Manny Pacquiao is now tied with Floyd Mayweather for the BoxingScene.com #1 pound for pound quarterly rankings. On the list, Pacquiao will be the sole #1 rank should he win in the upcoming Manny Pacquiao vs David Diaz fight. Here's what Cliff Rold has to say:


"I'll be up front and say that I'm among those who had Marquez narrowly edging Pacquiao out, but with two fighters that good and that close, the official verdict must stand. That presents us with a fighter for the ages no matter how you slice it. He's the only fighter in history to win the World title at 112 and 126 lbs.; the only one to win the World titles 112 and 130; and the only one to pull off that hat trick. Throw in an alphabelt at 122 and Pacquiao's blend of scale climbing and pressure fighting is as close to Henry Armstrong as today's fans may ever get.

Now look at who he's been fighting. Barrera and Morales are locks for the Hall of Fame; Marquez is on the bubble in terms of wins but certainly merits strong consideration based on aesthetic evidence. Yes, Barrera may have been past it in the Pacquiao rematch last October, but he was also nip-tuck only months before with Marquez.

Now Pacquiao heads up the scale in pursuit of a potential record fourth legitimate World title; he'll have to beat a solid contender and titlist in Diaz to move that direction and will be favored to do so. Think about it: He started his career at 108 lbs., meaning he's crossed a threshold of eight current and four "classic" weight classes and has improved along the way. Depending on what comes after and if he defeats Diaz, Pacquiao could easily have this spot to himself by the end of the year."

Update: There's an interesting discussion at BoxingScene Forum.

For those who missed the fight, Watch the Entire Pacquiao vs Marquez 2 HBO Fight in less than 10 Minutes: