This is from ESPN... A Pacquiao victory would give him a world title in a record-tying sixth weight division -- flyweight, junior featherweight, featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight and junior welterweight. So far, only one man has: Oscar De La Hoya, who won belts from junior lightweight to middleweight before Pacquiao sent him into retirement by handing him a beating in a nontitle welterweight bout in December. If Pacquiao dethrones England's Hatton, he will accomplish something no fighter in boxing history has ever done, which is to claim the lineal championship in a fourth division. Lineal, as in the man who beat the man, who beat the man, who beat the man, etc. In other words, he'll be considered the "real" champion in a fourth division, not just a mere titleholder, the way he was when he claimed his junior featherweight belt and lightweight title. "Pacquiao goes down as one of the greats if he can accomplish a junior welterweight championship to go along with his other hardware," said boxing historian and occasional ESPN.com contributor Bert Sugar. Already a five-division titleholder, Pacquiao is in impressive company. The only others to get one for the thumb? Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Floyd Mayweather Jr. The four-division titleholders in boxing history are Roberto Duran, Pernell Whitaker, Roy Jones Jr. and the not-so-well-known Leo Gamez. A win on Saturday will definitely catapult Pacquiao as one of the boxing greats. :good
Truly amazing. So this would be his 4th lineal championship weight. Oscar had 2 didn't he? with Welter and Light Middle, fighting pretty much evreyone. So has anyone been lineal champ in 3 divisions before?
Thanks for info. If your source is Bert Sugar, this piece of news from ESPN is very credible. Expect haters to disagree w/out any basis at all.
absolutely correct. i wish my grandad was still alive to see this if manny does pull it off. and not forgetting he jumped over bantam and super-bantam....7 weight divisions from his first world title to light welter....its unheard of.. he will write part of the history of boxing if he does it....old men will speak of it in 50 years time...it will be boxing folklore.
Just some corrections: flyweight, junior featherweight, featherweight, super featherweight, juniour lightweight, and if he wins tomorrow, lightweight. He didn't win a title at 147(jr. welter) If Pacquiao wins it would his 5th lineal title in 6 different weight divisions. That's very very impressive.
Mayweather has 3 lineal. He should have 4 but Hatton didnt want to fight him at 140 in 2005. Thats why I think all in all, If Pacquaio wins then Mayweather will fight him at 140 to get the lineal title
You got your weights all screwed up. Super Feather and Jr. Lightweight are basically the same weight(130 lbs) 147 is Welter not Jr welter. But Pac is still a great boxer!