Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will finally cross paths on May 2. | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao have been hovering around each other for years. They started roughly at the same time, Pacquiao embarking on his pro career in 1995 and Mayweather in October 1996 after winning bronze at the Atlanta Olympics.
The superstar pair has a lot in common, other than otherworldly abilities. Mayweather -- who has not lost a fight since August 2, 1996 (to Bulgaria’s Serafim Todorov in the Olympic featherweight semifinals) or in 6,846 days (which translates into 18 years, eight months, and 29 days) -- and Pacquiao have faced five common opponents at different stages of their careers.
For someone who receives a bad knock for handpicking opponents who may be too small, beyond their prime or simply not fast enough, Mayweather actually fought three of the pair’s five common opponents -- Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Ricky Hatton -- when they were closer to their peak and were larger than when Pacquiao faced them.
Here is a breakdown of the five, what happened and what it could possibly mean when Mayweather faces off against “Pac-Man” in May:
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5. Oscar De La Hoya
Pacquiao def. De La Hoya, TKO R8: “Pac-Man” unceremoniously ended “The Golden Boy’s” career on Dec. 6, 2008. This was fought at welterweight. De La Hoya came down for the fight, and he had nothing left by the time he got into the ring. De La Hoya did not know how much the weight loss would affect him. He was nothing but a punching bag with feet when Pacquiao got to him.
Mayweather def. De La Hoya, Split Decision: Mayweather beating a near-his-prime De La Hoya on May 5, 2007 carries far more sway. It is the closest anyone has ever come to beating “Money,” who after eight rounds turned on the afterburners to win the last four. Mayweather came up to 154 pounds to fight De La Hoya, who was 2-2 in his last four appearances entering the fight. Still, Mayweather fought a better version of De La Hoya than the scraps that were left for Pacquiao to clean up.
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4. Ricky Hatton
Pacquiao def. Hatton, KO R2: This is among “Pac-Man’s” greatest victories. “The Hit Man” entered their May 2, 2009 clash off consecutive victories over Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Lazcano. Additionally, Pacquiao wanted to make an emphatic point, which he did, since Mayweather needed 10 rounds to stop Hatton. With that said, does anyone think Mayweather is going to stand there and exchange with Pacquiao the way Hatton did? No way.
Mayweather def. Hatton, TKO R10: Mayweather on Dec. 8, 2007 fought a fresher, larger version of Hatton than Pacquiao did. Mayweather was coming off the De La Hoya victory and he, too, wanted to make a point in a sense against Hatton, handing “The Hit Man” his first pro loss by winning almost every second of every round in their welterweight fight. Mayweather then took almost a two-year hiatus before returning to the ring in 2009.
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3. Shane Mosley
Pacquiao def. Mosley, Unanimous Decision: Again, Pacquiao was left with a shell of what was once an excellent fighter. Mosley was 2-2-1 in his last five fights leading up to the matchup with Pacquiao at welterweight on May 7, 2011. A year after losing to Mayweather, Mosley’s reflexes and hand speed were nowhere in comparison to what they had been when he fought “Money.”
Mayweather def. Mosely, Unanimous Decision: This fight proved Mayweather’s mettle. For a split second, an unseen sweeping right cross might have been the hardest punch ever landed on “Money,” whose knees momentarily buckled with 2:05 left in the second round. Mosley was never able to finish Mayweather, who then went on to win every round afterward -- and he did so convincingly.
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2. Miguel Cotto
Pacquiao def. Cotto, TKO R12: This could be Pacquiao’s greatest victory. Cotto was a prime 147-pounder. He was not coming down or going up to meet Pacquiao, who moved up to face Cotto. The size difference did not matter. Pacquiao knocked down Cotto in the third and fourth rounds before finishing the battered Puerto Rican star in the 12th on Nov. 14, 2009. This bodes well for Pacquiao, considering the trouble Cotto gave Mayweather when they met three years later.
Mayweather def. Cotto, Unanimous Decision: Mayweather dominated on the scorecards on May 5, 2012, but those watching felt the fight was much closer than the unanimous 117-111, 117-111 and 118-110 scores indicated. Mayweather was coming up to 154 pounds to meet Cotto and had a far rougher time with him than Pacquiao did. Mayweather’s win also came on the heels of Cotto’s revenge victory over Antonio Margarito. He was not facing a shopworn fighter. If the template was created to beat Mayweather, Cotto and De La Hoya created it: Rough him up, get him against the ropes and pound away at any body part that is available to hit. Marcos Maidana followed that script in his first fight against “Money,” but Mayweather, as he did against De La Hoya, put his foot on the gas and won the last four rounds in a fight in which he seemed to pace himself. Pacquiao has greater hand speed than Maidana or Cotto.
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1. Juan Manuel Marquez
Pacquiao drew Marquez, Majority Draw | Pacquiao def. Marquez, Split Decision | Pacquiao def. Marquez, Majority Decision | Marquez def. Pacquiao, KO R6: Marquez was knocked down three times in the first round during their initial fight but recovered for a draw on May 8, 2004. Pacquiao won by slim margins in the second (March 15, 2008) and third (Dec. 12, 2011) installments of this quadrilogy, and Marquez polished off the Filipino superstar in their most recent meeting on Dec. 8, 2012, when “Pac-Man” got caught in a fight he was winning. Mayweather will not carry the kind of power to get Pacquiao in any kind of trouble. However, Pacquiao’s troubles against Marquez, who rose from lightweight to welterweight in their last brawl, could be an ominous sign for “Pac-Man” against Mayweather.
Mayweather def. Marquez, Unanimous Decision: If Cotto and De La Hoya provided the template in beating Mayweather, “Money” got a firsthand glimpse of what it will take to beat Pacquiao from Marquez. Mayweather, coming back after nearly a two-year absence, handled Marquez with ease on Sept. 19, 2009. “Money” used his superior size, which he has over the smaller Pacquiao, used distance and footwork and was never in any kind of trouble. Marquez was left lunging and chasing after Mayweather, possibly like Pacquiao will be forced to do if Mayweather builds a big, early lead. If there is a fight that could resemble what “Money”-“Pac-Man” will look like, it may be Mayweather’s domination over Marquez.
Joseph Santoliquito is the president of the Boxing Writer's Association of America and a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com's mixed martial arts and boxing coverage. His archive can be found here.