One thing that Pacquiao has over Mayweather when it comes to ATG standing...

I hadn't actually considered this until I read Jim Bagg's response in the June 2010 edition of Ring magazine to someone asking if Jose Luis Castillo would make the Hall Of Fame:

"...realistically, sorry to say it, Castillo has almost no shot. He was an outstanding fighter from 2000-2005, but he was never a pound-for-pounder. 'El Temible' definitely deserves to have his name on the ballot. But when it comes to getting voted in, it's 'no way Jose' for No Weigh Jose."


So that left me with the thought:


In his entire career, Floyd Mayweather has NEVER beaten ONE single HOF standard fighter who was in his prime and at a good weight for him.


If Bagg is right and Castillo "has almost no shot", then there are no others on Floyd's resume! If Castillo isn't good enough to make the cut, then guys like Corrales and Hatton definitely aren't either. No-one could legitimately argue that De La Hoya or Mosley were in their prime when Floyd fought them, their respective primes were roughly an entire decade earlier!! And Marquez was two divisions above the one he was fighting in, the clash was too far from his natural weight to be considered anything other than a pointless mismatch.


Compare this to Pacquiao - it cannot even be disputed that he has beaten two prime HOF standard fighters at good weights for them in his career:


- Marco Antonio Barrera at featherweight in 2003 (MAB in the middle of the best run of form of his life at the time and was ranked p4p#3)


- Juan Manuel Marquez at superfeather in 2008 (Marquez p4p#3 at the time)


If Miguel Cotto beats Foreman to become a 3-weight champ, he could be on the way to HOF class himself, making it three. And of course Erik Morales will make the Hall, but even though he was nowhere near as far gone as Pac haters make out, he wasn't prime so can't really be included here.


You know, people can trot out the boring, stupid stuff like "Pac got KTFO twice" all day long on here, but in the end you are remembered for the prime guys you beat.


The reason that Ray Robinson is considered an elite ATG is not because he beat an ageing Henry Armstrong, even though Armstrong is a HUGE name. He is remembered for cutting a swathe through the best fighters around in the welterweight and middleweight divisions at the time, prime guys like Kid Gavilan, Carmen Basilio and Jake LaMotta, guys who were later inducted into the HOF because they were great fighters in their own right.

The reason that Muhammad Ali is considered an elite ATG is not because he beat an ageing Archie Moore, even though Moore is a HUGE name. He is remembered for taking on the very best heavyweights around at the time, prime guys like Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman, guys who were later inducted into the HOF because they were great fighters in their own right.



If Pacquiao and Mayweather retire without facing each other, Pac already has two HOF fighters on his ledger that he beat in their primes. Floyd does not. This will undoubtedly factor into how history rates these guys. :bbb

 

Irrelevant to the subject of prime HOF opponents.

Irrelevant to the subject of prime HOF opponents.

 

I disagree. I think Marquez was still prime when Pac fought him. He moved up to p4p#2 AFTER he fought Pac. The only way for Shane Mosley to go now is DOWN.

Barrera was indeed in his prime. Point proven then.