What fighters of the past 30 years could beat Pacquiao in a firefight?

A few points that come to mind:

- I had Pac a clear, clear winner in the fight (117-111 at the time, haven't re-scored it yet but intend to do so soon)

- But, I agree completely with you, Pacquiao has definitely declined over the last two years. In his last three fights, he hasn't demonstrated the same relentlessness, intensity or footwork/movement. This doesn't really surprise me, guys like Jones Jr and Pacquiao who rely heavily on their physical gifts are always going to decline earlier and more sharply than guys who rely more on technique and defence like Hopkins and Mayweather. Because Pac doesn't have the stamina to fight like he was fighting in 2008-2010, he seems to have regressed into a come-straight-forward-keep-looking-for-the-straight-left fighter like he was back in 2003-5 and earlier. For me, the Pacquiao who devastated Hatton and Cotto in 2009 would have knocked Bradley out quite brutally and relatively early by moving around him, giving him angles, and just burning him using his in-out style. Even this past-prime blunted version of Manny still had Timbo teetering on the brink in more than one of the middle rounds

- My outrage at a shockingly **** judges' decision is tempered by the fact that I do think it's partly Manny's own fault. Bradley was there for the taking midway through the fight, and for whatever reason Pac lacked the killer instinct and relentlessness to keep the pressure on and break him

- Bradley is not an excellent fighter in my view. Pacquiao will beat him handily in the rematch, Mayweather would trounce him, as would Cotto and Marquez, and probably even the younger and more flawed fighters of the current scene such as Canelo, Khan and Victor Ortiz would beat him as well. Genuine powderpuff punching, lack of head movement, isn't very fast, overrated conditioning, suspect chin, poor punching technique. He is very gutsy and will always beat the Devon Alexanders of the world, but I do not foresee Bradley ever becoming one of the top p4p guys, I really don't

:good

 

Even though this thread is not concerned with 130, I'll just make a quick point on this.

Have you seen Floyd's fight with Jesus Chavez?

Floyd tried to fight Chavez in the trenches, and when he started dropping rounds and having close rounds and getting hit, he switched his tactics up and destroyed Chavez from range, but even the commentary team noted that Floyd was unable to wield the same superiority during a fight as he was during a boxing match.

My belief is that if Floyd could not outfight Jesus Chavez he most definitely could not outfight someone with far more power and far more speed like Pacquiao.

I suppose Chavez is more of an infighter than Pacquiao, but I still see the same thing happening if they met at 130, Floyd may try and 'step to him' early, but he would not enjoy trying to fight Pacquiao at his own game and would soon be forced onto the retreat.

 

:nono This statement implies there is parity here, which is silly.

The gap between Pac and Morales at 135 & 140 (Pac of the David Diaz/Ricky Hatton fights vs Morales of the David Diaz/Marcos Maidana fights) is so so much wider than the gap between Pac and Morales at 122 & 126 (Pac of the Ledwaba/Barrera 1 fights vs Morales of the Junior Jones/Barrera 2 fights).

How can you say that 126 Morales beat 126 Pacquiao 100 times out of 100?

So the Pac who annihilated Barrera at 126 in 2003 would lose 100 times out of 100 against the Morales who got dragged into a war against Injin Chi and lost to Barrera?

I consider that statement nonsense Bill, you are way overstating this.

 

FYI all, the guys from these weights (135-147) from the last 30 years ('82-'12) that I'd back to do it would be:

Arguello at 140
Mosley at 147
Chavez at 135
Leonard at 147
Possibly Tito and Quartey at 147

That is all.

 

Not if Hearns fought him intelligently, which he would. If Hearns chose to box Pacquiao, he probably wouldn't even lose a round, he's a much better boxer than Pacquiao and also holds all the physical advantages in the fight.

But, if Hearns came out blazing and wanted to go toe-to-toe of course he could catch a stray punch in an exchange, get hurt, and go into retreat. I am not one of these fans who, through sheer dewy-eyed boxing nostalgia, have chosen to forget that Thomas Hearns did not just have a suspect chin, he had a weak chin. His chin was a weakness. This does not mean he was not one of the greatest boxers ever at his best weights, because he was. But he was hurt by some far poorer fighters and poorer punchers than Pacquiao in his career, so there is no sense to suggesting that Pacquiao couldn't hurt him in a firefight type fight.

I think Hearns would beat Mosley and Trinidad and De La Hoya and Pacquiao at 147, and almost every other modern fighter you can name, but of course any one of them could beat him on any given night if they managed to land a decisive punch. There aren't many(any?) serious punchers I'd back Hearns to beat 100 times out of 100, I don't see the logic to that, great as he was.

JMHO. :good