Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao, surely, has every right now to be considered among the top two or three greatest fighters of all time.

Who was better? Sugar Ray Robinson, probably. Sugar Ray Leonard, possibly. Muhammad Ali, perhaps. Joe Louis? Little Jimmy Wilde? Henry Armstrong? The debate just got more heated.

What the little man did to Antonio Margarito, fully 17lb heavier than him, in Texas on Saturday night – even from this televisual distance – was extraordinary in many ways.

If Audley Harrison woke up after the worst night of his own career and watched tape of the fight – which delivered the Filipino his eighth world title at a different weight, this one at light-middle – it surely will have made further inroads into his shattered self-esteem.

Hours earlier in Manchester Harrison disgraced himself. He weighed three stone more than David Haye, stood three inches taller than him, outreached him by eight inches ... and landed one punch worth the name before being blasted into the night in round three.

Audley compounded his crime by refusing to admit he had let himself down. He offered one lame excuse after another. He could not face up to the truth that in his first and last challenge for the world heavyweight title he froze.

What Pacquiao did, meanwhile, against the unnaturally tough Margarito over 12 of the most exhilarating rounds boxing has seen in several years was beyond mere boxing.

This was a fight that dragged them both to the limit of their commitment to an undertaking that often seems to defy logic.

"I can see," Margarito said on his stool at the end of the 10th, ignoring the purpled, bleeding lumps around his eyes. "Please don't stop the fight."

Midway through the next round Pacquiao – who had taken plenty of punishment himself – briefly paused in his assault and cast a pleading glance towards the referee, urging him to stop it. The referee took a cursory look at Margarito's horrible wounds and waved it on, an astonishing misjudgment.

In the final round Pacquiao, maybe for the only time in his career, went through the motions, unwilling to inflict further punishment, just doing enough to secure the win.

It was an act of subtle compassion. He could have destroyed an opponent once caught going into a fight with loaded gloves who, only a week ago was filmed mocking the Parkinson's Disease shaking of Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach. But he did not. He guided his beaten foe to the line.

He is a great champion, perhaps an even greater human being.

Anyone who needs convincing now that Pacquiao is already worth his place among boxing's all-time elite (including Floyd Mayweather Jr) is as blind as Margarito almost was in the ring on Saturday night.

www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2010/nov/14/manny-pacquiao-antonio-margarito-boxing

i cannot believe i fucking missed this fight are sky showing replays anytime soon?

download it, I havent looked but its surely on thepiratebay
well worth the effort too it was fantastic

cheers although i stopped being a lazy cunt and checked, seems sky sports 1 are showing it at half 8 the neet

the one fight that needs to take place between Mayweather and Pacquiao probably would have taken place by now had it not been for Mayweather constantly changing the rules when it suits him.

don't you always go on about Pacquiao taking steroids even though it's never been proven? Now you're using Mosley who was actually caught taking steroids to get your point across.

Anyone who doesnt think Floyd can beat Pac is a moron. I didnt say will, I said can.

Margarito is not and was never an elite fighter.

Pacquiao's never had a drug test?



Lies. Of course.

Manny Pacquiao - Boxing Writers Association of America's Fighter of the Decade (2000-2009).

mayweather is a great fighter who just so happens to have been around at the time as pacquiao who is possibly the greatest boxer ever to have lived, he can hardly be blamed for wanting to blemish an otherwise perfect record by coming up against him and getting battered. it's just a shame he trys to pretend otherwise.

Pacquiao is a warrior and a fighter, Mayweather is fucking dull.

i'm not a boxing fan you weirdo, i couldn't care less about boxing, i only reply to these threads because it's funny to see you jump through hoops and repeat "OWNED" every time you disagree with someone

why?

Isn't Mayweather facing 34 years in jail?

mayweather would rather do time than face the might of pac-man

first and foremost, you saying Mosley done Margarito easier than Pac man is correct, however Shane is naturally bigger giving him therefore a bigger chance of the KO, and yes it was a very impressive display by Shane, however Margarito was fucked in the head before the fight as he had been caught with loaded hand wraps, lets be honest there was no way his mind was 100% on the fight knowing he could possibly never fight again just 30 mins before the fight.

Manny was quality again on saturday, hand speed is still unreal, however axl i will agree with you that Mayweather and Him are the only elite fighters out there at the minute.

Mayweather is the only person who can move and defend fast enough to possibly nullify Pac Man's speed, which of course is his main weapon.

However if he cant nullify the speed of Pac-Man it would be a very long night for him. Unless he fights him however I think in 20 years time we are gonna be looking at Pac-Man being classed as the better fighter even if Floyd keeps his 0.

he did beat Cotto who at that point was considered the best fighter at the time. Margarito may not be considered an elite fighter but he is consider as one who may surprise an elite fighter. I know i know.... we never will know if he cheated vs Cotto but thats beside the point.

This was definitely a fight that was considered a dangerous one for Pacquiao. Just look at his interview after the fight and how he claimed that he was hurt. You could tell that Pacquiao was scared that he might lose this one at one point in the fight, just by his post interview that is.

It definitely was the best fight Ive seen for a while. But my favorite fight of all time that I have ever witnessed was Julio Cesar Chavez vs Meldrick Taylor. I think that there is a youtube documentary of the fight.

Don.