The Debates Go On LeBron or Jordan? Pacquiao or Floyd?
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 13 Feb 2023
Lebron James emerging as the new NBA scoring leader supplanting the great Kareem Abdul Jabbar after nearly four decades has reopened the debate who between Lebron and His Airness Michael Jordan has the better pro league career.
In like manner, a recent World Boxing News article by Phil Jay correcting that Floyd Mayweather Jr really beat just 21 of the earlier claimed record 23 world champions in his career has sparked a seemingly never ending debate as to who between him and archival Manny Pacquiao who also defeated 21, has the better championship career regardless of overall record.
Jordan was 6-0 in his NBA Finals appearances built around a new age record of two almost successive threepeats. In comparison, Lebron just earned championship rings in four of ten NBA Finals showing thus far.
Based on those statistics alone, Jordanaires said that clearly, MJ is not only the basketball GOAT or greatest of all time player but has the better pro league career over Lebron.
But Lebron believers point out that MJ's 6-0 Finals record is misleading as it reflected only Jordan's success in leading his team, the Chicago Bulls all the way to the championships which did not include his failures in the years before and after seasons 1990-91, 1991-92and 1992-93 and 1995-96, 1996-97 and 1997-98 which has some basis as Jordan started his career with the also ran Bulls in the 1984-85 season and ended it in seasons 2001-02 and 2002-03 with the also ran Washington Wizards.
By comparison, Lebron managed to lead his teams, first the Miami Heat then his original team Cleveland Cavaliers and his still current team, the Los Angeles Lakers to ten NBA Finals, four times to the championship from season 2009-2010 through 2019-2020. Though with just 40 percent success rate, Lebron was a regular fixture in the NBA Finals in ten straight seasons while Jordan saw action only in six.
And now that Lebron has proven not only his longevity but that he has remained an elite player despite his advancing age leading to his surpassing Jabbar's erstwhile league scoring record recently, adherents of King James have a new argument in the continuing debate.
Meanwhile, Phil Jay of the World Boxing News revisiting and correcting Mayweather Jr's claim of defeating 21 not 23 world champions during his two-parts career has triggered another debate with fans and believers of Manny Pacquiao who rightfully claims to beating as many world titlists in his own extensive pro boxing career.
Apart from his dubious 50-0 record (dubious because his 50th win was against a basically non boxer), Floyd fans had claimed that the American stylist had beaten more world champions. But that has been debunked by Jay who said his repeat wins over the same opponents namely Luis Castillo and Marcos Maidana were wrongly counted separately.
Pacquiao adherents are also pointing to Manny's world record of eight world division world championships more than make up for the disparity in overall win-loss record with Mayweather Jr who accounted for just a harvest of five division world championships in his career.
Though Mayweather and Pacquiao fought a few common opponents like Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley, there were also prominent names missing in each others list of victim world champions. Like Chico Corrales, Arturo Gatti and Saul Alvarez for Floyd and Eric Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Antonio Margarito for Pacquiao.
Which even broadens the debate to include who between these set of opponents are/were better themselves over the other. Was Corrales better than either Morales or Barrera or vice versa. Ditto with Margarito and Alvarez in their best primes.
What's your own takes on these continuing debates?
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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