Former pound-for-pound great Manny Pacquiao has admitted that he faced one man during his career who was even smarter than Floyd Mayweather.
Pacquiao had a highly decorated professional career which saw him become a world champion in eight weight classes, a record for any fighter in the history of boxing.
He got the better of numerous elite fighters along the way, producing legacy-defining victories over the likes of Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto during his prime.
‘Pac-Man’ finally crossed paths with Mayweather in what was dubbed as ‘The Fight Of The Century’ back in May 2015, although the fight itself failed to live up to expectations as ‘Money’ cruised to a wide unanimous decision win.
The pair have been linked to a fight with one another over the past year, but Mayweather didn’t come to mind for Pacquiao when he was discussing the smartest man he ever shared the ring with.
In a ‘Best I Faced’ interview with The Ring Magazine, Pacquiao spoke fondly of former rival Cotto as he explained why the Puerto Rican great was a smarter fighter than Mayweather.
“Cotto: It was hard to bait him. He has seen it all. I really had to out-hustle him. He made me work.”
Pacquiao got the better of Cotto when they clashed in Las Vegas back in November of 2009, stopping the four-weight world champion in the 12th and final round of their bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to capture the WBO welterweight title and hand Cotto just the second defeat of his career.
