Pacquiao defends legacy in Mosley bout, says historian

Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao must win the upcoming fight against former world champ "Sugar" Shane Mosley since the result will be part of his legacy, a renowed boxing historian noted.

Bert Sugar, hailed as a boxing expert through his books, magazines and several sports broadcasts, said the bout will be a "Pacquiao vs. his legacy as much as [a] Pacquiao vs. Mosley.”

“Yes, Mosley should put up a fight but Pacquiao should win,” Sugar told Examiner.com’s Chris Robinson.

Mosley still a threat

Sugar said that the 39-year-old Mosley remains a threat despite his lackluster performance during his last fight.

“Yes, Mosley looked terrible against Sergio Mora. Sergio Mora looked worse against Mosley. But Mosley is a good fighter,” the historian told

Mosley, the former World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight champion, has held world titles in 3 weight classes. He has defeated the likes of Oscar dela Hoya, Fernando Vargas and Antonio Margarito.

The 32-year-old Pacquiao, on the other hand, has earned the distinction of being the only boxer in history to win 8 world titles in as many weight classes.

His swarming and aggressive style of fighting is allegedly the reason why undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been eluding a bout.

Sugar has hailed Pacquiao as one of the sport’s great fighters.

Pacquiao must win

The boxing historian also commented how the business aspect of the sport figured in the Pacquiao-Mosley fight.

“If Pacquiao fought you he would get a million eyeballs on pay-per-view; he's that big a hero. He's just that big,” said Sugar.

“Pacquiao has had fights against the David Diaz's and some of the other who were unknown. Mosley is a known and he will bring them in,” he added.

Several boxing analysts have criticized why Mosley was selection as Pacquiao’s next opponent. The analysts have said that the Filipino boxer will have a more competitive fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.

However, Pacquiao’s boxing promoter, Bob Arum, said Mosley is the bigger draw and therefore could generate more pay-per-view buys.

The Pacquiao-Mosley fight will take place on May 7 next year in Las Vegas, Nevada.

source: teampilipinas.info/