Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao are unquestionably two of the greatest fighters of all time.
They finally fought each other in ‘The Fight Of The Century’ a decade ago, although it has been argued by fans and pundits that their huge match-up should have taken place quite a few years earlier.
‘Money’ Mayweather defeated Pacquiao via unanimous decision to unify the unified WBC, WBA and WBO world welterweight titles at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, although the fight itself failed to live up to its massive expectations.
One man who has experience in facing both Mayweather and ‘Pac-Man’ is retired six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya, who has finally weighed in on who he believes would have been victorious if both of his former opponents had met during their respective primes.
Speaking to The Ring Magazine, ‘The Golden Boy’ didn’t hesitate to give Pacquiao the nod to prevail against Mayweather, backing the Filipino legend to ‘easily’ defeat the American superstar if they had faced each other earlier on in their careers.
“I would have to say Pacquiao. I think his determination, his conditioning, his skill, his power, speed, footwork … he’s one of the fighters I most appreciated. Mayweather-Pacquiao would have been a lot different [if they’d fought] in their primes. Pacquiao would have beat [Mayweather] easy, absolutely.”
‘Pac-Man’ and Mayweather have both drawn the curtains on their glittering careers, after winning numerous world titles between them throughout their respective tenures. However, Pacquiao has previously suggested Mayweather would like an exhibition match between the two. ‘Money’ Mayweather has had a number of exhibition contests since exiting the professional ranks however, facing the likes of Logan Paul, John Gotti III and Aaron Chalmers to name a few.
