Comparing Mayweather & Pacquiao by Age, Weight & More:
The two best pound for pound fighters in the world, in whichever order you like, are Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. While Mayweather has been largely inactive and unavailable for the past several years, Pacquiao has garnered more and more accolades, as he continued his climb through the weight classes to become an eight-division world champion.
Pacquiao started as an astonishingly small fighter, campaigning as a Junior Flyweight (108 pounds) at the beginning of his professional career before advancing all the way to Junior Middleweight (154 pounds). Mayweather has traversed a number of divisions too, starting as a Super Featherweight (130 pounds) and also topping out at as a Junior Middleweight.
The disparity in the weight classes in which these two fighters began their professional careers seems to indicate that Mayweather is the bigger man, and that Pacquiao’s accomplishments are that much more astonishing. However, a close inspection of their time in the ring, both professionally and as amateurs, reveals a much different story.
The Rise of Pacquiao and Mayweather Through Multiple Divisions
Delving into the careers (see below for the complete timelines) of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao is quite interesting, and leads to some valuable takeaways about the size and accomplishments of both fighters. The first and most important point is that Pacquiao turned pro at the tender age of 16, while Mayweather had a lengthier amateur career, which took him to the Olympics and delayed his professional boxing debut until he was 19.
Each man, at the age of 16, was fighting as a Junior Flyweight. The difference is that Pacquiao was doing it professionally, while Mayweather was doing it as an amateur.
As a 17-year-old amateur, Mayweather moved up to Flyweight, and then underwent his final growth spurt, leading to the 1-1.5 inch height advantage that he has over Pacquiao. This led to his move up to the Featherweight division at the age of 19. Meanwhile, Pacquiao, fighting professionally, stayed at Flyweight until he was 20 years old, and then made his own jump up several divisions to Super Bantamweight.
Mayweather debuted professionally as a Super Featherweight in October of 1996, over a year and a half after Pacquiao’s first professional fight. He stayed put for four years and didn’t move up again until he was 25 years old, in April 2002. At this point he began his stint at Lightweight.
Pacquiao spent two years at Super Bantamweight before he progressed to Featherweight in November 2003, at age 24. He moved to Super Featherweight, in March 2005, and had a three year stay in the division. In June 2008 he moved to Lightweight, six years after Mayweather and four years older.
After Mayweather won his Lightweight title, he stayed in the division for two years, and then began a rapid ascent through the next several weight classes. In May 2004, at 27, he moved to Junior Welterweight. He won a title a year later, in June 2005, then five months later moved to Welterweight. He won his first Welterweight title in April 2006, at 29, and then moved up again to win a title at Junior Middleweight at 30. After only one fight at that weight, Mayweather dropped back down to Welterweight.
Pacquiao’s rapid ascent through the weight ranks followed roughly the same course. After only one fight at Lightweight, he moved to Junior Welterweight at 29, winning a title in May 2009. Five months later he jumped to Welterweight, winning a title there as well. In November 2010, at 31, Pacquiao moved up and won a title at Junior Middleweight. After only one fight at that weight, Pacquiao dropped back down to Welterweight.
Analyzing the Career Trajectories of Pacquiao & Mayweather
Many people peg Mayweather as a much larger man than Pacquiao, while Pacquiao is more highly lauded for moving further beyond his “natural” weight and winning titles in more divisions. While Mayweather is slightly taller than Pacquiao, the career trajectories show that it’s a stretch to label one as much larger than the other.
The slighter-than-expected difference in size for Pacquiao and Mayweather is reflected by their progression through the ranks. As professionals, Mayweather had lengthy stays at 130 and 135 pounds, and then jumped quickly to three higher classes. Pacquiao had lengthy stays at 122, 126 and 130 pounds, and then began his jump to four higher classes.
At 16 they fought in the same weight division. Pacquiao merely got a head start in the professional ranks and began earning titles sooner, and in lower divisions. Mayweather too won titles as a Flyweight and Featherweight, except he did it as an amateur.
