Manny Pacquiao has identified the opponent who possessed the most formidable punching power he encountered throughout his storied career.
Having debuted as a 16-year-old light flyweight in 1995, Pacquiao climbed through the divisions to become an eight-weight world champion, sharing the ring with a litany of feared punchers. That list includes the likes of Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley, Brandon Rios, and Lucas Matthysse, as well as all-time greats such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Oscar De La Hoya, and Juan Manuel Marquez.
While Marquez delivered the single most consequential blow of Pacquiao’s career—the 2012 knockout—neither he nor the other heavy-handed rivals top Pacquiao’s list. Speaking to The Ring, the Filipino icon bestowed that distinction upon four-division champion Miguel Cotto.
“I can still feel some of those punches he threw at me. Staying on the ropes is not the best place to be when you are fighting him. He’s also accurate. He’s incredible.”
Pacquiao stopped Cotto in the twelfth round to claim the WBO welterweight title in November 2009, a contest widely hailed as Fight of the Year for its relentless, high-quality action. Cotto, who captured world titles from super lightweight to middleweight, finished his career with a 41-6 record, including 33 knockouts—a testament to the concussive power Pacquiao remembers vividly.
