pacquaio's more recent opponents......how much credit ?

[Quixall]

If you look at manny pacquaio's career to date with some honestly and objectivity, I would say that his career has been defined by his triology of fights with marquez, morales and barrera. These are the fights that people will remember and talk about, not his more recent fights, which for me have just put the icing on the cake of what has been a phenomenal career. I believe that manny is a great fighter, a future hall if famer etc, but from the Diaz fight onwards, I would only pick out the cotto and margarito fights that deserve some credit.

In my opinion Diaz was a decent fighter, but nothing special, as was clottey. Hatton was a good champion but pound for pound not in the same league as a morales, marquez or barrera. De la hoya was a bit of joke, hadn't fought at that weight for years, hadn't fought for some years and was completely shot. The mosley fight was very predictable and let's face it, shane is 39 and just cashing in, because everyone knows he is just about shot. Which leaves just cotto and margarito.

Cotto and margarito were in their primes and both very tough accomplished fighters and manny made an absolute mess of them both, so I give him credit for those fights. The point I'm making is that for me his legacy really was made in the triology fights and not the more recent fights, which when you look at them objectively are slightly overhyped. The fascination seems to rest with a very small guy being able to come up the weights and deliver winning and sometimes brutal performances. I feel manny deserves credit for moving up the weights etc and it goes some way to enhancing his legacy, but for me, outside of the cotto and margarito fights, the majority of that legacy was earnt in his earlier career.

The only fight that could be added is agsinst you know who.

[petr]

i find it quite unbelievable that a fighter who used to fight under 8 stone can come through the divisions and batter bigger guys like cotto and margarito the way pacman has. its some feat that will take some beating?

[ThereByTheGrace]

They are the best fighters out there at the moment. He makes them all look average which take some doing.

Manny is the best and deserves all the credit he is getting. The Money fight has to happen soon hopefully.

[SteveDow]

He's a phenominal fighter but I really can't see how he avoids a one sided points defeat to Mayweather. I think unless he gets Floyd out of there early then Floyd will work him out and pot shot him all night. Reckon Floyd will fancy the job based on that performance against Mosley.

[alexpaterson]

Diaz, De La Hoya, Hatton, Cotto, Clottey, Margarito, Mosley. Not too shabby a list! Even the lesser names there it's the way he beat them that was so impressive!

[Finn]

The fact is there is no one else for him to fight (who are willing) so full credit to him. JMM next i think but its going to have to be a near catch weight for that to be anywhere near a fair fight.

[Dioufy]

It's gotta be 140lbs for Marquez. Anything above is very cynical.

[Finn]

Whats the chances of Khan v JMM getting made now bradley looks like he wont be fighting.