MANILA, Philippines ?As the debate regarding who is more superior between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. rages on, a well-respected boxing commentator bared that he is siding with Pacquiao.
In an interview with The Ring, Larry Merchant, who provides color commentary for most of broadcaster HBO’s high-magnitude boxing matches, cited Pacquiao’s willingness to face top opposition.
“When I look at Pacquiao, I see that he fought [Erik] Morales three times, [Marco Antonio] Barrera twice, [Juan Manuel] Marquez twice and then moved up to fight the top guys at 140 and 147 pounds at whatever status they had at the time. That to me says a lot,?Merchant said.
It was reported that during his stint at welterweight, the brash Mayweather avoided top contenders and instead fought mediocre foes. He is facing Marquez ?a lightweight —in his return bout on July 18.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, has repeatedly moved up in weight to face bigger guys like David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton ?and destroyed all three in shocking fashion.
This, Merchant believes, is what made him pick Pacquiao as the better man.
“If you look back at the record, though, I think it shows that Pacquiao is better. I want someone willing to take risks, someone who moves me,?he said.
“I think Pacquiao is better than Mayweather.?br />
The 77-year-old boxing sage, however, pointed out that him picking Pacquiao doesn’t necessarily mean that the current pound-for-pound king will beat the former pound-for-pound boss ?which just makes a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown more intriguing.
In an interview with The Ring, Larry Merchant, who provides color commentary for most of broadcaster HBO’s high-magnitude boxing matches, cited Pacquiao’s willingness to face top opposition.
“When I look at Pacquiao, I see that he fought [Erik] Morales three times, [Marco Antonio] Barrera twice, [Juan Manuel] Marquez twice and then moved up to fight the top guys at 140 and 147 pounds at whatever status they had at the time. That to me says a lot,?Merchant said.
It was reported that during his stint at welterweight, the brash Mayweather avoided top contenders and instead fought mediocre foes. He is facing Marquez ?a lightweight —in his return bout on July 18.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, has repeatedly moved up in weight to face bigger guys like David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton ?and destroyed all three in shocking fashion.
This, Merchant believes, is what made him pick Pacquiao as the better man.
“If you look back at the record, though, I think it shows that Pacquiao is better. I want someone willing to take risks, someone who moves me,?he said.
“I think Pacquiao is better than Mayweather.?br />
The 77-year-old boxing sage, however, pointed out that him picking Pacquiao doesn’t necessarily mean that the current pound-for-pound king will beat the former pound-for-pound boss ?which just makes a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown more intriguing.
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