The boxing life of each fighter took him all the way from Junior Flyweight (108 pounds) to Junior Middleweight (154 pounds), advancing through a total of 11 weight classes, and both begin weight class hopping above 135 pounds at a similar age.
As the younger Pacquiao caught up to Mayweather in weight, he began his breakneck ascent up multiple weight divisions at nearly the same point in his life as Mayweather’s. For each man, heavier weights and bigger paydays awaited, but at the same time, they outgrew their smaller frames, filled out as fully grown adults, and became tired of the rigors of cutting weight, settling in as natural Junior Welterweight to Welterweight fighters.
Contrary to popular opinion, the boxing lives of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao took them on remarkably parallel journeys. Pacquiao turned professional sooner, and lingered longer in the lower weights. Mayweather moved through the same weight classes as an amateur, and had his longer professional stints a few divisions above Pacquiao’s.
An inch and a half in height. Five pounds here or there. More or less time spent as an amateur.
At the end of the day, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are, for all intents and purposes, essentially the same size and have climbed past just as many rungs of the boxing ladder.
Floyd Mayweather’s Boxing Timeline: Weights & Accomplishments by Age
- Born: February 24, 1977; Age: 34
- Current Stats: 5’8″; 72″ reach; campaigns at Welterweight; heaviest official weigh-in of 150 lbs in May of 2007
Amateur Record
- 1993, Age 16: Won National Golden Gloves title at 106 lbs
- 1994, Age 17: Won National Golden Gloves title at 112 lbs
- 1996, Age 19: Won National Golden Gloves title at 125 lbs
- 1996, Age 19: Won bronze medal at Atlanta Olympics at 125 lbs
- Final amateur record 84-6 in 90 bouts, ending at age 19
Professional Record
- October 1996, Age 19: Professional Debut as Super Featherweight (130 lbs)
- October 1998, Age 21: Wins WBC Super Featherweight title; makes 8 title defenses
- April 2002, Age 25: Wins WBC Lightweight title (135 lbs); makes 3 title defenses
- May 2004, Age 27: Campaigns as Junior Welterweight (140 lbs)
- June 2005, Age 28: Wins WBC Junior Welterweight title
- November 2005, Age 28: Campaigns as Welterweight (147 lbs)
- April 2006, Age 29: Wins IBF Welterweight title
- November 2006, Age 29: Wins WBC Welterweight title; makes 1 title defense after next bout
- May 2007, Age 30: Wins WBC Junior Middleweight title (154 lbs)
- Professional Record to Date: 41-0, 25 KOs
- Titles in 5 weight divisions
Manny Pacquiao’s Boxing Timeline: Weights & Accomplishments by Age
- Born: December 17, 1978; Age: 32
- Current Stats: 5’6.5″; 67″ reach; campaigns at Welterweight; heaviest official weigh-in of 145.75 lbs in March 2010
Amateur Record
- 1993, Age 14: Makes Philippines’ national amateur team
- Amateur record 60-4 in 64 bouts, ending at age 16
Professional Record
- January 1995, Age 16: Professional Debut as Junior Flyweight (108 lbs)
- December 1998, Age 19: Wins WBC Flyweight title (112 lbs); makes 1 title defense
- December 1999, Age 21: Campaigns as Super Bantamweight (122 lbs)
- June 2001, Age 22: Wins IBF Super Bantamweight title; makes 4 title defenses
- November 2003, Age 24: Wins recognized Featherweight title (126 lbs)
- March 2005, Age 26: Campaigns as Super Featherweight (130 lbs)
- March 2008, Age 29: Wins WBC Super Featherweight title
- June 2008, Age 29: Wins WBC Lightweight title (135 lbs)
- December 2008, Age 29: Campaigns as Junior Welterweight (140 lbs)
- June 2009, Age 30: Wins recognized Junior Welterweight title
- November 2009, Age 30: Wins WBO Welterweight title (147 lbs); makes 1 title defense, second defense scheduled
- November 2010, Age 31: Wins WBC Junior Middleweight title (154 lbs)
- Professional Record to Date: 52-3-2, 38 KOs
- Titles in 8 weight divisions
