Though Manny has been competing as a Welterweight since 2008, it’s no secret that Manny’s probably, really, only a 140 pound fighter whose once in a generation talent has allowed him to pursue the big paydays one weight class above. Many years from now, when I look back at the best version of Manny Pacquiao, I’ll think of either the version who destroyed Ricky Hatton or the one that broke down Miguel Cotto—essentially, a 140 lb fighter. This got me thinking… had Pacquiao stayed at 140, would he be the greatest Junior-Welterweight fighter ever? Of course, I couldn’t help but think up some mythical match-ups. Will this really help provide an answer to the question above? Probably not, but this should be fun nonetheless. Here are the five:

1.       Antonio Cervantes

2.       Wilfred Benitez

3.       Aaron Pryor

4.       Julio Cesar Chavez

5.       Kostya Tszyu

Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Cervantes, 15 rounds

Antonio “Kid Pambele” Cervantes was an excellent, all-around fighter with more than solid boxing skills and excellent punching power.  He holds wins over Argentinean legend and defensive wizard Nicolino Locche, the talented Peppermint Frazer, and Roberto Duran conqueror Esteban de Jesus. Sadly, he’s mainly remembered for being ripped apart by Aaron Pryor when already in the twilight of a great career.

As good as Cervantes was, the overall package just seems to fall a bit short of “legendary.” His power  and skills would give Manny trouble until the middle rounds, but his average speed and somewhat stiff, stand up style suggest that he’d be a relatively easy target  for the in-n-out, rapid fire combinations of Pacquiao. He may sting Manny a couple times with his right hand, but he’ll have trouble landing flush due to Manny’s unorthodox movement, and on the occasion it does, Manny’s great chin will absorb the impact just fine.

By the 9th or 10th round, Kid Pambele is fully broken down and Manny takes him out with a vicious flurry against the ropes.

Result: Pacquiao KO 10

Manny Pacquiao vs Wilfred Benitez, 15 rounds

“El Radar” as he was called, had uncanny ring smarts and reflexes. He was the quintessential “smooth boxer” and perhaps, was one of the sport’s true “child prodigies,” being the youngest ever to capture a world title at the age of 17. That he did so by beating the man above, Cervantes, at such a tender age is evidence of sublime talent. But he was notorious for terrible training habits and poor motivation. Could the very best version of Benitez do enough against Pacquiao

I’m inclined to believe “yes.” As far as “slicksters” go, Wilfred actually wasn’t quite in the same league as Leonard or Hearns, or Pacquiao and Mayweather in terms of speed. He wasn’t slow or anything, but it was his timing that was something special, both defensively and offensively. He just “knew” when to engage, when to back off, when to step to the side, when to counter. He was truly gifted. Given this, and given a considerable height and reach advantage over Pacquiao (Wilfred was 5’10”), I can imagine him outboxing the Filipino legend, tagging him with precision shots, while frustrating him with movement. The one physical knock against Wilfred was a less than average chin. Thing is, Pacquiao would have to be punching up, which diminished punch potency.  I can also see Benitez getting dropped but getting up ala Marquez to squeeze out a tight SD.

Result: Benitez by SD 15

Manny Pacquiao vs Aaron Pryor, 15 rounds

We all know the deal with Aaron Pryor: tough-as-nails, take-no-prisoners, badass from the Cincinnati ghetto. He ruled 140 with an iron fist and had two memorable wars with fellow hall of famer, Alexis Arguello. He, along with Henry Armstrong are the two fighters to whom Pacquiao is most frequently compared.

I’ll be honest. I was never a fan of “The Hawk.” I just think he’s a bit overrated, that’s all. I can’t think of any other guys on his list of victims apart from a faded Arguello and an even more faded Cervantes that warrant mention. I’ve watched his fights, which, while entertaining (you got your money’s worth with Pryor), reveal a fighter with borderline severe defensive liabilities, whose method of attack was undisciplined and whose punching power, though formidable, was a far cry from what some of his fans would have one believe.

This will probably my most controversial analysis, and disagreement here is expected, even welcome.

In Pacquiao, Pryor would be facing someone with better hand speed, foot speed, better one punch power (that’s right, I said it), possibly a better chin (that’s right, I said it—Pryor had a tendency of hitting the canvas early. His recuperative powers were pretty special though), better defense, and a southpaw to boot.  Pacquiao would get his wish of fighting someone who wouldn’t shy away from toe-to-toe combat—at all. But whirlwind vs whirlwind, I’ll take the guy with the bigger one punch pop,  better speed, and better accuracy (Manny’s right hook, left uppercut combo gets there all night…).  These two would tear into each other like nothing ever seen before, but I see Aaron getting dropped multiple times throughout, and by the 7th, the referee calls a halt to the action after Pryor goes down a 5th time, battered, and bruised, but protesting the stoppage all the way and threatening to kill the ref.

