126lb Featherweight Top 10 all time

While I'd agree with the points about Morales and Marquez, however, I'd caution that those two guys are extremely difficult style match-ups for Pacquiao. Their willingness to punch with him, innate toughness, Morales' range with his right hand and Marquez's brilliant adjustments and counters were awful for Pacquiao. While they're are better fighters at the poundage, I don't see too many who can replicate those traits and be able to withstand Pacquiao's onslaught all night. You also have to think that Pacquiao has likely the best style to beat aggressive, defensively naive pressure fighters - of which, there are dozens of elite at featherweight.

Pacquiao would never beat Sanchez at the weight, but he'd be extremely live against a guy like Saldivar. Especially when Vicente was getting rocked and hurt against a fellow southpaw like Seki. I'd wager Pacquiao has more than enough of a shot at taking out guys like Nelson and Pedroza. After all, I never said I'd rate Pacquiao at the peak of the division head to head, just a lot higher than I'd rate him in terms of what he did there.

Although to your broader point about Pacquiao improving massively, I completely agree. He was a torrid physical talent all the way through his career but by the time he was fighting Diaz, Hatton, De La Hoya and Cotto, both his physical peak and technical ability had reached a level where was undeniably one of the best ever. It's a little weird that he's often left out of that conversation.

 

Benny Yanger actually probably ranks pretty high with wins over Abe Attell and Young Corbett. Some other good wins too, an aging George Dixon, Tim Callahan, Harry Forbes.

 

Hahahhahahahahahaha

 

Yeah, definitely wasn't what he was, but even well past his best he was still pretty capable

 

Is that after a genie granted him 3 magic wishes? Because that’s the only way he’s spanking Sanchez and Pep.

 

LaBarba was a class act, but his achievements are fairly thin and, those he did garner were at Flyweight.

That said, Battalino's victory over him does add to his ledger; just not with significant sway, in relation to his Featherweight credentials - that's just the way I see it.

There are also a good number of Boxers in the conversation with as good or better wins and a substantial number of them will have demonstrated greater longevity than Battalino.

 

I wouldnt put Battalino in any top 15, just pointing out his resume compares rather favourably with some others have named.

 

And I'd agree with that.

 

It leaves us with Marco Antonio Barrera, who was promptly destroyed. Hence, brilliant against some styles, not so brilliant against others.

 

Too many people leaving Pedroza off there list IMO

 

Barrera and Marquez are low level ATG's. Morales is a mid level ATG. Let's remember that Morales actually fared better than even Marquez did against a prime Pac and Marquez's resume is almost entirely built on Pac.

But really if you take a group of ATG historical Featherweights then Morales would beat more of them than Marquez and Barrera would. Marquez is the least skilled of the group. He's one dimensional and can't lead very well. Which works very well against hyper aggressive fighters like Pac, but not very good against pure boxers and counter punchers. And Barrera is not as physically strong as either Morales or Marquez and is prone to being steamrolled. Morales is stronger than Barrera and more skilled than Marquez and matches up better H2H.

 

Pacquiao didn't carry near the same power at 130 as he did at 126. Morales had a cast iron chin, and Pac badly hurt him to the body at 130 in their first fight when Morales still had a lot left in the tank and wasn't drained. I don't recommend being badly hurt by Pac at 126. People forget, but Morales is actually naturally bigger than Pacquiao.

 

Pacquiao is definitely better than Marquez at 126. Keep in mind that Marquez is a stylistic nightmare for Pac and yet Pac still fought a peak Marquez to a draw. Marquez loses to Barrera at 126 and I don't think he's even remotely competitive against Morales at 126.