Years ago, the Associated Press, ESPN, and The Ring Magazine, among many other media organizations, came up with their respective lists of who are the greatest boxers of all time. While they differed in their rankings from the second spot downwards, they had been unanimous in picking Sugar Ray Robinson as the greatest fighter of all time. One list picks Henry Armstrong at second, while the
other puts Muhammad Ali in that place instead.
Results of a recent online poll supposedly participated in by more than half a million respondents further buttress the opinion that Robinson may indeed be the greatest boxer of all time, pound for pound. However, this time around, neither Armstrong nor Ali was to be found in second place. Instead, newcomer Manny Pacquiao came in second to Robinson, followed by Ali.
Boxing fans know, of course, that rankings and lists of all-time boxing greats are products of opinion. Thus ranking the world’s greatest boxers (who competed in various eras and across weight divisions) is source of endless debate among boxing fans. This book joins this debate and wishes to argue its case with facts. The contention: Manny Pacquiao is even greater than Robinson.
In saying that Pacquiao has taken his place in boxing history as the greatest fighter who ever lived, pound for pound, we looked at the fight records of the world’s greatest boxers. Although Pacquiao has done what no other fighter on planet Earth—living or dead—has achieved, we also look at his greatness in relation to what the other great fighters have achieved under their own unique conditions.
A critical part of our analysis of what these fighters had achieved is an evaluation of the quality of their respective opposition. It is in this context that Pacquiao has established himself as a top-level fighter, greater than Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Henry Armstrong, among others.
For example, 41 of Robinson’s 200 fights were against opponents whose average career win percentage was less than 50 percent. In fights where these low-quality opponents were excluded, Robinson’s winning rate goes down to 83.65, compared to his career win rate of 86.50. This pales in comparison to the resume of Pacquiao’s opponents. Pacquiao has an average of 87 percent winning rate against high-quality opponents, compared to his career winning rate of 91 percent. Altogether—that is, including low-quality opponents—the average career win percentage of Robinson’s opponents was 67, compared to Pacquiao’s 72 percent.
This book also looks at several other evaluation or ranking criteria, such as how fighters coped with opponents deemed to be much heftier than they were. Given what this book finds, it has become necessary to dig and verify facts on why Manny “The Pacman” Pacquiao is such a great boxer. In so doing, the reader is sure to find more of him. He is not only an exceptional athlete. He is, and precisely because of that, also a hard-to-duplicate person.
What makes Manny Pacquiao one-of-a-kind? Three things stand out from the core values that define the man. One is his inner drive. He needs no external push to envision and pursue his goals. Two, hard work. He puts effort into his craft like no one has probably ever done. With hard work comes focus and determination. And three, the strength of his faith.
Give us one with those qualities and we give you an achiever—in boxing or in any field of human endeavor. For millions who struggle in life and determined to come out of it a winner, the story of Manny Pacquiao should flare like a beacon. Thus a good part of this book (first half of it) also tells The Pacman’s story. The writing of the story attempts to pay homage not only to the man, but also to the kind of life he lives and the character that explains why he has succeeded in life. That story is about courage, determination and faith. It is a story that is bigger than boxing.
