mayweather vs. pacquiao – Syndication Server

Manny Pacquiao has beaten 22 titleholders, one shy of Mayweather’s mark

Manny Pacquiao has beaten 22 opponents who have held major titles, one shy of Floyd Mayweather’s record.

Floyd Mayweather reportedly holds the record of beating 23 opponents who have held a world title. But he expects to be overtaken soon.

Manny Pacquiao, 41, has defeated 22 fighters who have worn major belts, the last being his decision over Keith Thurman to win a welterweight title last July. Mayweather figures Pacquiao will beat at least two more titleholders.

“They say, ‘The greats must fight the greats,’” Mayweather told FightHype.com. “Well, just look in the history books. You’ll see nobody beat more world champs than Floyd Mayweather. Even with that being said, Pacquiao eventually probably would [break that record]. But guess what, Pacquiao was a professional before me.”

Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) turned pro in 1996, Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) in 1995.

Pacquiao doesn’t know who his next opponent is or when the bout might take place because of the coronavirus pandemic but the Filipino senator said he intends to get back into the ring as soon as possible.

Mikey Garcia reportedly is a leading candidate to face Pacquiao. Danny Garcia also has been mentioned, although he has been linked to Errol Spence Jr. Either opponent would be a tough assignment for a 41-year-old but it’s not wise to put anything past Pacquiao.

One Mayweather record Pacquiao won’t break? “Money” defeated 16 consecutive opponents who have held world titles.

Manny Pacquiao on Floyd Mayweather’s comments: ‘He is just envious’

Manny Pacquiao dismissed Floyd Mayweather’s suggestion that young fighters should face each other, not Pacquiao, as envy.

Manny Pacquiao talking a little trash? He’s earned the right.

Former rival Floyd Mayweather was quoted as saying that young, prime fighters should be chasing each other, not the 41-year-old Pacquiao, whom Mayweather called an “old man,” according to FightHype.com.

Pacquiao’s response? Mayweather is jealous.

“He is just envious because he’s already retired. We’re still active, and have a crown,” said Pacquiao, who, at 40, outpointed Keith Thurman to win a welterweight title in July.

The young fighters are chasing Pacquiao for obvious reasons: His opponents generally earn career-high paydays and he’s deemed vulnerable, even after victories over younger Adrien Broner and Thurman. And, ironically, Pacquiao continues to chase a rematch with Mayweather for the same reasons.

Suddenly “Money” Mayweather doesn’t understand that reasoning?

“It’s sad that you hear guys say, ‘I want to fight Manny Pacquiao,’” Mayweather said. “But Manny Pacquiao is 41 now. Don’t chase him. You young guys chase each other. But stop chasing this old man. If the opportunity presents itself, go out and do what you got to do.”

“Let Manny Pacquiao pick and choose who he wants to fight. With everything he’s accomplished, hopefully, he’s made some smart investments.”

Pacquiao said he’s not thinking about another fight with Mayweather at the moment. “I’m concerned first and foremost about our countrymen and about how to resolve this (coronavirus) pandemic,” he told The Manila Times.

At the same time, he’s also not thinking about retirement.

“[I just finished hitting the] punching bag,” he said. “No retirement yet. Yes, I’m still training. God is good all the time.”

Pacquiao doesn’t know who or when he’ll fight next amid the pandemic. Mikey Garcia is among the leading candidates to win the Pacquiao lottery.

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Four reasons fans were disappointed

Here are four reasons that the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight on May 2, 2015 failed to deliver.

The Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight was a financial bonanza and an absolute dud in terms of its entertaining value.

The fight, which took place five years ago today, reportedly generated 4.6 pay-per-view buys in the U.S. and around $600 million dollars worldwide. Both fighters walked away with nine-figure paydays that still boggle the mind.

The fans walked away entirely unsatisfied. Here are four reasons why:

IT HAPPENED TOO LATE

Mayweather-Pacquiao should’ve taken place five years earlier, when they were still in their primes and Pacquiao would’ve actually had a chance to win. The Filipino would’ve had to be at his blazing-quick, volume-punching best to give “Money” a run for his money. He was still a good fighter in 2015 but, at 36, he wasn’t quite as quick or busy as he was a half-decade earlier. Some will point out that Mayweather, 38, also wasn’t at his peak. True. However, he remained a master of maintaining the distance that suited him best and still had his magnificent shoulder-roll defense. You couldn’t touch him. Pacquiao somehow won four rounds on two cards and two on the third but the fight was dull and not really competitive.

