{"id":619936,"date":"2026-04-20T20:58:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/619936\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T20:58:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T20:58:20","slug":"pacquiao-boxings-kings-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/619936\/","title":{"rendered":"Pacquiao & Boxing’s Kings"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n <\/p>\n


\n By Charles R. Saunders
\n (Updated 2026) \n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Note by CARDBIZ:\u00a0An update to a previous comparison, with a fresh look at how that prime Pac-Man would have fared against the elite fighters of today.<\/p>\n

The Pac-Man “Rookie” Conundrum<\/p>\n

When profiling Pacquiao through the lens of the hobby, pinning down his definitive “rookie” is a complex discussion. His absolute earliest printed appearance is the ultra-rare 1999 World Boxing Magazine hand-cut card (#143) issued in Japan. Because it was hand-cut from a magazine, finding one with clean edges is a massive challenge, and a pristine PSA 10 copy reached over $22,000 at the market’s peak.<\/p>\n

However, for mainstream North American set collectors, the de facto rookie is the 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter #262. As his first widely distributed US pack-pulled card, finding well-centered, gem-mint examples of the base card\u2014or hunting down the coveted mini variants\u2014remains a major pursuit for boxing enthusiasts.<\/p>\n

Even in 2026, with a new generation of pound-for-pound kings ruling the welterweight and middleweight divisions, Manny \u201cPac-Man\u201d Pacquiao\u2019s 2009 demolition of Miguel Cotto still feels like yesterday\u2019s lightning. Cotto hit the canvas twice early, then simply collapsed under Pacquiao\u2019s nonstop blitz until the referee stepped in during the twelfth round. That night Pacquiao claimed a title in a record seventh weight class, locked down his second straight Fighter of the Year honors, and cemented his place as the most electrifying fighter of his time.<\/p>\n

Looking back from today\u2019s rings, where switch-hitters, body-punchers, and defensive wizards have taken center stage, it\u2019s impossible not to wonder how that 2009 Pac-Man\u2014blazing southpaw speed, relentless pressure, and a chin forged in fire\u2014would have stacked up against the legends who came before him. George Kimball\u2019s book Four Kings remains the definitive chronicle of the 1980s welterweight-to-middleweight wars waged by Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Their rivalries produced a golden age that only the heavyweight epics could overshadow.<\/p>\n

Pacquiao started as a 16-year-old light-flyweight. By 2009 he had grown into a legitimate, ripped 147-pounder who carried his extra forty pounds like armor rather than baggage. Here is the same speculation Saunders offered in 2009\u2014preserved in full\u2014followed by a fresh look at how that prime Pac-Man would have fared against the elite fighters dominating today\u2019s landscape.<\/p>\n

\"Sugar
\n PACQUIAO\u2013LEONARD<\/p>\n

If Pacquiao could channel Duran\u2019s performance against Leonard during Leonard-Duran I, and Leonard was determined to fight Pacquiao\u2019s type of battle rather than his own, then the Pac-Man would prevail by a close, hard-fought decision. But Leonard came into Duran I, stubbornly determined to beat Roberto at his own game because a disrespectful Duran got under his skin before the fight. Unlike the way Duran was then, Pacquiao is a nice guy outside the ring. Leonard would be unlikely to come into the ring with a chip on his shoulder, and he would use his size and speed to keep Pacquiao at a distance. But if Sugar Ray allowed himself to be lured into rat-a-tat-tat exchanges, he could find himself on the short end of the combinations\u2014beaten at his own game. The matchup between Leonard and Pacquiao\u2019s trainers\u2014Angelo Dundee and Freddie Roach, respectively\u2014would be almost as fascinating as the fight.<\/p>\n

\"Thomas
\n PACQUIAO\u2013HEARNS<\/p>\n

Hearns was two fighters in one: the consummate boxer who outpointed defensive wizard Benitez, and the power-punching \u201cHitman\u201d who crushed Duran in two one-sided rounds. Pacquiao would have his hands full with either version. A boxing Hearns would have kept his long left jab in Pacquiao\u2019s face all night. A slugging Hearns would put a lot of hurt on Pacquiao as the Filipino warrior struggled to force his way to close quarters. It\u2019s no disparagement at all to say that Pacquiao would have stood only a small chance to beat Hearns, whose physical attributes made him the proverbial \u201cbridge too far\u201d for his brave but outmatched foe.<\/p>\n

