Manny Pacquiao left Floyd Mayweather off his top six opponents despite earning his most significant paycheck against his career rival.
Pacquiao, who returns at 46 to challenge Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title on July 19, accused Mayweather of running the whole fight.
The pair of legends met on May 2, 2015, at the world-famous MGM Grand Garden Arena. The event remains the most lucrative fight ever ten years on.
However, Pacquiao stated he was injured going into the contest during the aftermath and said Mayweather wouldn’t engage in combat.
Now, a decade on and with a comeback fight imminent, Pacquiao revealed his most formidable six opponents and didn’t acknowledge the ‘Money’ man.
Asked who the top five fighters he shared a ring with were, Pacquiao went one better.
He stated to Fight Hub TV, “(Marco Antonio) Barrera, (Erik) Morales, (Juan Manuel) Marquez, (Oscar) De La Hoya, (Miguel) Cotto, and (Antonio) Margarito.”
On why Floyd Mayweather isn’t in the top five, Pacquiao responded, “Floyd Mayweather ran the whole twelve rounds and then won the fight.
“I feel sorry for the fans because the fight is boring. That’s not what the fans are expecting from us.
“If I am a fan, of course, I want to see a good fight, a challenging fight, not a fashion show.”
The fact that he named De La Hoya, Cotto, and Margarito, three opponents he completely dominated, is a definite slap in the face for Mayweather.
Pacquiao stopped De La Hoya in the Golden Boy promoter’s final bout. Effectively, the ‘Pac-Man’ beat the Olympic gold medalist into retirement.
Against Cotto, the Filipino superstar dropped the Puerto Rican legend twice before ending the contest in the final round. The victory was comprehensive.
Margarito’s pummeling was even worse. The ex-Senator gave the Mexican hell for twelve rounds and refused to close the show to teach him a lesson.
Mayweather won’t be happy to get the label that he was an easier foe than that trio, as at least the five-weight world champion got the W.
Talk of a rematch between Pacquiao and Mayweather hasn’t gone away in the years since the Las Vegas clash.
World Boxing News reported exclusively in 2020 as Saudi Arabian matchmakers opened discussions with Mayweather on bringing Pacquiao to the region.
The fact that Pacquiao is back in professional action won’t help any future exhibition.
However, it’s not impossible that Mayweather would consider a shock u-turn on his 2017 retirement should his nemesis win the WBC title next month.
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Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay and learn more about the author. Phil Jay is an experienced boxing writer and Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News since 2010.
