By: Hans Themistode
Floyd Mayweather Jr has done it all.
Five division world champion. Check.
Break every single boxing pay per view record. Check.
Rake in nearly one billion dollars. Check.
Retire undefeated. Check.
Oh, and by the way, defeat the one man who many believed was the biggest threat to his unblemished record in Manny Pacquiao. Also check.
Still, even with the countless accolades and piles of cash that Mayweather has accrued during a 21 year career, current Welterweight contender Shawn Porter would rather have Pacquiao’s career instead of Mayweather’s.
“I’m actually gonna go with Manny,” Porter told host Dan Rafael. “I think that even though Manny has taken a lot of punishment – he’s been in a lot of wars, he’s been in a lot of exciting fights. You know me – I like the war. I like the battle and I like the excitement. So, for those reasons, I would pick Manny. And then on top of that, if you look around the world more people appreciate Manny. More people respect and adore Manny than dislike him [than] Floyd Mayweather.”
The fan in Porter loves what Pacquiao represents. The Filipino native isn’t simply a boxing legend but more so an icon. But in many respects so is Mayweather. Yet, the world titles, piles of money and spotless record, isn’t enough to change the mind of Porter.
“Just like when I get in the ring and I get people up on their feet, that’s what Manny Pacquiao did,” Porter said. “And Floyd’s been able to do it, too, but not as [much]. I don’t think the excitement – it was a different level to the excitement. They’re two different fighters. But again, at the end of the day, when Manny Pacquiao goes out and he walks up and down the street, more people are willing to shake his hand and say hi to him than make a mean mug or wanna confront him or anything like that. Which I think a lot of people nowadays don’t appreciate Floyd Mayweather for everything that he’s done for this sport because it’s been overshadowed by some of the things that he’s done outside of the sport.”