PACMAN TOP OF THE CLASS

Not for the first time whilst watching a Manny Pacquiao fight I was left open-jawed this past weekend at the exploits of the Pinoy phenomenon.

Pacquiao looked absolutely sensational as he stopped fellow 'pound-for-pound' star Miguel Cotto in the final round of an absorbing battle in Las Vegas.

Even by his own remarkable standards it was an extraordinary showing by the 'Pac Man', who in beating Cotto made boxing history by winning a seventh title in a seventh weight division.

It was enough to convince me that Pacquiao should again usurp Floyd Mayweather as the best 'pound-for-pound' fighter on the planet. But I am equally convinced that said two superstars simply have to put aside their differences and face each other in 2010 and let the boxing public find out once and for all just who the top man really is.

Mayweather claims he is the sport's brightest star right now and one cannot praise enough the way he returned from a near two-year hiatus to totally outclass the classy Juan Manuel Marquez recently.

However after sensational stoppage wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and now Cotto there can be little argument that Pacquiao is the hottest ticket in town.

Cotto gave as good as he got early on at the MGM Grand but ultimately he was unable to cope with the speed, accuracy, industry and all round brilliance of the mercurial Pacquiao.

It was gallant failure for the Puerto Rican (who drops a place to fifth on our latest list), who gave his all but who perhaps played into Pacquiao's hands somewhat by constantly walking forward and who may have benefited from having a more experienced corner (who in truth really should have pulled him out long before that final round).

Despite fancying Cotto to spring a shock before the first bell sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and say you got it all wrong. Pacquiao's a freak of nature and a fighter I won't be under-estimating again.

Cotto was dropped in round three and again, heavily, after a crackerjack left hand in round four that he did well to rise from. He was game to the last but simply had no answer to Pacquiao, who is on a sensational run and who just seems to be getting better and better.

It's incredible to think that that since his life and death struggle with Marquez in March 2008 as a super-feather Pacquiao has added 17 pounds to his frame and yet claimed three world titles. There seems to be no limit to what the man can achieve and his win over a hungry Cotto, a fine fighter in his own right still very much in his prime, might just be his best ever.

We already knew about the blazing hand speed, the dazzling footwork and his punching ability but what impressed me most about Saturday was the way he took plenty of flush shots from the heavy hands of Cotto and yet shook them off.

Cotto brought the heat to him several times at the MGM Grand but Pacquiao was able to ride out the storm and return fire with big shots of his own. He looked in quite incredible shape and praise must also go to his conditioning team who have developed him into a bona fide welterweight star.

It struck me while I was watching the fight that in Pacquiao we are definitely watching an all-timer at work here. A great fighter who I feel, should he be victorious against Mayweather, would have to be considered among the likes of Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali and the absolute elite.

His adventures over the past 12 months or so have been schoolboy's own stuff and I feel the public clamour for a fight with Mayweather will prove too intense for the fight not to happen.

Boxing over the past decade has been littered with Super Fights between marquee names where either one of both of the protagonists have been past their best. Yet we have a situation here where we have two men operating at or at least very close to the absolute peak of their powers.

It's an opportunity too good to miss and one hopes the fans and media begin beating the drum now and demand that the fight takes place, much as they did back in 1981 when another two outrageously talented welterweights, Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns, were on a collision course.

Elsewhere on the 'pound-for-pound' beat this month Chad Dawson went over old ground when he again decisioned 'Road Warrior' Glen Johnson.

It was workmanlike rather than spectacular stuff from 'Bad' Chad, who needs a big fight of his own now and was talking post-fight of accommodating fellow unbeaten Tavoris Cloud next up.

Dawson is 29-0 and at 27 is entering his prime so it's time his promotional team began to match him against the very best and see if he'll sink or swim. Having seen him at close quarters my guess is he'll kick on and crack the world top five 'pound-for-pound' before long but he won't do so by going over old ground against men like Johnson and Antonio Tarver.

Sportinglife.com pound-for-pound world top 10:

1 - Manny Pacquiao

2 - Floyd Mayweather

3 - Juan Manuel Marquez

5 - Bernard Hopkins

5 - Miguel Cotto

6 - Shane Mosley

7 - Chad Dawson

8 - Paul Williams

9 - Juan Manuel Lopez

10 - Israel Vazquez

Honourable mentions: Kelly Pavlik, Wladimir Klitschko, Juan Diaz, Mikkel Kessler, Joan Guzman and Ivan Calderon.

-source

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Manny is truly the top pound-for-pound fighter! It's not yet confirmed, but I'm sure everybody is looking at a pacquiao vs mayweather fight