Manny Pacquiao's legendary rise to the top of the coveted pound-for-pound list was a remarkable experience, and his subsequent efforts since that time made Pacquiao go from a Hall of Fame lock to an all-time great. While there is little doubt that Pacquiao is indeed the top fighter in the sport of boxing, it is looking more increasingly apparent that the days of Pacquiao fighting the biggest and the baddest fighters around have come to an end, and that Pacquiao is now more concerned about filling his pockets than he will be about filling up stadium seats. That's not surprising to me considering Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather both gladly accepted the status change as boxing's biggest money makers as opposed to being considered the absolute best the sport had to offer.
When you look back at almost all of Pacquiao's fights since 2008, all but three (Juan Manuel Marquez, De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton) have come against Top Rank stablemates. When Pacquiao won his Lightweight and Welterweight titles against David Diaz and Miguel Cotto respectively, he managed to tip-toe his away around the top fighters of those respective divisions but got a pass because he was a "small" fighter in each of those divisions.
Outside of the diehard Pacquiao fans, who wouldn't know any better, every fight Pacquiao has had since he beat Hatton has only extended the size of his pockets as opposed to his legitimacy as the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. Cotto was one fight removed from his loss to Antonio Margarito, Clottey had just lost to Cotto and Margarito was one fight removed from being annihilated by Shane Mosley, which would in turn be Mosley's last win in two years.
If Nonito Donaire or Sergio Martinez were to be in Pacquiao's place, I would have to guarantee that nobody would have them in the same place where Pacquiao is. When Floyd Mayweather fought Zab Judah after Judah lost to Carlos Baldomir, he was criticized heavily for taking the fight, yet Pacquiao gets a free pass for fighting Clottey and Mosley? Why? Because he's Manny Pacquiao? That doesn't make any sense.
Should Pacquiao do as expected and beat Mosley on May 7th, it is looking very likely that Marquez will move up two weight divisions from Lightweight to Welterweight to finish his trilogy with the Filipino superstar. Lest we forget, Marquez attempted the very same feat when he was pummeled by Mayweather, looking fat and slow weighing in at 142. Marquez is not a Welterweight; a fight with Pacquiao at 147 would serve no other purpose other than for Pacquiao to destroy Marquez and cash in on the only other marketable fight he can make outside of the fight with Mayweather.
So somebody please tell me why, with this scenario in mind, Pacquiao would still be #1 despite the fact that fighters like Timothy Bradley, Martinez and Donaire are fighting the best fighters in their respective divisions and winning handily? One of those three fighters will more than likely either be on top of most people's lists by the end of the year or making a very convincing argument to challenge Pacquiao.
Donaire seems to be the latest flavor of the week in this topic, and with good reason. His two-round destruction of Fernando Montiel was impressive, as it was relevant, and if he does the same to Anselmo Moreno, his next likely opponent, and then to the winner of the Bantamweight tournament on Showtime, then that makes three fights against current champions while becoming the undisputed Bantamweight champion to boot. This scenario is the most likeliest to occur, especially if Joseph Agbeko wins the tournament since Don King and Bob Arum can negotiate with each other with ease.
While his wins may not be pretty, Bradley's talent is to be respected. Bradley has been fighting and beating the top fighters in what is considered to be boxing's best division for the past three years and his next fight will be against Amir Khan; this coming after he beat the #2 fighter in the division, Devon Alexander. If Bradley beats Khan, then he should be able to directly contend against Pacquiao in the Fall for both his Welterweight title and pound-for-pound belt as well. For those who think Pacquiao-Bradley isn't worth making, just remember that Pacquiao-Clottey did 700k homes, and Clottey is less of a name than Bradley is.
Martinez is right behind Pacquiao on my list, but he's the least likely to overtake him. Wins over Paul Williams and Kelly Pavlik vaulted him right under Pacquiao, and a victory over long-reigning Junior Middleweight champion Sergei Dzinzriuk should keep him right where he is, but Martinez is in a situation where he may not have very much quality opposition to fight. A fight with Pacquiao is a sure impossibility, so I have already disregarded that, but outside of an unlikely jump to 168, he can't get as much gravy points from beating up the smaller Junior Middleweights from here on out.
Look, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Pacquiao wanting to make his money before his career is over. He has earned every right to do so and I'm not questioning that one bit. The only thing I am asking for is an open mind. We can't just put a fighter on a pedestal just because he's popular, even though it is done all the time. If De La Hoya was chastised for making Pacquiao move up two weight classes to fight him, then Pacquiao should face the same if he does in fact fight Marquez.
There is the faint possibility that maybe Pacquiao will surprise me and take a fight with Bradley or even Andre Berto. Both are great fights against undefeated and rising stars in the sport. Even if things keep going the way they are, it's all fine by me. I know almost everybody in boxing would rather get rich from fighting the worst competition than be broke financially and mentally because they fought the best. All I am hoping for is a fair, impartial look at the pound-for-pound scene based on talent and not on popularity.
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