\"Roberto
\n PACQUIAO\u2013DURAN<\/p>\n

If the Pacquiao who beat Cotto fought the Duran who beat Leonard in their first fight, it would have been a case of the irresistible force meeting\u2026 the irresistible force. Pacquiao would have been faster; Duran stronger. If Duran\u2019s chin held up, he might have been able to break Pac-Man down in a manner similar to what Antonio Margarito did to Cotto. There would not have been any question about what Duran had in his gloves\u2014he had \u201cHands of Stone.\u201d Duran was at his best in Leonard I and would probably have been just a bit too much for Pacquiao. But Pacquiao beats the Duran who said \u201cNo Mas\u201d in the second Leonard fight, the Duran who was cold-cocked by Hearns\u2019s right hand, and the Duran who was unable to catch up with Benitez.<\/p>\n

\"Wilfred
\n PACQUIAO\u2013BENITEZ<\/p>\n

As a defensive fighter, Benitez earned the nickname \u201cRadar\u201d because of his uncanny ability to sense and avoid incoming punches. But the best radar in the world loses its effectiveness when there\u2019s not enough firepower to back it up. That would have been Benitez\u2019s problem against Pacquiao. Sure, the Pac-Man would miss a lot of punches. But, knowing that Benitez couldn\u2019t hurt him, Pacquiao would just keep firing away until some of his incessant bombs eventually got through. He would have beaten Wilfred in a manner similar to Leonard\u2019s victory over the ultra-talented Puerto Rican.<\/p>\n

\"Marvin
\n PACQUIAO\u2013HAGLER<\/p>\n

Not only was Marvelous Marvin a full-fledged 160-pounder; he was one of the greatest fighters of all time at that weight. Pacquiao has not met anyone remotely close to the size, skill, and power of Hagler. So, Pacquiao-Hagler would be an unconscionable mismatch, right? Not necessarily. There were two ways to beat Hagler. One was to fight him in Philadelphia, where he suffered some tough losses early in his career. The other was to make him hesitate. That was how Vito Antuofermo held Hagler to a draw in their first fight, how Duran almost stole a decision from him, and how Leonard actually did come away with the verdict in their controversial super-fight. If Pac-Man\u2019s rapid-fire flurries could confound Hagler\u2019s \u201cDestruct and Destroy\u201d offense, Manny would have had a chance to pull off an upset similar to Leonard\u2019s. On the other hand, if Hagler were able to march unscathed through Pacquiao\u2019s firepower, it would be a short, painful night for the Filipino\u2014even in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

PAC-MAN AND THE NEW KINGS<\/p>\n

Fast-forward to 2026. The welterweight division once again belongs to a handful of extraordinary talents who, like the Four Kings before them, define excellence through contrasting styles. Floyd Mayweather Jr. remains the defensive gold standard. Terence \u201cBud\u201d Crawford is the undisputed welterweight king, Errol Spence Jr. the massive, pressure-oriented powerhouse, and Canelo Alvarez the modern-day size-and-power outlier. Even at lighter weights, the early-2020s lightweight division produced its own \u201cNew Four Kings\u201d\u2014Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez, and Ryan Garcia\u2014explicitly branded that way by the media in direct homage to the 1980s. Here is how the 2009 Pac-Man might have fared against this current crop.<\/p>\n

\"Floyd
\n PACQUIAO\u2013MAYWEATHER<\/p>\n

Mayweather was the ultimate defensive foil to Pacquiao\u2019s offense, a modern Benitez with Leonard\u2019s ring IQ and Hearns\u2019 precision. A prime 2009 Pacquiao would have come barreling forward with the same southpaw blitz that overwhelmed Cotto. Mayweather, however, would have used the shoulder roll, the check hook, and that uncanny sense of distance to make Pacquiao miss and pay. The fight would have been closer and more violent than the 2015 reality (when both men were past their absolute peaks), but Mayweather\u2019s ability to control range and counter cleanly would likely have earned him a hard-fought decision. Pac-Man would have landed the flashier combinations; Mayweather would have landed the ones that counted.<\/p>\n

