"Let me tell you, for me, in all of boxing history, my favorite fighter has been Sugar Ray Robinson and I have this kid next to Sugar Ray Robinson as the best fighter I have seen in my life. I could be right or I could be wrong and someone could criticize me for the way I think about Pacquiao, but he is the greatest everÂ… He is a complete champion. He's smart, he's got a good chin, he's tough, he can punch, he's a very gracious guy and a nice person. He's got everything. He is the complete package," stated WBO President Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel as he shared his thoughts on Manny Pacquiao, a potential clash with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and much more. Check it out!
PC: How are you doing Francisco?
FV: Everything is fine. The sky is the limit.
PC: Before we talk about your current champion, I would like to give you a moment to speak about what kind of champion Miguel Cotto was and what he has meant to the WBO title.
FV: Miguel has been a great champion and he is a great boxer. He fought one of the greatest ever and he did good, but that was Pacquiao's night. It was a great night for Pacquiao and a bad night for Cotto, but he can come back after a rest and come back strong.
PC: You know the title could change hands in any given moment in these fights. What did you think of the fight itself?
FV: I think Cotto did great in the 1st round. He was in good shape. I said before the fight that each fighter knows the strength and the skills of the other fighter and I think Pacquiao was just smarter than him.
PC: Pacquiao has everyone excited about boxing again. He is a tremendous fighter. What do you think of his accomplishments and how do you see him representing your title?
FV: Let me tell you, for me, in all of boxing history, my favorite fighter has been Sugar Ray Robinson and I have this kid next to Sugar Ray Robinson as the best fighter I have seen in my life. I could be right or I could be wrong and someone could criticize me for the way I think about Pacquiao, but he is the greatest ever.
PC: Are you more impressed with the fact that he is winning these big fights or with the manner in which he is winning them in?
FV: I am impressed because everybody knew about Pacquiao's speed. I don't think that they were aware that he could punch like he can and his chin, because he got hit by Cotto and he has a good chin. So everyone worries about his speed because he is a guy who has good speed, but he also carries some pop and he has a good chin too. Pacquiao is also very smart in the ring. He is a complete champion. He's smart, he's got a good chin, he's tough, he can punch, he's a very gracious guy and a nice person. He's got everything. He is the complete package.
PC: He is one of the rare fighters to be able to put all distractions to the side once it gets down to it.
FV: Yeah. Once he is in the ring, he is 100% dedicated. He's in there training and he has an excellent trainer like Freddie Roach, who is one of the best.
PC: You told me before the fight that this was truly a pick 'em fight that could have gone either way. Did you ever imagine that Pacquiao would have such an easy time with Cotto?
FV: No, no, no. I was expecting the fight to be the way the first 2 rounds went throughout the entire fight; kind of a back and forth battle. (Laughing) I wasn't expecting Pacquiao to put him down so early and fight the way he did. I didn't expect Pacquiao to force Cotto to take a rest for 6 or 7 months; that was a beating.
PC: You also said before the Pacquiao-Cotto fight that it was a must for that fight to happen. Do you feel the same way for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight?
FV: Yeah! I definitely want to see that fight, but that is another story. Mayweather has a style that could make that a tough fight for Manny. He has a style and styles make fights. Pacquiao is very very good, but Mayweather is a damn good fighter too. It would not be easy. We would have to wait to see what weight they would fight at because that is very important.
PC: You have always given Pacquiao high praise and you just mentioned him in the likes of Ray Robinson. Is there any fighter that Manny Pacquiao reminds you of?
FV: He's one of a kind. He's an endangered species now (laughing). I remember Manny when he was 122 pounds and he was a monster then. He has everything that a fighter needs and he is a complete fighter. The only fighter I could compare Pacquiao to is Sugar Ray Robinson, who is my favorite fighter because he can move, he's smart and he can punch. You only see a fighter like that every 15 to 20 years.
PC: If a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight does happen, where do you rank that fight as far as some of the mega-fights that you have been involved with?
FV: I can honestly say that that would be up there with Leonard-Hearns. It would be much bigger than Cotto-Pacquiao once it is all said and done. That's the fight that the boxing fans want to see. I used to see those kinds of fights when the boxing fans and everybody was calling me and asking me who do I think is going to win. I remember those days. It would be like Ali-Frazier and Ali/-Foreman. Mayweather feels he is number 1 pound-for-pound. For me, Pacquiao is number 1 pound-for-pound, but the boxing fans want to know who really is number 1 pound-for-pound. You can hate Mayweather, but you have to recognize he is a great fighter. The boxing fans truly want to know who is number 1. For me, right now, Pacquiao is number 1, but you have a lot of people that can argue that Mayweather is number 1 and I couldn't 100% disagree with that because they have a good argument. I have to recognize that he is a hell of a fighter. He is smart, he can box, and he can punch and move. He has tremendous skills too. The weight is going to be a huge difference. It depends on the weight that they are going to fight at. If they are gonna fight at a catch-weight, like 144 or 145, that could be good for Pacquiao and if they are going to fight at 147, that could be good for Mayweather. We will have to wait to see what weight they are gonna fight at.
PC: Thanks for your time as always Francisco. Let's hope we see that fight in 2010. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
FV: Thank you for giving me the opportunity for this interview and you can call me whenever you want.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]