MAYWEATHER’S ABILITY AND STYLE

We were foolish to be optimistic going into the fight. Mayweather had been in few entertaining fights over the previous decade because he chose to throw just enough punches to win on the scorecards. The goal was to hit and not get hit, which was his forte. Entertainment wasn’t a part of the equation. The hope was that Pacquiao would be assertive and good enough to push Mayweather into a compelling back-and-forth affair but that was asking too much of a fighter who had begun to decline. Of course, many argue that even Pacquiao at his very best – perhaps around the time he stopped Miguel Cotto in 2009 – wouldn’t have had the ability to beat a boxing genius like Mayweather. They might be right.

PACQUIAO’S “SHOULDER INJURY”

I’m not 100 percent convinced that Pacquiao entered the ring with a shoulder injury, at least not one that hindered his ability to fight to a significant degree. For the purposes of this opinion piece, however, I’ll take his word for it. That raises an important question: Should he have been open about the injury beforehand? He and his team would respond, “Of course not. You can’t let your opponent know that you have a weakness.” Makes sense. At the same time, fans, some of whom filed lawsuits, had a right exclaim after the fact, “I plunked down $100 for the pay-per-view. I had a right to know if Pacquiao wasn’t 100 percent.” That also makes sense. The bottom line is that Pacquiao and Co. were never going to tip their hand or risk losing the monstrous payday by postponing the fight even if that risked alienating fans.

THE HYPE AND COST OF PAY-PER-VIEW

Few highly hyped fights live up to expectations. Period. And the hype for Mayweather-Pacquiao went on for years – too many years – and reached a fevered pitch as the fight approached. Add to that a hundred-dollar price tag for pay-per-view in the U.S. and you had fans who were never going to be satisfied unless the fighters delivered something truly special. Again, they didn’t. As a result, fans, some feeling they’d been cheated, were disappointed or disgusted or both. Promoter Bob Arum recently told BoxingScene.com that the event turned many fans against the business model. Said Arum: “Pay-per-view boxing has pretty much been on a decline ever since that fight.”

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao among classics to be aired this weekend

Fans have had to subside on classic fights to get their boxing fixes. And some good ones are coming up.

Say what you want about the way Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao played out in 2015; it was huge. That fight and other memorable showdowns will be showcased on ESPN and Showtime this weekend.

ESPN has dedicated four hours to boxing following the 2020 NFL Draft on Saturday. The program is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET.

Here is the ESPN lineup: 7 p.m., Mayweather vs. Zab Judah, in which Mayweather won his first welterweight title and a brawl between corners broke out; 8 p.m., Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez II, in which Pacquiao became the first Asian fighter to win titles in four divisions; 9 p.m., Pacquiao vs. Cotto, in which the Filipino star won a title in a seventh weight class; and 10 p.m., Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, the richest fight in history.

Most of ESPN’s library of fights are also available on ESPN+.

Showtime Boxing Classics will present two memorable fights featuring all-action brawler John Molina at 10 p.m. ET / PT on Friday.

The first bout is Molina’s 2013 unforgettable upset of then-unbeaten Mickey Bey, which took place in Las Vegas. Molina was down on all three cards and time was running out when he scored a miraculous last-minute knockout.

The victory gave Molina’s career a significant boost.

“I still have nightmares about those last 58 seconds and what would have happened to my career had the time ran out,” Molina said. “I would have never signed with Al Haymon without those final 58 seconds.”

The second fight is Molina’s 2014 war with Lucas Matthysse in Los Angeles, in which both fighters went down twice before the Argentine won by 11th round knockout.

“I still have longtime members of the boxing press to this day come up and tell me that in 30 years of covering boxing, the Matthysse fight was the only fight they’ve ever had to turn away from and not watch because it was such a brutal war,” Molina said. “I didn’t realize how special it was till I went back and watched it.”

The programming can be viewed on Showtime, Showtime Anytime and the Showtime stand-alone streaming service.