Is Pacquiao Approaching Legendary Status? Comparison to Leonard.

I just got it from Pacland, Very good comparison.

By JBOWYER of Pacland:
http://forum.philboxing.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=95855

Not many fighters who have ever laced up a pair of can claim legendary status. Even among Hall of Fame boxers, this elite status has been granted to only a select few. In the modern era, the heavyweights are well represented in Ali, Louis, Patterson and Marciano. Sugar Ray Robinson and his amazing 173 wins makes the list, as does Willie Pep with his even more impressive 229 wins. After Manny Pacquiao’s razor thin victory of Juan Manual Marquez, I could not help but think that the Pacman’s career is starting to look similar to the last who, in my mind, could be called a boxing legend –

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Before I get into the similarities in their careers, I need to offer my definition of “legendary”, since by my own admission it is a very subjective term. For the sake of argument, I use four criteria.

- First, a boxer must have

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level credentials in terms of record and skill inside the ring.

- Second, he must have fought – and won - against other HOF-level rivals over a long period of time. In my mind, guys like Roy Jones, Jr. and

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are not legends because they did not have the fortune of facing top-level competition in their primes. Other fighters, like Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Julio Cesar Chavez, came up just short because they could not finish off a rival.

- Third, he must have fought in memorable fights. Ali is a prime example. Would he be known as the best if his fights with Foreman, Norton, and Frazier were not all-time classics?

- And fourth, there must be an element of adversity in the boxer’s career. Again going back to Ali, his victories over Frazier were all the more dramatic because he lost the first fight with him.

Using these criteria, it is interesting to compare the career of Sugar Ray Leonard to the ongoing career of Manny Pacquaio. For this comparison, I will use what I consider the most productive periods of each of their careers. For Leonard, this starts in November, 1979 with his defeat of Wilfred Benitez and ends in June, 1989 with his controversial draw versus Thomas Hearns (6 years, 8 months if you take out the 3 years that he was inactive). For Pacquiao, I start in November, 2003 with his surprise defeat over

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up until last Sunday (4 years, 4 months). Over these periods, let’s look at the similarities of their careers.

RECORDS AND COMPETITION: In the period stated above, Leonard was 10-1-1 against fighters who had a combined record of 461-21-4 (or a 96% W-L ratio). He fought only one guy who had fought under 30 pro fights, and none of his opponents had over 4 losses. Pacquiao faced competition with a combined record of 528-43-9 (or a 92.5% W-L ratio). All his opponents had fought over 30 pro fights. It’s hard to ignore the similarities.

MULTIPLE WINS OVER TOP-LEVEL RIVALS: In the 1980s, Leonard came out on top of a stellar group of welterweights/middleweights. He held a 4-1-1 record versus the likes of Duran (2 fights), Hagler (1), Hearns (2), and Benitez (1), all of whom are Hall-of-Famers (Hearns will get in soon). The recent crop of featherweights/super

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comes close to this level, and Manny can now make the claim that he stands at the top of this group. His 5-1-1 record versus Barrera (2 fights), Morales (3), and Marquez (2) is something special. This is similar to Leonard's accomplishment, although a point should be made that Leonard faced all those fighters in their primes, while Manny cannot make that claim.

MEMORABLE FIGHTS: Who remembers any Pernell Whitaker fights outside of hard-core boxing fans? Who is going to remember many PBF fights? Compare that to Leonard and Pacquiao. On ESPN Classic, you can still watch Leonard jump onto the ropes celebrating a breakout win over Benitez, while twenty years from now, fans of the "sweet science" will have a chance to watch Barrera’s corner mercifully throw in the towel in Manny’s huge breakout victory. Fight fans can still watch Leonard’s back-and-forth dramatic victory over Hearns, just as fans will be able to watch Pacquiao’s drama-filled slugfest with Morales in their second meeting. And, just as Leonard’s exciting and controversial win over Hagler is still heavily debated, Manny’s recent controversial win over Marquez will keep fans talking for years to come. Fights make legends, and both Leonard and Pacquiao have been involved in some of the most thrilling fights in the modern era.

ADVERSITY: Something about coming back from a loss or knockdown seems to elevate a fighter in the eyes of the public. Leonard’s “no mas” fight over Duran was all the more dramatic because he had lost to him by unanimous decision five months earlier. Pacquiao’s victories over Morales were so sweet because Morales had handed him a tough loss in their first fight.

As it stands now, Manny Pacquiao is a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. Whether he can rise above that level to become a boxing legend will not be determined until after he hangs up his gloves, but this fan thinks that he is well on his way.

 

I fixed it. Or try the Pacland link.

 

It hurts huh??? but the author is telling the truth. RJJ is not as Legendary as Leonard. RJJ lacks a legendary Rival. It's a fact.

 

You're off topic little boy.:bbb

 

I didn't write it, if you want to response, follow the link at Pacland & BS there.