Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao may have won his third match
against Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez last November 13, but he lost
his pound-for-pound king title in two sports media outfits.
In the recent rankings published by ESPN and Sports Illustrated—posted
on the web on November 17 and November 14, respectively—Pacquiao has
dropped to second place.
He was replaced by undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
ESPN's Dan Rafael noted Pacquiao's performance in his match against
Marquez:
"Pacquiao looked confused at times and lacked snap on his punches in a
less-than-stellar outing. It just wasn't the kind of performance we
have come to expect from Pacquiao, especially in light of the fact that
Marquez had been wiped out by Mayweather in 2009 in his only other
welterweight fight."
On the other hand, the sportswriter praised the "hits" made by
welterweight titlist Mayweather when he knocked out Victor Ortiz in
September.
Rafael wrote, "Even after 16 months out of the ring following his
near shutout of Shane Mosley in May 2010, Mayweather returned to action
on Sept. 17 and showed not the slightest bit of rust. Still fast and
possessing great defense and underrated power, Mayweather knocked out
Victor Ortiz (albeit in controversial fashion) in the fourth round to
reclaim one of the titles he had previously given up."
Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix wrote,
"the inconclusive outcome undercut [Manny's] standing in SI.com's
pound-for-pound ratings."
Mannix added, "Bob Arum says a fourth Marquez fight should (and
could) be next, but most fans would rather see a showdown between the
fighters who rank 1-2 on virtually every pound-for-pound list."
He was, of course, referring to the long-anticipated match between
Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr.
STILL NUMBER ONE. While Pac-Man slipped to second
place on ESPN and Sports Illustrated, he also "barely" retained
the top spot in the pound-for-pound ranking of The Ring
magazine.
In an article posted on The Ring website on November 15,
Michael Rosenthal argued, "Pacquiao has accomplished more than
Mayweather in recent years. The Filipino is 9-0 against big-name
opponents since the beginning of 2008; Mayweather is 3-0 in that time."
Rosenthal added, "And you can't say that Mayweather should supplant
Pacquiao because he defeated Marquez more easily. That doesn't take into
account styles and strengths. Plus, Pacquiao beat Ricky Hatton and
Oscar De La Hoya more easily than Mayweather did."
The three media outfits may have different opinions on who the real
pound-for-pound king is, but they all hope that the issue between
Pacquiao and Mayweather will be settled inside the ring.
Rafael said, "Mayweather should be next, and it's going to have to be
up to Pacquiao to stand up to Arum and tell him to make a deal.
Period."
No comments:
Post a Comment