The man really is a freak of nature. Manny Pacquiao moved to number three in the Pound for Pound ratings following his awesome win over Keith Thurman.
At 40 years of age, Pacquiao looked ten years younger as he dropped and defeated Thurman to take the WBA welterweight champion’s belt and undefeated record in the process.
The Filipino Senator was in awesome form. So much so the ‘Pacman’ stands just one victory from becoming P4P number one due to form.
Currently holding the top spot is Canelo Alvarez, with the amazing Vasyl Lomachenko in third.
Lomachenko could overhaul Canelo with a devastating performance against Luke Campbell on August 31, whilst Canelo will fight two months later in October.
Conceivably, the pair could swap places more than once by the end of the year. But Pacquiao, due to his exceptional record in the pro ranks, could blow them both out of the water with in his next fight, dependent on the result and the opponent.
As things stand, Pacquiao is being linked to facing the winner of the Errol Spence v Shawn Porter unification. That two-belt offering happens on September 28.
Should Pacquiao face and beat the winner, the veteran would then hold three versions of the 147 pound crown. This feat would be enough to push Pacquiao back to the summit.
Pacquiao has months prior to any three-belt clash to set up an interim bout. There happens to be one contender available who could put Pacquiao at the top of the pile sooner.
That man would be Terence Crawford.
Any Pacquiao v Crawford collision, which would mean Top Rank and Mayweather Promotions working together to make it happen, would be huge. It would also elevate the winner to the very pinnacle of the sport.
Not only would they be WBA and WBO ruler, but the recognized superstar leading the way. At his ripe old age, what a feat that would be for Pacquiao.
A four-belt undisputed encounter against Porter or Spence would then become a firm reality.
Whether Pacquiao and Crawford, meaning their respective promotional forces, can put it together is another story entirely.
The options are there for Pacquiao to overtake them all once again, and it will interesting to see which route he pursues.
Enjoying two previous spells as P4P king in 2010 and 2016, Pacquiao has the opportunity to become the first boxer in history to take the crown three times during his career.
Pound for Pound #1 / 1970 – Present day:
1970
Jan: Jose Napoles
Dec: Joe Frazier
1973
Jan: George Foreman
1974
Jan: Muhammad Ali
1978
Feb: Roberto Duran
Sept: Muhammad Ali
1979
Oct: Roberto Duran
1980
Nov: Sugar Ray Leonard
1982
Feb: Marvin Hagler
1987
April: Sugar Ray Leonard
Aug: Mike Tyson
1990
Feb: Pernell Whitaker
Mar: Julio Cesar Chavez
1993
Sep: Riddick Bowe
Nov: Evander Holyfield
1994
April: Pernell Whitaker
1997
April: Oscar De La Hoya
1999
Sept: Felix Trinidad
2001
Sept: Bernard Hopkins
2002
Sept: Roy Jones Jr.
2004
May: Bernard Hopkins
2005
July: Floyd Mayweather
2010
Nov: Manny Pacquiao
2011
Sept: Floyd Mayweather
2016
Sept: Roman Gonzalez
Nov: Manny Pacquiao / Andre Ward
2017
Andre Ward
Sept: Gennady Golovkin
2018
Gennady Golovkin
May: Vasyl Lomachenko
2019
Vasyl Lomachenko
May: Canelo Alvarez
