Oscar De La Hoya names who would have won if Pacquiao and Mayweather had fought in their primes

As is often the case with superfights, when Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally met in 2015, it was widely considered a fight that came too late.

Both were multi-weight world champions and the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, but they probably met five years after their peak. The show failed to live up to years of anticipation and has largely faded from memory. Mayweather was a clear and deserving winner, adding a third welterweight world title to his collection.

Boxing’s penchant for hindsight often fuels debates, and Oscar De La Hoya – who fought and lost to Mayweather and Pacquiao – was asked on Club Shay Shay about what might have happened if the two men had met closer to their peak.

“Let’s just say it probably would have been a controversial decision – a closer fight, but I still think Floyd probably would have succeeded.

“Pacquiao back then – when he was coming up, when I was fighting him – was literally a Pac-Man. He was chomping at me like there was no tomorrow, he kept throwing punches. This Pacquiao probably gives Mayweather a better fight.”

Pacquiao bounced back from the loss to win the world titles at welterweight and super-welterweight. And next year he may have the chance to avenge his defeat, with reports suggesting the two could meet again.