Oscar De La Hoya says Sugar Ray Leonard would beat Manny Pacquiao in a fantasy fight. The former champion shared his thoughts during a recent chat with Mail Sport Boxing.
De La Hoya knows both fighters well. He lost to Pacquiao in his own career and has seen Leonard's legendary fights. When asked to pick a winner, he first called it a draw. But when pushed for a clear answer, he went with Leonard.
Pacquiao's career is full of impressive achievements. He's the only boxer to win world titles in eight different weight classes. He started at flyweight and worked his way up to light-middleweight. In 2019, he became the oldest welterweight champion ever when he beat Keith Thurman at 40 years old.
Pacquiao's win over Thurman shocked many boxing fans. It showed he still had the speed and power that made him famous as "Pac-Man".
Sugar Ray Leonard's career is just as impressive. He was the undisputed welterweight champion in 1981. One of his most famous wins was against Thomas Hearns. Leonard later moved up to middleweight and beat Marvin Hagler.
Leonard was part of the "Four Kings" of boxing. This group included Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, and Thomas Hearns. Leonard fought all of them at least once.
His fights with Duran were especially memorable. In their second bout on November 25, 1980, in New Orleans, Leonard made Duran quit in the 8th round. They fought again nine years later for the WBC super-middleweight title, with Leonard winning by unanimous decision.
Both Pacquiao and Leonard had a lot of success at welterweight. They each won world titles at 147 pounds. This makes De La Hoya's fantasy matchup even more interesting.
You can watch De La Hoya give his prediction in the 'Knockout' round with Mail Sport Boxing. It's a tough call between two boxing legends, but De La Hoya thinks Leonard would come out on top.