Result: Pacquiao TKO 7

Manny Pacquiao vs Julio Cesar Chavez, 12 rounds

“El Gran Campeon Mexicano” was one of the toughest hombres to ever grace the ring. With a rock-solid chin, heavy, heavy hands, underrated boxing skills and a methodical, relentless attack, Chavez was a force in the ring, and already perceived as a legend even as he stomped out the competition at 140. The downside? Movement and speed could bother Chavez.

In his classic fight against Philly’s Meldrick Taylor, Chavez was on the receiving end of combination after combination. How did he win? The talented Taylor let his Philly fighting spirit get the better of him and elected to stand right in front of one of the most durable champions to ever lace up gloves and took his share of heavy blows to the midsection and the head. Taylor brought the speed, but Chavez brought the pain. Still, had Chavez not landed that right hand that smashed Taylor into the corner, and had Richard Steele let the fight continue (let’s not get into this please…), Taylor might have walked away with the decision (though the damage he took in that fight would have left him a diminished fighter anyway, if you ask me…).

Next to a mythical match with my all time favorite, Roberto Duran, this is my second most imagined match-up for Pacquiao(third being against Arguello at 135, if you’re curious…) Against Pacquiao, Chavez would deal with someone with Taylor’s speed, better power than Taylor, PLUS better defense, someone who could change angles on a dime, a southpaw, and someone much, much more durable than Meldrick was.  

There wasn’t much to figure out against Chavez in terms of style. The question was, “Could you stop him?” I see “The Lion of Culiacan” being befuddled by Manny’s speed and angles early. Manny then makes the mistake of testing Chavez’s power and stands in front of him with his passive defense and takes punishment courtesy of a Chavez right hand to the head and left hook to the body. Manny feels it, doesn’t like it, and war breaks out. Chavez attacks with a fury, Manny returns fire (Manny is ecstatic). By the late rounds however, Manny begins to pull away as Chavez cannot keep up with his speed. Marks  show up on Chavez’s face, welts turn into cuts. At the end of the 11th, Chavez’ corner debates whether to send him out for the 12th. They do, Chaves takes a beating, but stays standing, a bloody mess.

Result: Pacquiao UD 12

Manny Pacquiao vs Kostya Tszyu, 12 rounds

An amateur legend, perhaps the one thing that stood out about Tszyu (ok, the one thing other than the Mongol ponytail), was his mastery of the fundamentals. He was a classic, stand-up, boxer-puncher with an excellent one-two, a quick left-hook, good defense, and great poise. His straight right hand was one of my favorite weapons back in the late 90s/ early 2000 and was responsible for the “Judah Chicken Dance” –what a punch. His hand speed is also somewhat underrated. Some argue that he may just be the best 140 lb fighter ever, and they make a good case. He spent his entire career at that weight class, and had only two losses—the first, a shocking, upset KO to Vince Phillips, and the other, at the hands of a then rampaging Ricky Hatton, where he failed to answer the final bell.

While I think this fight would be fairly competitive, Kostya’s style just doesn’t seem to have the antidote to Manny Pacquiao’s. Before he got blitzed, the southpaw Judah was having no problem landing on Kostya in the first round. He got careless, and cocky in the second round, and that’s all she wrote. I see Manny strafing Kostya with hard combinations from a variety of angles early, with Kostya landing the occasional hard counter. Manny being a southpaw makes him particularly susceptible to Kostya’s best punch, the straight right hand. And not only is it Kostya’s best punch, but probably the best, most accurate straight right in the history of the division (Bailey’s being the hardest, maybe…). Once Manny makes the mistake of lunging in as he sometimes does, I see him eating a monster right hand and going down…but not staying down. Manny gets up buzzed. Kostya moves in for the kill but walks into a Pacquiao combination punctuated by a straight left that backs him off. Kostya controls the rest of the round but Pacquiao uses his feet and quick hands to fight from range and survive.  The middle rounds are tense as Pacquiao’s punch output drops due to him being cautious of Kostya’s power. As Manny’s confidence returns, he asserts himself more and begins landing the left hand with consistency. In the late rounds, Manny hurts Tszyu with a right hook as Tszyu begins to look only for the left hand—which follows right after, dropping Tszyu hard. Tszyu gets up on wobbly legs and Manny beats him across the ring, finally trapping him along the ropes and unleashing a barrage that prompts the Tszyu corner to throw in the towel

