Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez are the last two true boxing stars left in the sport.
I am not saying there will be no more stars after them, but currently as we speak these two men are the faces of boxing.
Pacquiao the Filipino ring legend who came up from 106 lbs all the way to win a title in the 154 lbs junior middleweight division is still dominating younger foes at the age of 40.
The PacMan gobbles up opponents much larger than him just like the video game character. He went up over 40 lbs which is an unheard of feat to capture a title in eight different weight divisions.
He is known for his exciting fan friendly fighting style, throwing punches in bunches and trying put on a show for the fans in every fight.
Canelo is the biggest boxing star in Mexico and if he wasn’t signed to DAZN he would likely be the biggest Pay-Per-View draw in boxing.
He is only 29 years old, but has 56 fights under his belt and owns titles in four different weight divisions, junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight.
Much like Pacquiao, Canelo has climbed up different weight classes while being the shorter man and destroys his opponents with boxing mastery.
Pacquiao and Canelo have adoring fans, but they also have a lot of haters who try to discredit everything they accomplished in the ring. When you are on top it comes with the territory.
Both of these gentleman are warriors and great ambassadors for the sport. The way they carry themselves as true professionals who do not engage and vulgarity or insults is something younger boxers should admire and look up to.
They are fearless. Pacquiao has fought the scariest men in each division he fought in. Canelo has done the same, he fought Gennady Golovkin and beat him in a rematch and then went all the way up to 175 lbs to face a devastating puncher in Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev and stopped him for the WBO light heavyweight title.
Young up and coming boxers should aspire to be like Pacquiao and Canelo. Train hard, carry yourself with class, and always be professional inside and outside of the ring those are the traits of a class boxer.
Don’t copy those fighters who are partying at strip clubs, doing drugs, assaulting random people in the streets and acting like clowns on Twitter and Instagram.
Boxing needs more men like Pacquiao and Canelo.
