Manny Pacquiao has revealed who he deems to be his top five fighters of all time.
His ultimate favourite went to Roy Jones Jr, and on one hand, it is easy to see why ‘Pac Man’, like so many others, idolises a pound-for-pound legend who could turn on a sixpence like no other boxer.
Jones’ overall style, however, was vastly different to that of the Filipino, who is known more for his quick bursts than relying on razor-sharp reflexes.
In that sense, Pacquiao’s style could perhaps be likened to that of a typical Mexican, specifically when considering his aggression on the front foot.
It should not come as a surprise, then, that Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar De La Hoya happen to be two of his other favourite fighters.
Pacquiao did, of course, stop De La Hoya in round eight of their 2008 encounter, only this came at a time when the ‘Golden Boy’ was both weight drained and past his prime.
As for his other two favourite fighters, it may come as a surprise that he named Sugar Ray Leonard who, again, had tremendous speed but employed a drastically different style to that of Pacquiao.
Finally, the 47-year-old tells Vibe that former two-weight world champion Ricardo Lopez, who campaigned at minimum and light-flyweight, before retiring with an unbeaten record, is another of his all-time favourites.
“I liked Sugar Ray Leonard and Julio Cesar Chavez. Roy Jones Jr – that’s my favourite. Oscar De La Hoya. Those are fighters that I liked to watch. Also, there’s a small guy, a [lower-division champion] like [Ricardo] Lopez.”
Pacquiao’s list of legends – perhaps excluding Lopez – could quite easily be applied to almost any fighter who rattles off their selection of all-time favourites.