Result: Pacquiao TKO 11

If you’re anything like me, one of the things that attracted you to boxing from the outset would be the wonderful weapons and tactics woven into fighter’s styles. In any given match-up, these could be brought to bear to great effect by the victor, or prove ineffective to disastrous results for the vanquished. The oldest of boxing adages, “styles make fights” encapsulates this truth and when talking about the fighters we love (or love to hate), part of what captivates us so is the uniqueness of their arsenals, their specialties and why a fighter would prevail against some fighters and not others regardless of overall ranking. Tommy Hearns’ booming right cross, Muhammad Ali’s flicking up-jab, Floyd Mayweather’s patented shoulder-roll, Micky Ward’s liver shot, Frazier’s bob-and-weave, Hagler’s orthodox-southie switch… the list goes on…the myth of the moves gets fight-writers to scribbling effusive prose and gets hardcore fans preaching and perpetuating legend. Here are five of my favorites:

1.    Head-feint:  Roberto Duran

Duran could do just about anything in the ring, but he was an in-fighting specialist. To get to his office, he employed some of the best head-feints I’ve ever seen, causing his opponents to flinch or fire tentative, inaccurate punches, disrupting their rhythm entirely and allowing Cholo to move in on them in a blink where he would proceed to tear into them like a rabid dog…and do it all with a grin. There was a man who loved his work.

2.    Short Right: Joe Louis

Ring magazine lists this as the best punch of the best puncher in their 100 Greatest Punchers issue from 2003. It certainly wasn’t the hardest right hand ever thrown by a heavyweight, but it came out of nowhere, was deadly accurate, and the seeming lack of leverage Joe had when throwing the punch disguised its potency. If he caught you cold it was light’s out; if you managed to stay standing, it wouldn’t be for long.

3.    Lead Straight Left: Manny Pacquiao

Earlier in Manny’s career, I was not a fan of his style or this shot; Pacquiao had an unhealthy dependency on it, often overcommitted to it, and many times, looked  downright clumsy throwing it. Still, what a hammer it was even then, and it’s arguable that it’s what made Manny a star. As he added polish to his power and tightened up his technique and balance through his legendary rise in weight, I must say I’ve developed an appreciation for the more sophisticated and versatile version of his straight left. No, it’s not the bomb it used to be in the lower weight classes, but it’s sneakier, stealthier, and still plenty powerful. Truly a remarkable weapon courtesy of the man Bert Sugar considers the greatest southpaw of all time, and while the right hook has become a thing of beauty in its own right, the blinding straight left is still, and always will be Pacquiao’s signature. BANG! BANG!

4.    Short lead /check hook: Sugar Ray Robinson

Before Floyd Mayweather Jr. ever made this punch famous by bouncing it off poor Ricky Hatton’s noggin, the REAL greatest fighter ever carved his legacy out of opponent’s heads with this quick, powerful shot delivered with a near imperceptible twist of the hip, and to most devastating effect when used with an opponent’s momentum. The one that dropped Gene Fullmer as if he’d been shot is one of the prettiest punches I’ve ever seen--and one of the deadliest.

5.    Weave and Roll: Willie Pep

Different from the bob and weave wherein a fighter remains, for the most part, in front of an opponent, The Will O’ the Wisp would take a short side step in one direction while bending slightly at the waist (the weave), draw his opponent’s fire, duck under the shot, and emerge on the other side (the roll) and counter-- or just disappear by dancing off to that side and repeat the trick going the opposite direction. Magic.

What are your favorites?

This is taken from Manny's regular column in Philboxing.com. Pretty fine words from a reigning champion to his idol and mentor, from one friend to another.

Utang na loob ko ang pagkamit ng mga titulo sa mga nagdaang kampeon ng Pilipinas gaya nila Gabriel Flash Elorde at kamakailan, si Gerry Penalosa. Nanalo si Penalosa sa huli niyang laban noong Linggo at nagpasya siyang magretiro na sa edad na 38. Ang mga naunang boxer sa akin ang nagsilbing inspirasyon ko, lalung-lalo na si Pareng Gerry na naka-spar ko pa noong ako ay nagsisimula pa lang.

