Ray Leonard: Fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao 'has to happen' -- Grand Rapids Press

By David Mayo, The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS -- Ray Leonard sat ringside last week and watched the second round of appetizers while boxing awaits its richest main course ever: Grand Rapids' Floyd Mayweather against Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.

The Hall of Famer fought in the biggest fights of the 1980s and, more than a quarter-century after most of those, finds himself just as eager to see a resolution to the pound-for-pound debate as any workaday fan.

"The fight has to happen," Leonard said. "They both are letting people call them pound-for-pound. They both are considered pound-for-pound right now. They've got to fight each other to prove who's the best, pound-for-pound -- fact.

"It's about the money, because boxing's a business. But also, if you want to be considered one of those guys, you've got to put up. That's a fight that appears to be inevitable at some point in time, hopefully sooner than later."

Leonard, who was here Friday night to serve as keynote speaker for Davenport University's Excellence in Business Gala, accurately predicted that Mayweather would feel out Shane Mosley early in their bout last Saturday, then turn it up as the rounds progressed.

That's exactly what happened after Mayweather got rocked in the second round before sweeping the remainder of the fight for a 12-round unanimous decision, less than two months after Pacquiao won similarly against Joshua Clottey, with both fights occurring because boxing's premier stars failed to reach agreement on drug testing last winter.

Now, with those two fights behind them, the sport's focus again turns to Mayweather-Pacquiao, with absolutely no certainty they can get any closer to an agreement this time.

"Shane had Mayweather out -- I mean big trouble," Leonard said. "And I was more impressed with Mayweather for rebounding in that second round, poising himself and coming back with a vengeance. That's what champions do.

"Both guys, Pacquiao and Mayweather, were quite impressive in their fights, and the anticipation is even greater now, I feel."

Leonard, who was part of one of boxing's most honorable rivalry quartets -- along with Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran -- declined to pick a winner if boxing's biggest megafight materializes.

"It's a toss-up, a pick-'em fight," he said. "Back in my day, maybe I'm a little biased, but it was a pick-'em fight when I fought Hearns -- probably a majority were picking Hearns over me -- or with Hagler, when nobody picked me.

"Those were the type of fights that were highly anticipated. Then, we met, and most of them lived up to the expectations. They were good fights. They were pick-'em fights. That's what boxing needs."

E-mail David Mayo: dmayo@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/David_Mayo

Source: mlive.com