Contrary to popular belief, Pacquiao doesn't need to fight Mayweather to establish himself as the greatest of his era. He already is because of his willingness to fight the best and list of accomplishments.
In fact, based on his resume, he should be considered not just the greatest of his generation, but among the legends of the sport alongside Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali. As a result, Mayweather needs Pacquiao more than the other way around.
Actually a fight with Pacquiao only provides Mayweather a shortcut to his goal of being considered the greatest of his generation. A victory against him will no doubt be used as an excuse by Mayweather to avoid potential encounters with other dangerous fighters such as Martinez, Williams and maybe even Berto in the future. Combined that with the fact that Mayweather and his camp have done nothing but tarnish his accomplishments, Pacquiao should wait until Mayweather beats another dangerous and credible fighter before agreeing on a fight against each other.
Make him earn it as they say.
Until then, Pacquiao should just move on since waiting for Mayweather has only proven to be a waste of time. Pacquiao is in the latter years of his career and is now a Congressman who must now devout most of his time to his constituents.
Actually, there are other fights out there for Pacquiao and one particular fight can even enhance his legacy further than a win against Mayweather Jr.
Unfortunately for Arum, those fights don't and shouldn't include sharing the ring with Margarito or Cotto.
The thought of Pacquiao sharing the ring with a fighter that he had already brutally beaten like Cotto makes no sense, considering he is only planning to fight a few more times. Also, using loopholes to fight and provide a cheater such as Margarito a big payday does not bode well for Pacquiao's image as a politician.
What Pacquiao needs to do is fight any of the following fighters: Timothy Bradley, Paul Williams, Andre Berto.
While a fight with Marquez will certainly draw interest, his chances against Pacquiao at 140 and above are slim and none.
Timothy Bradley is still virtually unknown, but there's no denying his talent. Since his victory against the solid Junior Witter, he has racked up wins against solid opponents such as Kendall Holt, LaMont Peterson and Nate Campbell.
Also, he is the type of fighter that many Pacquiao doubters have accused his management of avoiding. An African American boxer who is fast, skilled and athletic with a high ring IQ. Besides Bradley continues to prove that he is better than advertised and he thrives when he is underestimated. A win against Bradley will quickly erase numerous myths and will prepare him for a potential fight against Mayweather Jr.
Paul Williams might be too big and long for Pacquiao to fight. In fact, he is probably the fighter that poses the biggest threat to Pacquiao because he possesses a rare combination of stamina, length and skills. No doubt about it, Williams is a freak of nature who has been bouncing up and down multiple weight divisions and beating the likes of Margarito, Wright, Martinez and Quintana.
But a victory against Williams is an impressive feat that comes with a lot of incentives. Mayweather will be hard pressed to match it and it will force even some of the die hard Pacquiao haters to not only put the Filipino icon above Mayweather but also among the upper echelon of the greatest fighters of all time.
Mayweather can step up to fight Sergio Martinez, but I'm not too sure that he will take that risk.
In addition, it is one of those rare fights that will put Pacquiao in the unfamiliar position of being a significant underdog, but the latter has enough intangibles and skills to pull the upset. Truthfully, even if he loses the fight, it will still enhance his legacy and he will gain more respect from the fans just by having the guts to tussle with the 'Punisher.'
It might might seem far fetched for the fight to happen right now, but not out of the realm of possibility since Pacquiao has shown the courage to fight anybody.
A fight with Andre Berto is also a great fight for Manny to consider. Although still raw, he is a talented fighter who has shown tenacity and heart inside the ring. Furthermore, he has the handspeed and power to compete with Pacquiao. What makes this fight more exciting is both are agressive fighters who have the tendency to be careless when seeking out their opponents, which can result in an explosive fight that is not bound to last the whole twelve rounds.
Pacquiao can also add another trinket since Berto is the current WBC welterweight champion. Besides Berto is one of the classiest guys in the sport and certainly deserve the fight more than Margarito.
No doubt that these fighters don't have the popularity of Mayweather, but they are well known and respected enough by both fans and boxing insiders to draw a large interest and make sense financially.
Arum should stop making excuses that a fight against any of these fighters does not make sense economically since he is only downgrading Pacquiao's star power and drawing power in the process. If Pacquiao can draw over 50k in Cowboys stadium against Clottey, then there is no reason that he can't do the same or even surpass those numbers with a fight against Bradley, Berto and Williams.
Floyd saying he doesn't make the rules in boxing
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