"I owe the achievement of my titles to the Philippine champions who came before me such as Gabriel "Flash" Elorde and, more recently, Gerry Penalosa. Penalosa won his final fight last Sunday and announced that he will retire at the age of 38. The boxers who have come before me have served as my inspiration, especially my good friend Gerry who I even had the chance to spar with when I was just starting out."

Marami akong natutunan kay Ginoong Penalosa na isa sa mga pinakamagaling na boxer ng bansa kaya naman nakuha niyang maging kampeon sa dalawang weight divisions. Bukod doon, ang kaniyang disiplina sa pangangatawan ang isa sa mga dapat nating tularan. Alaga niya lagi ang kaniyang kalusugan kaya naman kahit na umabot siya sa edad na 38, isa pa rin siya sa mga kinatatakutan at nirerespetong boxer.

 

"I learned a lot from Mr. Penalosa who is one of the best boxers in the country, which is why he became a champion in two weight divisions. Apart from this, his discipline over his body is something that we should all seek to emulate. He's always taken care of his health which why, even as he reached the age of 38, he was one of those most feared and respected boxers."

Mahigit na 55 na panalo ang record ni Penalosa maliban sa ilang talo at masasabi kong matagumpay ang naging boxing career niya. Good luck sa iyo, pare, sa mga proyektong iyong plano ngayong retired ka na. Alam kong marami ka pang maibibigay at maipapamahaging magagandang tulong sa mga boxer na susunod sa iyong yapak habang ako naman ay magsusumikap din na dagdagan at itaguyod ang sinimulan ninyong lahat—ang bigyan karangalan ang bansang minamahal natin.

"Penalosa has over 55 wins on his record, and despite some losses, I can say that he has had a successful career. Good luck to you, my friend, in all the projects you have planned now that you are retired. I know that you still have a lot to offer in the way of helping  the boxers who will be following in your footsteps, while I am still trying to add to and advance that which you all have started-- to give honor to our beloved country."

This is from the latest installment of his regular column in philboxing.com

"Kaya naman nang nalaman kong nagpabaya na at nagpakalulong sa bawal na droga ang aking nakalabang si Ricky Hatton ng England, lubos ang aking kalungkutan sa sinapit ng aking kaibigan. Opo, kaibigan ang turing ko kay Ginoong Hatton dahil sa labas ng ring, alam kong mabait at masayahing tao si Ricky. "

"When I found out that my former opponent, Ricky Hatton of England, let himself go and fell into drug abuse, I was absolutely saddened over what happened to my friend. That's right, I consider Mr. Hatton a friend outside the ring because I know that he's a good and happy person."

Just thought some of you guys might be interested...

I'm taking a cue from the "Which Decade Was Boxing's Greatest" post. You may object to some of my choices and my leaving out some legends such as Aaron Pryor and Salvador Sanchez ( while both guys were active in 1979, they won their championships in 1980). Another controversial choice might be my inclusion of Israel Vasquez down at 122. He was stripped of his title in the beginning of '09, but do you really wanna talk about Zarate vs Nishioka? Floyd Mayweather Jr. came out of retirement in 2009 as a welter...then faced a blown up Juan Manuel Marquez, so I left him out and replaced him with Shane Mosley at Welter.

I left out 154 because I didn't think there were any compelling match ups to talk about between these two classes for that division. Also, I decided to stop at Bantamweight.

Okay, I couldn't resist including the one fantasy match up that gets all our hearts pumping: Roberto Duran vs Manny Pacquiao. Duran crashed the 147 pound division a year before in 1978 and won no titles but absolutely schooled legendary hardman and former welterweight champion Carlos Palomino while Manny Pacquiao had a monster 2009 as he ripped through Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.

I'm certainly open to any revisions to this list, although, I hope you all have fun playing with this one. Enjoy!

Heavy: Larry Holmes vs Wladimir Klitschko

Light Heavy:  Matthew Saad Muhammad vs Chad Dawson

Middle: Marvin Hagler vs Kelly Pavlik

Welterweight: Sugar Ray Leonard vs Shane Mosley

Jr. Welterweight: Wilfred Benitez vs Timothy Bradley

Lightweight: Esteban de Jesus vs Juan Manuel Marquez

Jr.Lightweight: Alexis Arguello vs Humberto Soto

Featherweight: Danny Lopez vs Chris John

Jr. Featherweight: Wilfredo Gomez vs Israel Vasquez

Bantamweight: Carlos Zarate vs Fernando Montiel

Bonus:

Weight Crashers: Roberto Duran vs Manny Pacquiao