They ate more because they increased their muscle mass. Not to blow up in weight. James Toney ate more to move up in weight.
Weight class count is an utterly misleading argument of greatness. Fact: Pacquiao never cleaned then dominated a single class, cherry picked through numerous weights, yes: becoming a legend during it. But I remember Hopkins and Wlad taking on all champions, contenders and pretenders, the Buster Douglases in the shades, and they survived a decade through them. All I can say: RESPECT! I'd rather see Inoue clean Donaire's, Burnett's, Tete's, Nery's and Estradas' clock grabbing all titles and holding onto the undisputed crown rather than finding the right David Diaz is 3 more pointless ABC straps.
I have this mental image of the OP firing up his Pentium chip, Windows 98, PC (given to him by mom) and 10 mins later, after its booted, thinking (out loud probably) 'wonder what's gonna get me some attention today? I know, a thread about a boxer I learned about at the weekend'.... Ridiculous thread....
Pacquiao had a SINGLE world title fight at 130. The one vs. JMM that he lost according to the vast majority of experts.
Dude the boxing media scorecards were 32 for Pacquiao and 32 for Marquez. The rest were draw. So you're not correct about that. And he fought beat MAB at 130, he beat Morales at 130. He beat Marquez at 130. He beat everybody at 130.
If Pac's career is a sham, then surely we'll see more 8 division champions and more flyweights rising up all the way to 150, yes? How many years do you give it until we see another former FLYWEIGHT fighting at 147?
I've said unify & dominating like Hopkins, Pac did neither at 130. Going 2-1 vs. Morales and barely 1-0 vs. JMM is his ONLY title fight with a questionable outcome qualifies exactly how for my criteria?
And then kick back with a potent concoction of Zima and Red Bull from the mini fridge in his mom's basement.
You didn't say "Unify" in the original post. And besides, now we are getting off track this thread should go back towards Inoue.
@BigBone Pick a flyweight from any era. Now match that flyweight with any of Pac's opponents all the way to 147 and tell me who that flyweight beats. Let's get ever crazier—match that flyweight with the 165 pound Margarito that Pac beat to a pulp. I'll wait.
A sham? Quit putting words in my mouth mate, this is The Kirk Champion of... 2014 I think? Some grow through divisions, other don't, makes no difference in your final tally. Did Pac beat a lot of great fighters? Yes. Did he lost a couple? Yes. Does he have an ATG tally? Yes. Has he ever cleaned, unified and dominated a class where rather than picking your opposition based on your promotional power you face all champs, all contenders, all up and comers no matter of style and risk/reward ration? Nope, sry mate, never happened. Neither Floyd if that eases your rage. That's all I'm saying: rather than Inoue doing what he did at light flyweight, which is rip and run as my friend Omar Little would say, he should stay and pick up all the marbles, fight all the dangermen and stop all the hungry lions cause that beats out a sack of ABC belts picked up vs. secondary opposition.
That argument doesn't really hold any water because Cotto alone was a harder and more perilous fight than anyone Pac could have fought at 126, 130, or 135. If Spence were to fight and beat Canelo, it wouldn't matter in the least that he didn't clean out 147 or 154.
