Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini is Team Pacquiao. Photo by Mark Giongco/INQUIRER
LAS VEGAS—Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, a legend in his own right, was all praise for his fellow boxing great Manny Pacquiao.
When asked where he would rank Pacquiao among the cream of the crop in the history of the sport, Mancini, one of the best fighters during his heyday in the 1980s, didn’t hold back in sharing his thoughts.
“Manny could’ve competed with anybody,” Mancini said Thursday. “Manny’s special, he’s one of the all-time greats. I admire what he’s accomplished so much and the fact that he still has a passion for boxing at this age.”
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“At this age, most guys are retired but he’s a senator in his country and he’s giving back to his country so much. The fact that he still has a passion to fight that’s what makes him so special. I am so intrigued by that.”
Mancini, who held the WBA lightweight world title from 1982 to 1984, marveled at Pacquiao’s footwork which sets him apart from other fighters.
“Manny’s greatest asset to me when I watch him is his footwork, movement. Boxing is a game of inches and angles and Manny always has the right inch, the right angle–makes you miss just enough. He’s able to counter you. He’s special. It’s his footwork more than anything. He moves pretty good.”
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Pacquiao has been fighting as a welterweight since 2009 and he rocked the division with one spectacular win after another.
But despite his dominance in the welterweight class, Mancini said Pacquiao was at his best as a featherweight.
“I don’t know if welterweight would be his best division. He fought the likes of Morales, Barrera, he fought him all as a featherweight,” he said, referring to Mexican warriors Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.
“I wouldn’t rank him as a welterweight, I would rank him more as a featherweight. He’s a top 10.”