify?

#2 I was just stating who he didn't fight....the only guys I really think he should have fought were Cotto, Mosley, Williams, and maybe Margarito and MAYBE Freitas

#1 Lyle, you're not a stupid guy, you know it's not as simple as that. I think below 140 most of those guys, or at least their promoters weren't keen on the fights when they could defend alphabets. I believe Casamayor & Freitas' respective promoters Luis DeCubas & Arty Pelullo were not keen on risking them against guys who might beat them until the contracts were close to expiring when they fought one another. I personally don't see the point in unifying if those guys were not the best & in the lower divisions they were just little Valuevs. Becoming lineal champ is far more impressive in my eyes. I mean to use your favourite punching bag, do you rate David Haye's acheivements in unifying a weak CW division? I give him credit for the becoming the lineal champ more.

#2 I don't agree with Freitas for the reasons above. Mosley there's also the fact that he had the chance to make the fight with Mayweather but fought Cotto instead (not that I blame him, I understand he was getting a slightly better purse split in that fight). Now, I don't think Margarito deserves any fight being the cheating turd he is, but I think it was a fight that had he beaten him would of been another Baldomir. Williams & Cotto at 147 were legitimate challenges, as is Mosley now, so hopefully he fights at least 1 of them before retiring.

[El Kabong]

In hindsight, YES Margarito is a cheating turd, but at the time he was very scary challenge for Mayweather.

Think if FLOYD and not Shane had KO'd Margarito like that....not that it would happen, but I sure as hell would have been impressed. And if he had outboxed someone like Cotto or Paul Williams, that would have been spectacular....much more so than beating Ricky Hatton outside of Hatton's natural weight class.

[JazMerkin]

In hindsight, YES Margarito is a cheating turd, but at the time he was very scary challenge for Mayweather.

Think if FLOYD and not Shane had KO'd Margarito like that....not that it would happen, but I sure as hell would have been impressed. And if he had outboxed someone like Cotto or Paul Williams, that would have been spectacular....much more so than beating Ricky Hatton outside of Hatton's natural weight class.

I agree on all of that except for Hatton being outside of his weight-class. Hatton was further from where he started then Floyd, I think the same thing happens at 140, it was only an issue post-fight brought about by a British media desperate to find excuses for 'our Ricky'. Remember, Mayweather was coming down from LMW & Hatton had already won a belt at the weight, it was not seen as a problem by anybody pre-fight. I don't think Margarito was a scary challenge, but he was a high-risk, low-reward fight especially when compared with the similar risk for facing Oscar, but 5x the payday.

[El Kabong]

...Don't know how you can not make that excuse (about weight) after seeing Ricky struggle with Luis Collazo, I thought the PBF fight was pointless after that display.

Sure De la Hoya was a MUST HAVE...I don't understand why Shane Mosley isn't, but I digress. Margarito was very high risk, he was dangerous for Floyd as I am not sure how Floyd would handle someone that big...I mean De la Hoya was well past his best, but Margarito was in his prime and very rugged and very active.

I mean sure Floyd could have beaten any of those guys but we'll never know as he never fought them....nobody would have thought Buster Douglas would be the guy to KO Tyson or that Ali would be the guy to beat Sonny Liston, but stuff like that happens, styles make fights, and sometimes you don't have your A game.

I see Floyd a lot like Roy Jones Jr. extremely talented, almost unbeatable, wins damn near every round, but never took chances with his career...compare it to what Miguel Cotto has done and you have to appreciate the warrior that is Miguel Cotto

[JazMerkin]

...Don't know how you can not make that excuse (about weight) after seeing Ricky struggle with Luis Collazo, I thought the PBF fight was pointless after that display.

Sure De la Hoya was a MUST HAVE...I don't understand why Shane Mosley isn't, but I digress. Margarito was very high risk, he was dangerous for Floyd as I am not sure how Floyd would handle someone that big...I mean De la Hoya was well past his best, but Margarito was in his prime and very rugged and very active.

I mean sure Floyd could have beaten any of those guys but we'll never know as he never fought them....nobody would have thought Buster Douglas would be the guy to KO Tyson or that Ali would be the guy to beat Sonny Liston, but stuff like that happens, styles make fights, and sometimes you don't have your A game.

I see Floyd a lot like Roy Jones Jr. extremely talented, almost unbeatable, wins damn near every round, but never took chances with his career...compare it to what Miguel Cotto has done and you have to appreciate the warrior that is Miguel Cotto

Like I said, Mosley has had chances to Floyd, that is well documented. I don't think Ricky struggled with Collazo because of the weight, that's an easy excuse, especially given how strong a light-welter he apparently is. He struggled because Collazo was fast, technically good & a southpaw. Hatton always had difficulties with southpaws, watch even against Floyd, when PBF switches to lefty Hatton can't get a glove even near him.

I don't think Margarito has the style to beat Floyd although with loaded gloves he has a chance, Cotto maybe does have the style. I do respect the fighters that Cotto has taken on, but only Mosley & Clottey stand out as better welters IMO & on overall career I would still side with Mayweather, I don't count the cheat as his victory over Cotto is tainted.

[LEGION]

...Don't know how you can not make that excuse (about weight) after seeing Ricky struggle with Luis Collazo, I thought the PBF fight was pointless after that display.

Sure De la Hoya was a MUST HAVE...I don't understand why Shane Mosley isn't, but I digress. Margarito was very high risk, he was dangerous for Floyd as I am not sure how Floyd would handle someone that big...I mean De la Hoya was well past his best, but Margarito was in his prime and very rugged and very active.

I mean sure Floyd could have beaten any of those guys but we'll never know as he never fought them....nobody would have thought Buster Douglas would be the guy to KO Tyson or that Ali would be the guy to beat Sonny Liston, but stuff like that happens, styles make fights, and sometimes you don't have your A game.

I see Floyd a lot like Roy Jones Jr. extremely talented, almost unbeatable, wins damn near every round, but never took chances with his career...compare it to what Miguel Cotto has done and you have to appreciate the warrior that is Miguel Cotto

Like I said, Mosley has had chances to Floyd, that is well documented. I don't think Ricky struggled with Collazo because of the weight, that's an easy excuse, especially given how strong a light-welter he apparently is. He struggled because Collazo was fast, technically good & a southpaw. Hatton always had difficulties with southpaws, watch even against Floyd, when PBF switches to lefty Hatton can't get a glove even near him.

I don't think Margarito has the style to beat Floyd although with loaded gloves he has a chance, Cotto maybe does have the style. I do respect the fighters that Cotto has taken on, but only Mosley & Clottey stand out as better welters IMO & on overall career I would still side with Mayweather, I don't count the cheat as his victory over Cotto is tainted.

Margarito would have been made to look as foolish against Floyd as he did Mosley almost. Loaded wraps or not, you still have to hit your opponent to win a fight, and Tony barely touched Mosley; hell I don't even remember him hitting him with a real clean, hard shot{but I need to go back and watch}
The only way those padded gloves could have helped him that night was if someone had packed C-4 in them and flipped the switch.

Floyd would pot shot Tony all night; no ko as he wouldn't throw as many punches as Mosley did; but nonetheless an easy victory.

Still; like Lyle said, he never proved any of us right or not; cause he jetted to retirement lol. Funny he's back again and instead of remembering his claim of best WW in the world he's trying to line up some dwarf fights

[generalbulldog]

At LW and SFF Floyd took on all comers but when he got to 140 there is a strong argument that he avoided the best there. I don't think anyone can say Gatti was the best at jr. welterweight.

Kostya was one of the most avoided fighters at 140 not even FLoyd and Oscar wanted a piece of him.