The outcome of a fantasy showdown between Sugar Ray Leonard and Manny Pacquiao has divided boxing fans for many years.
Leonard is often regarded as being one of, if not the greatest fighter of all time. Throughout the course of his distinguished career, he captured world titles in five divisions as well as the undisputed championship at 147lbs.
As for Pacquiao, the Filipino great remains the only eight division world champion in boxing history, a record that looks far from being broken anytime soon. The 46-year-old will make a shock return to the sport this July when he challenges Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title.
Speaking on the Mayweather Channel on YouTube, Floyd Mayweather Sr was asked to predict what would have happened if ‘Sugar Ray’ and Pacquiao had fought during their respective careers.
“Man Leonard would beat Pacquiao, he’d knock him out cold, ice cold just like how [Juan Manuel] Marquez knocked him out.”
The 1980s was a golden generation for boxing, with the likes of Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran all dominating the sport.
Perhaps the most famous victory of Leonard’s career came against Duran, after he forced the Panamanian icon to quit during the eighth round of their rematch in November 1980.
‘Sugar Ray’ would go on to rack up victories over Hearns and Hagler in 1981 and 1987 respectively, as well as a second victory over Duran in their trilogy bout which was contested for the WBC super-middleweight title, which Leonard won via unanimous decision in 1989.
