Manny Pacquiao remains unconvinced by Floyd Mayweather’s self-proclaimed ‘GOAT’ status, believing that his achievements are perhaps more worthy of such recognition.
The two pound-for-pound legends are set square off in a professional rematch on September 19, headlining a Netflix event at The Sphere, Las Vegas.
At the age of 47 and 49, respectively, neither Pacquiao nor Mayweather are expected to produce a career-best performance, or even come close to delivering an elite-level spectacle.
But while both Hall of Famers are significantly removed from their primes, there is nonetheless a degree of intrigue attached to their sequel.
This is partly because of Mayweather’s iconic 50-0 record, which he is expected to put on the line in a fully-sanctioned contest against ‘Pac Man’.
By retiring with an unbeaten record, after having become a five-division world champion, Mayweather joined an exclusive club consisting of fighters such as Andre Ward, Joe Calzaghe and Rocky Marciano.
But while this remains an impressive achievement, Pacquiao has questioned whether it is enough for the American to be regarded as the greatest fighter of all time.
Speaking with Inside the Ring, the Filipino highlighted his own accolades and suggested that Mayweather’s ‘GOAT’ status can, at the very least, be debated among boxing aficionados.
“He’s a self-proclaimed GOAT. He cannot claim that he’s the only undefeated fighter who retired. There’s at least more than 15 fighters that retired undefeated.
“But I can claim [that I’m] the only eight-division [world champion in history]. And I’m the only fighter that became a world champion in four different decades.”
Indeed, Pacquiao claimed his first major title in 1998, before retiring in 2021 as an eight-division world champion.
Despite losing to Yordenis Ugas that same year, the southpaw had previously held the WBA welterweight strap and therefore reigned as a world champion in four separate decades.