Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya – three of the biggest box office stars the sport of boxing has produced – all faced off at one time or another.
De La Hoya lost to both Mayweather and Pacquiao in 2007 and 2008 respectively, the latter by stoppage, before hanging up the gloves for good. The two winners would let their fight marinate for too long thereafter, not stepping through the ropes together until 2015 when the American won via unanimous decision.
The debate as to what would happen in each of the match-ups at different stages of careers or if they took place in different weight classes will rage on for years to come.
One man who has had experience with all three is Shane Mosley, the three-weight world champion who famously, and as evidenced above, never ducked a challenge. Mosley bounced back from his first career loss by beating De La Hoya in 2000 but would, a decade later, be defeated by both Mayweather and Pacquiao.
In a feature with The Ring Magazine, Mosley said De La Hoya had the best jab and praised ‘PacMan’s punching power but held Mayweather the highest, saying he was his smartest, fastest and indeed best overall opponent.
“[Best boxer] would probably have to be Floyd. It’s how he evades punches with a blend of his defence and his offence. He’s always on his toes and he’s always slipping and sliding.
[Best overall] would have to be Floyd. He had everything. He had about three different categories where he was the best at. Floyd was the best overall fighter. The most speed, best defence and a good jab and good offence. I think that it’s also what he does with his movement and his angles.”
Mosley would also go on to face another future Hall of Famer in Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez before retiring in 2016.
