Pac is the GOAT of my lifetime with Roy Jones Jr. very slightly behind him. And will remain so until I see the a lineal Flyweight champ fight and destroy a dominant Welterweight in his prime like Pac did. People say that a modern fighter cannot reach the same level of greatness as the old school guys because they don't have as many fights or fight as often. And I tend to agree, but Pac came pretty damn close. Dominance from 112 to 147 is maybe the most incredible accomplishment in boxing history.
To be fair, there were several weights he fought where he wasn’t dominant. Most of them, actually. Still, I agree with the sentiment. Pacquiao did the kind of things we all knew Roy was capable of if he would’ve really tested himself. And Pac did it with less natural talent. He’ll go down as the best since the Fab 4, more specifically Ray Leonard.
I'd be amazed if any one replicates the feats of Pacquiao again. Number 1 at Flyweight and later at Welterweight is just insane.
I've been thinking, is it possible Pac is a couple years younger than is generally known (a reverse Luis Ortiz)? It would make the beginning and end of his career make more sense. Did any of the boxers born in the 1925-1935 period in the US (and therefore likely to have been malnourished at some point in childhood) have similar late in life growth?