\"Terence
\n PACQUIAO\u2013CRAWFORD<\/p>\n

Crawford is the complete modern technician. He is a switch-hitter and clinical finisher; however, against the 2009 iteration of Pacquiao, Crawford’s notorious tendency to start slow in the early rounds would be his undoing. The 2009 Pac-Man didn’t give opponents time to figure it out. Instead, he would have overwhelmed them with blazing speed, unorthodox angles, and nonstop southpaw pressure from the opening bell. Before Crawford could establish his timing or switch stances to find his rhythm, he would find himself caught in a typhoon of combinations. While Crawford\u2019s superior versatility might allow him to make late-fight adjustments, the sheer volume and ferocity of Pacquiao’s early assault would likely force a referee stoppage or build an insurmountable lead on the scorecards. In a clash of 2020s calculation versus 2000s ferocity, the Filipino dynamo overwhelms the technician.<\/p>\n

\"Errol
\n PACQUIAO\u2013SPENCE<\/p>\n

Spence was the massive, fundamentally sound welterweight who actually had a Pacquiao fight on the table in 2021 before an eye injury forced him out. Prime-to-prime, Spence\u2019s size, piston-like jab, and vicious body attack would have posed a different kind of test. Pacquiao\u2019s hand speed would have given him early rounds, but Spence\u2019s pressure and ability to absorb and return fire would have worn the smaller man down the way Margarito once did to Cotto, but with only cleaner technique. Spence\u2019s southpaw-friendly defense would blunt many of Pac-Man\u2019s best shots. A grueling, high-volume war that ends with Spence taking over in the championship rounds.<\/p>\n

\"Canelo
\n PACQUIAO\u2013CANELO<\/p>\n

If Hagler was the unconscionable size mismatch in the 1980s, Canelo Alvarez is the modern equivalent. Even fighting at a catchweight, Canelo\u2019s physical strength, counter left hook, and iron chin would have been too much for Pacquiao to overcome. Pac-Man\u2019s blinding speed would have created chaotic early exchanges and maybe even a knockdown or two, but Canelo\u2019s ability to walk through fire, cut off the ring, and punish with body shots would eventually turn the fight into a one-sided beating. The smaller, faster man would have moments of brilliance; the bigger, stronger man would have the final say.<\/p>\n

A NOTE ON THE LIGHTWEIGHT NEW FOUR KINGS<\/p>\n

The media\u2019s \u201cNew Four Kings\u201d tag for Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez, and Ryan Garcia was no accident. It was a deliberate echo of the 1980s. At 135\u2013140 pounds, they fought at lighter weights than the welterweight Pacquiao of 2009, yet their collective brilliance mirrored the old rivalries. Prime Pacquiao would have been too physically strong and explosive for any of them in a hypothetical cross-division war. He would have overwhelmed Haney\u2019s boxing with sheer volume, out-slugged Garcia\u2019s flash, and matched Lopez\u2019s power with faster hands. Only Tank Davis\u2019s one-punch knockout threat might have kept things interesting but in the end, 2009 Pac-Man would have looked like the bigger, more experienced king stepping down to school the princes.<\/p>\n

\"Pacquiao<\/p>\n

Pacquiao\u2019s peak remains a high-water mark that still echoes through today\u2019s gyms and arenas. He would have lost some and won some against the old Four Kings\u2014just as he would have against the new ones. But the conversations we\u2019re still having in 2026 prove one thing: the Pac-Man didn\u2019t just belong in those eras. He would have helped define them.<\/p>\n

About Charles R. Saunders<\/p>\n

Charles R. Saunders was an esteemed author and journalist, widely known for his deep historical knowledge and analytical approach to boxing. His original analysis remains a benchmark for evaluating the timeless nature of boxing’s greatest champions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Charles R. Saunders (Updated 2026) Note by CARDBIZ:\u00a0An update to a previous comparison,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":619770,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[571],"tags":[64,63,802,300507,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-619936","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boxing","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-boxing","11":"tag-pacquiao-boxing","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619936"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619936\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}