Megafight in Waiting: Pacquiao/Mayweather

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jan 8, 2010

Megafight in Waiting: Pacquiao/Mayweather

After Manny Pacquiao's recent destruction of Miguel Cotto, and Floyd Mayweather's recent comeback, everyone's clamoring for the top two active pound-for-pound fighters to go head-to-head. The matchup would, undoubtedly, produce a classic and clear No. 1. Could the victor rank among the greatest pound-for-pound brawlers of all time? Well, the fight needs to happen first. Here's a look at some of their landmark bouts to date.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Jose Luis Castillo II

After a disputed decision in their first matchup -- Mayweather won, but fans felt otherwise -- the two met again nearly eight months later. This time Mayweather left little room for questioning as he battered Castillo, winning a unanimous decision.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Arturo Gatti

A mandatory challenger to Gatti, the WBC super lightweight champion, Mayweather landed a slew of major punches in one of the most one-sided fights in history. The sixth-round TKO earned Mayweather another title and a place among the sport's pound-for-pound best.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Zab Judah

Against one of the quickest punchers in the game, Mayweather battled for Zab Judah's IBF and vacant IBO world welterweight titles in Las Vegas. After a grueling start, Mayweather gained momentum in the fifth and outworked his opponent to win by unanimous decision. In the final round, Zudah hit Mayweather with a punch below the belt, enraging both sides and resulting in trainer Roger Mayweather (inset) getting fined $200,000 and suspended one year for his outburst.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales III

The third match was to settle the score -- Morales had taken the first one by decision and Pacquiao the second by knockout. In this one, Pacquiao clearly had the upper hand, knocking out Morales in the third round.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya

In the largest pay-per-view fight in history (2.45 million buys), Mayweather moved up to 154 pounds to face six-division champion and WBC super welterweight titlist De La Hoya. The title fight was supposed to "save boxing," but controversy arose as Mayweather earned a split-decision victory when many saw the fight in De La Hoya's favor.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Ricky Hatton

Mayweather put his WBC welterweight title and flawless record on the line as he took on then-undefeated Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas. Hatton, the light welterweight champion, managed to give Mayweather a challenge early on, and even Floyd admitted Hatton was "one of the toughest competitors I've faced." Still, Mayweather peppered the British brawler with punches until the referee stopped the fight in the 10th round.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez II

Their first meeting, a split-decision win in Pacquiao's favor, ended on a sour note, thanks to a judging mistake -- one judge who had it 113-113 admitted making an error on the scorecard. Their rematch, aptly named "Unfinished Business," also ended with a disputed split-decision victory for Pacquiao, who earned his third world title in three divisions. He turned down a third match so he could move to lightweight.

Manny Pacquiao vs. David Diaz

With a ninth-round knockout of Diaz, Pacquiao became the only Filipino and Asian boxer to win five world titles in as many weight classes. He pummeled the then-WBC lightweight world champion, leaving Diaz to admit after the fight: "It was all his speed. I could see the punches perfectly, but he was just too fast."

Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya

Pacquiao's eighth-round TKO over the "Golden Boy" put the petite puncher on the map. Though he had already claimed five world championships and was recognized as the leading pound-for-pound fighter since Mayweather's retirement, Pac-Man wasn't favored by all against De La Hoya. Many believed the 147-pound weight limit to be too high for Pacquiao. But he defied all critics when De La Hoya's corner threw in the towel before the start of the ninth round.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton

After a dispute over the fight purse, Pacquiao and Hatton finally agreed to terms for "The Battle of the East and West." The battle was short-lived as Pacquiao knocked out Hatton in the second round to win the IBO and Ring Magazine light welterweight titles.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez

After a 21-month retirement, Mayweather returned to face Marquez, at a catch-weight of 144 pounds. The time off hardly seemed to affect the 32-year-old Mayweather, who pummeled Marquez -- "Money" landed 59 percent of his punches for a unanimous-decision victory, while Marquez only landed 12 percent.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto

This was hyped as the fight of the year, and it didn't disappoint. Cotto showed his aggression and strength in the opening rounds, but Pacquiao's dynamic (and relentless) punches, speed and power left the Puerto Rican welterweight champion bloodied and bruised midway through the bout. Cotto remained courageous throughout, but the referee ended the beating in the 12th round, giving Pacquiao his seventh world title in as many weight classes.