Pound for Pound: Who is the Best?

by Yero Moody – With the buzz of Manny Pacquiao’s superb performance against Miguel Cotto last Saturday dwindling it’s a perfect time to address some key issues concerning Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Jr and the man I call the X factor, Shane Mosley. Manny is listed as the number one pound for pound fighter in the world followed by Floyd and then Shane Mosley listed as number 3.

Both Pacquiao and Mayweather passed on fighting Mosley. As we know Pacquiao chose Miguel Cotto and Mayweather chose Juan Manuel Marquez. Mayweather was ripped for turning down Mosley while Manny was given a pass. I’ll address this double standard later in the article.. Both fighters, in my opinion, chose these fighters because it was the path of least resistance. They both want the chance to face each other and a loss would’ve prevented the fight altogether or at the very least, hampered them tremendously at the negotiating table. Mosley is a better fighter than Cotto. I know that Cotto was given the decision when the two fought. I felt it should’ve been a draw but it’s far from highway robbery that Cotto won. I know that Freddie Roach, the trainer of Manny Pacquiao, probably felt as I did, that Cotto is less of a threat than Mosley, especially after what he did to Antonio Margarito. Mosley was going through alot of tough personal problems during his two fights prior to beating Antonio Margarito. I strongly believe that if he were to fight Cotto and Ricardo Mayorga again the results would be totally different. Mayweather chose Marquez over Mosley for the same reason. Marquez was much less of a threat.

The stage is now set for the big showdown! The only things that stand in the way are Mayweather’s ego and Arum’s greed. From a fan’s perspective, a 50/50 split is fair with the winner getting a nice big bonus. That way everyone can walk away feeling like no one has the advantage. From a business perspective, if anyone has the advantage it’s Mayweather. Why? If you look at their common opponents, Juan Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hat ton and which fighter drew the biggest it’s Mayweather hands down in all 3 fights. In the case of Juan Marquez, Mayweather drew more in his one fight with Marquez than Pacquiao did in two fights with Marquez. In the case of De La Hoya, Mayweather drew more in that one fight than Manny did in all 3 of his biggest fights. So, for Mayweather to ask for a 60/40 or 55/45 split is actually fair from a business perspective, since he is the bigger draw. Do not believe for one instance that Manny would not do the same if he had the bigger numbers. To say that Mayweather is ducking or scared if he asks for a bigger purse is absolutely ludicrous. In fact, if anyone objectively looks at the situation, it’s relatively easy to conclude that Mayweather (or anyone in this situation) would be a complete moron not to ask for the bigger share! Negotiations are going on this week and both sides are asking for the bigger share. It’s all business folks.

Let’s get to the nitty gritty. Who is the best? That is a question that can only be answered through opinion based on certain facts. The real answer will be given when the fighters square off. I purposely chose Shane Mosley as the X factor because no one is really talking about him right now. It’s all about Mayweather v. Pacman. Like most fans across the world I really want to see that fight. My only wrinkle is that I’m not going to consider either one of them the best until the winner of the two squares off against Shane Mosley. I leave Paul Williams out because he is not a welterweight. He is much too big. Mosley has the experience, the speed and the skills to beat both of them. Not to say that he will but he has the potential.

Pacman has proven that he can fight at welterweight and maintain his speed and power. This makes the fight between he and Mayweather even more compelling. Now no one can say that Manny is too small. He just annihilated Cotto who is bigger than Mayweather. Pacman looked far more dominant against De La Hoya and Hatton than Mayweather did. This is one of the major reasons that there are those who believe Pacman will beat Mayweather. This is the perfect prelude to address the double standard that exists when it comes to Mayweather.

There are those who dislike/hate Mayweather so much that it prevents them from being objective and/or giving him credit for anything he does. Just as there are those who like Mayweather so much that the they are incapable of accepting his flaws and being objective. Mayweather is such a huge star that there are few who fall in the middle and who are completely objective. While there are things I personally dislike about Mayweather like his bragging, his berating of other fighters, and his unwillingness to take risks at times in the ring. I still never allow myself to overlook what is true.

Those who dislike Mayweather don’t want to give him any credit for beating the bigger Oscar De La Hoya saying that he was over the hill. Sadly, some of the ones who state that are the very ones who predicted De La Hoya would win. Surely, if you felt he was that over the hill you would have never picked him to win. Pacman beats an even older and weight drained De La Hoya and no mention of him being over the hill. Mayweather gets accused of ducking Mosley because he says no to Mosley and Pacman says no to him first and no mention of him ducking. Not only did Pacman say no to Mosley before fighting Cotto he also said no to Marquez for a third fight. Marquez, the same man who many feel beat Pacman in their second fight, although I disagree. No mention of how Mayweather pursued fights with Mosley twice before and it was Mosley who said no. This double standard is not fair. I understand that it exists simply because there are writers and fans who simply do not like Mayweather and are not objective when it comes to him. The naysayers were already getting their excuses ready when they thought Manny might go after Floyd next after beating Hatton by saying that Pacman is too small for Mayweather. Now that argument has been offically squashed because Manny just beat Cotto who is a natural welterweight and bigger than Mayweather! For those who still feel that Mayweather is “ducking” Mosley, Mayweather’s camp announced yesterday that if negotiations fall through with Pacman Mayweather will fight Mosley if he beats Berto in January. So much for “cherrypicking”. huh?

I’m a firm believer in the fact that skills win fights. The more skill sets you have the better you are. Heart without skills is useless. Manny has tremendous skills and heart. Speed and footwork being his best. Mayweather has all those skills plus his defensive skills far outweigh most fighters in our generation. Manny has the better resume and has been in the ring with better fighters than Mayweather overall. So who wins? Mayweather by UD and possible TKO. I don’t see Manny’s speed frustrating Mayweather or him landing effective shots against Mayweather’s defense. Not only will Mayweather beat Pacquiao but so will Mosley by TKO. Pacquaio gets hit too often and Mayweather and Mosley have the speed to match and possibly surpass Manny’s. Manny’s biggest wins have been against fighters in which he had a tremendous speed advantage. That won’t be the case against Mayweather or Mosley. Also, Mosley has a great chin and has been in there with fighters that hit much harder than Pacman.

Mayweather will also beat Mosley. Mosley’s defense has declined over the years and against a fast counter puncher like Mayweather that is disaster. Although, as I’ve said many times before the ONLY fighter that could possibly beat Mayweather as I see it is Mosley. I will give a more detailed prediction when and if that fight gets signed.

Who is the best? Simply put, Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr. When he squares off against Pacman and Mosley he will prove it and go down as one of the best in history. The beautiful thing of it all is that my opinions nor any other writers really matters. Only the results in the ring matters.

Thank you for reading. Questions or comments: E-mail me at yero_m@yahoo.com