Toby Morgan
Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will go down as two of the greatest fighters to have ever laced up the gloves.
Mayweather last fought professionally in 2015 when he defeated UFC star but boxing novice Conor McGregor. Over his 21 years as a professional ‘Pretty Boy’ Floyd won 15 world titles over four different weight classes and retired with a perfect record of 50 fights with 50 wins.
Pacquiao is the only man to ever become an eight division world champion and captured 12 major world titles during his 72 fight career. Although not officially retired he was last in the ring against Yordenis Ugás in 2021 when he suffered a unanimous points defeat.
Asked what is the harder feat to achieve in boxing, retire at 50 and 0 or becoming an eight weight world champion, top trainer Robert Garcia, who coaches the likes of Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez and Jose Valenzuela, had no doubt that Pacquiao’s achievement will never be repeated again.
“What’s harder, to be 50 an 0 or to be eight division champion. Eight division champion. You can be 50 and 0 if you have the right promoter and pick the right opponents. It’s almost impossible to be an eight division champion, honestly I think it’s impossible now. Pacquiao did it but it’s impossible to be an eight division world champion.”
Of course people on Mayweather’s side will point to the 8 losses suffered by PacMan including the one where the two finally met in a clash billed as ‘The Fight of the Century’. Many fans feel the fight came too late in the career of both men with the action failing to live up to the hype before Mayweather cruised to a unanimous points victory.
