How many times has Pacquiao been underdog?

Hmm, pretty sure he was the bookies favourite in all these fights

 

You are right, I have editted.

Pacquaio was favoured in Barrera II but not Barrera I. He was favoured throughout in Morales I and III but not in Morales II where he was the slightest of underdogs when the fight opened, closing to be a very slight favourite!

 

There was concern about the size differences and on whether Pacq could handle the power. Between Mosely and Margarita there was no such concern. Mosely was old? How old was he at that time he fought Margarito? After he fought Margarito he fought May weather and Canelo-right?

 

Mosely was 38 years old when he fought Margarito. Isn't Gennady close to that age? Joe Walcott was champ at that age and gave Marciano a hell of a fight. Mayweather fought successfully at that age. After that he beat Mayorga, and went on to win some other fights.

 

Oscar -
Hatton - coming off a near KO loss to lightweight non puncher Lascano
Cotto - coming off devastating loss to Tony and weight drained
Margarito - coming off devastating loss to Mosley and weight drained
Morales 2 and 3 - shot and drained
Marquez 3 and 4 - shot - still managed to lose both
Barrera - great win

 

Yes Mosley fought Mayweather and Canelo after. Mayweather proved how old Mosley was. Floyd schooled him. I don't think that would have happened to a prime Mosley. Margarito is nothing special without loaded gloves.

 

Both May Weather and Canelo would have schooled him in his prime since it wasn't stamina nor power that did him in. It was technique. He is a one-dimensional fighter that only has one mechanical way of fighting. That's why Cotto schooled him as well. He got lucky with Mayorga because Mayorga is one-dimensional like him and Mayorga was fighting out of his true weight class. The Fighter that Mayorga had easily beaten twice had already schooled Mosely twice prior to that fight and Mostly had been younger.

The only reason he beat Margarito was because Margarito was wayyy over the hill by that time and Margarito is even more one-dimensional than Mosely is.

He couldn't beat Pac because Pac isn't one-dimensional. In other words, if you don't motionless stand in front of Mosely he can't find you and easily gets outpointed. Canelo kept giving him different angles. That was the only difference I saw. Canelo easily plows through robotic fighters like Mostly as he did with that other android Kirk's Land.

 

Pacquiao was a pretty huge betting favorite against Margarito, like 5 to 1, and a pretty solid betting favorite against Cotto. Close to 3 to 1. I gave Margarito and Cotto better shots than the oddsmakers.

 

Since everyone here is focusing on the tail end of Manny's career, let me focus on the early days. Manny Pacquiao is the only 3 division champion in the history of boxing that was the underdog in his first 3 title tries.

Manny's first title fight was for the WBC flyweight title against Chatchai Sasakul who was 32-1-1 when Manny fought him. Manny was just 19 years old. Sasakul was an experienced 28 yr old man, who gave Yuri Arbachakov his only career loss. Some consider Arbachakov as one of the great flyweights of the 90’s. Manny was in way over his head against Sasakul, but he persevered and scored a dramatic come from behind KO.

In his next weight class world title attempt, he fought for the IBF super bantamweight title. He fought 29 yr old Lehlo Ledwaba who was making his 6th defense of his title. Dude was a monster and considered to be the best fighter at 122. Manny was a significant underdog, but he destroyed him in 6 rounds. Manny was just 22 when he did that.

Then in his next weight class title try he fights one of the best p4p fighter in the world in Marco Antonio Barerra. MAB was the lineal and Ring magazine featherweight champion, since he beat Erik Morales (who was the reigning WBC champion) in the summer of 2002. MAB didn't want the WBC belt, so Morales fought for the vacant WBC belt in his very next fight after losing to MAB. Anyway, back to Manny. He goes in as the underdog and KOs MAB in the 11th round. Now he is a 3 division champion at 24 years old, he was the underdog in all of those title attempts, AND he beat the best fighter in the division to win each of those titles.

 

many people gloss over such achievements without realizing how incredibly difficult and improbable it is to achieve those circumstances.

 

He had nothing handed to him. In his early days he didn't get showcase fights, or fight for a vacant alphabet belt against an overmatched opponent. He was the overmatched opponent!

 

Tell me about it

 

I give him credit for Barrera. Other fights are just padding. He failed when he went up against THE fighter he needed to beat to be considered the best of his era.

 

Sakasul, Ledwaba, Barrera, Mayweather, DLH.

Morales II was more or less pick 'em.

He was favored all three times against Bradley.