Video After The JumpAfter watching Manny Pacquiao destroy Antonio Margarito last Saturday, fracturing his eye socket in the process, many boxing fans are left to womder what's next for the Filipino champion.
Is Pacquiao unbeatable? Sure fire boxing Hall Of Fame boxer Bernard Hopkins doesn't think so.
B-Hop thinks Manny has been ducking African American fighters for a reason. Pacquiao has never fought an African American in his illustrious career. Hopkins says he is dodging them because they would beat him.
"Maybe I'm biased because I'm black, but I do think a fighter like the Ray Leonards, or anyone like that would beat a guy like Pacquiao if they come on their game, " Hopkins said. "Listen, this aint a racial thing, but then again or maybe it is...But the style that is embedded in most of us black fighters could be a problem to any other style of fighting."
In Pacquiao's defense, he came up in lighter weight divisions where there aren't many black fighters. And he did recently fight Joshua Clottey, but Clottey is a native African and doesn't use the styles of boxing Hopkins referenced.
Hopkins is hoping for the much anticipated Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Pacquia, because he think Money May will dominate.
"Floyd Mayweather would beat Manny Pacquiao because the styles that African-American fighters -- and I mean, black fighters from the streets or the inner cities -- would be successful," said Hopkins, according to Fanhouse.com. "I think Floyd Mayweather would pot-shot Pacquiao and bust him up in between the four-to-five punches that Pacquiao throws and then set him up later on down the line."
The Pacquiao camp isn't buying all this talk of race being a factor when it comes time for Manny to pick opponents. His promotor, Bob Arum told ESPN that Pac Man never ran and never will from any challenge.
"I have heard that, yes. A lot of people don't articulate it. But a lot of people, in effect, hint at it," Arum said. "But you're absolutely correct, and there is no argument there. The notion that he would not fight an African-American fighter is ridiculous."
So, does Bernard have a point?
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