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

Nightcrawler · Jun 16, 2012

sweet_scientist said: ↑

You'd need a guy with a good combo of power, strength and durability.

Having a big punch is not enough against Pac.

FOr this reason I'd favour him against big hitters lacking in heart (e.g. Pineda, R. Mayweather) or lacking in durability (Rosario, Corrales, Bramble, Pendleton, Fenech).

Some would probably be a tad too incompetent to get the job done as far as skills go despite being tough as nails (i.e. Ramirez, Castillo, Laporte, MAG)

I think there's probably too many that would just have too many advantages over him at 147 to name, but below that weight, I think I would favour the following small group:

Azumah Nelson
Sal Sanchez
Julio Cesar Chavez
Aaron Pryor
DLH (probably only at 140, at 135 it probably becomes a 50:50)

Guys that would be 50:50

Frankie Randall
Post 82 version of Arguello (vs. Pryor I - thereafter Pac would blow him out)
Kostya Tszyu
Meldrick Taylor
Shane Mosley

Can't think of any more off the top of my head, will list more if I dredge someone else up....
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call me dumb but who's MAG?

frankenfrank · Jun 16, 2012

Nightcrawler said: ↑

call me dumb but who's MAG?
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Miguel Angel Gonzales

Nightcrawler · Jun 16, 2012

frankenfrank said: ↑

Miguel Angel Gonzales
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thank you sir

horst · Jun 16, 2012

the cobra said: ↑

You'd at least favor him over Pac in a firefight though, right? R..Right?
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Yes I would. It would be difficult for Pac to land on Hearns, it wouldn't be difficult for Hearns to land on Pac.

Legend X · Jun 17, 2012

Popkins said: ↑

Not such an interesting comment unless you list them and explain why?
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I think I mentioned at least three fighters who no one else had mentioned.
And I agree with most the other welters that have been mentioned too. :good

Keltrain · Jun 17, 2012

Roberto Duran or Sugar Ray Leonard would ****ing annihilate Pacquiao.

Hammer Muldoon · Jun 17, 2012

Popkins said: ↑

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
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Fair enough, but even in a firefight, i can't see Pac beating Hearns. I would honestly back Hearns to beat Pac 100 times out of 100 and i don't think i'm being a dewy-eyed nostalgist by saying that.

manbearpig · Jun 17, 2012

Popkins said: ↑

Duran never fought at 135 within the last 30 years.

130lbs is not one of the weight classes under discussion.

I doubt Hearns would try to fight Pac, I think he'd box him. If he tasted Pac's power, he'd quickly revert back to boxing, where he'd hold all the advantages.

Mosley at 135 is the most interesting one to consider, of the ones you have highlighted.

Mosley at 147 (circa ODLH fight in 2000) is one of the only guys I think could do it.
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******

manbearpig · Jun 17, 2012

Hearns would Hatton Pacquiao.

horst · Jun 18, 2012

Would you back Hearns to beat Iran Barkley 100 times out of 100?

Or even Juan Domingo Roldan?

Hearns was an amazing fighter, but he had a weakness and he was beatable on a given night.

sauhund II · Jun 18, 2012

Popkins said: ↑

Would you back Hearns to beat Iran Barkley 100 times out of 100?

Or even Juan Domingo Roldan?

Hearns was an amazing fighter, but he had a weakness and he was beatable on a given night.
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Go back and do your Pac spam in the General....

Pac is a sucker for the jab and straight right, guess what Hearns best punches are.....jab and straight right.......if Pac makes it into the second round it would be a accomplishment....because he would get iced Duran style.

LOL, Freddie Roach would never ever let his one trick pony near Hearns.

Hattons Hook · Jun 18, 2012

How do you see Pacquaio vs Tszyu fight at 140 going ?

sweet_scientist · Jun 18, 2012

Popkins said: ↑

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)
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I must admit, I was scoring it looking for a justification to give Bradley rounds and could go as close as 116-114 Pac's way, but I can definitely see it being a lot wider.

IMO the decision was Hoya-Tito level bad.

Not quite on the level of the peak abominations of the sport (Lewis-Holyfield I, Everett-Escalera, Sturm-DLH, Fenech-Nelson I) but a clearly wrong decision all the same.

- 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
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Yeah, whether early or late, I think he would have overwhelmed him with activity at some point a few years ago....

- 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
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True, Pac coasted for half rounds, letting Bradley edge into a fight he had no right to be in.

- 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
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I think a little bit more of him, think he is Cotto level myself (maybe I simply don't rate Cotto that highly?) but yeah, type of guy that could find himself dropping decisions to the Oba Carrs and Tyrone Trices of yesteryear's welter world.

Hammer Muldoon · Jun 18, 2012

Popkins said: ↑

Would you back Hearns to beat Iran Barkley 100 times out of 100?

Or even Juan Domingo Roldan?

Hearns was an amazing fighter, but he had a weakness and he was beatable on a given night.
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No, i wouldn't. That has something to do with Barkley and Roldan being slightly bigger than Pacquiao though.

horst · Jun 18, 2012

sauhund II said: ↑

Go back and do your Pac spam in the General....

Pac is a sucker for the jab and straight right, guess what Hearns best punches are.....jab and straight right.......if Pac makes it into the second round it would be a accomplishment....because he would get iced Duran style.

LOL, Freddie Roach would never ever let his one trick pony near Hearns.
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I'd back Hearns to beat Roldan much more often than not, but their fight showed me that if they fought a long series, sometimes Tommy would come off worse. I would confidently back guys like Leonard at ww and Duran at lw to beat some top challengers 100 times out of 100, but I can't do the same with Hearns with the same conviction.

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