Oscar De La Hoya says Floyd Mayweather would beat Manny Pacquiao if they ever fight, but that Pacquiao will be remembered more than Mayweather when it is all said and done. Which begs a question: Why?
Why would an undefeated Mayweather, a boxer who has made more money than any fighter in history, be less recalled than Pacquiao, a champion, for sure, but one who has lost to Timothy Bradley and who would have lost to Mayweather?
De La Hoya’s rationale is that, essentially, he sees Pacquiao as the better man—in life, not in the fights.
“Three years ago, hands down it would have been Pacquiao,” De La Hoya said to boxinscene.com. “But now I would go with Floyd. If he fights Pacquiao, then Floyd will erase all doubts that anybody might have,” De La Hoya continued.
“It’s one of those fights where anybody could win. Who would I give the edge to if it was today, I would have to go with Floyd. Yes [Pacquiao has aged more in the ring], absolutely. Why? Because he’s been in wars.
“But, who has more respect which is going to live on forever—that’s Manny Pacquiao. There is no doubt about that. With Manny Pacquiao, they are going to say, ‘Wow, he fought all these guys, fought tough battles and gave us [all these fights]. Now it’s a matter of what matters most.”
Sorry, but that rings a bit off kilter. Mayweather beat everyone in front of him. Period. And Pacquiao was as much the problem with them not fighting before now as Mayweather.
It seems De La Hoya, 41, president of Golden Boy Promotions, should show deference and respect to Mayweather. His bout with “Money” set the record for boxing matches with the most number of pay-per-view buys, with their 2007 bout selling 2.4 million units. The De La Hoya-Mayweather showdown also generated PPV revenues of $136 million–a record expected to be shattered by a duel between the undefeated American and Pacquiao.
Only a person/boxer of magnitude could generate that kind of revenue. Boxers want to fight Mayweather to get their best payday as much as a chance to win the title. That’s a claim no one else in boxing can make, including Pacquiao. And that’s pretty memorable.
