Manny Pacquiao, unquestionably one of the best boxers of his generation, says his third meeting with Timothy Bradley Jr. on April 9 will be the final fight of his career. If that's the case, then it's time to assess Pacquiao's place in boxing history.
ESPN asked its panel of boxing experts to rank the top 25 pound-for-pound boxers of the past 25 years. The results will be unveiled over eight days on ESPN.com, Facebook (ESPN Boxing) and Twitter (@ESPNBoxing) and counted down from No. 25 to No. 1, which will be announced on the eve of Pacquiao-Bradley III. Fans can use the hashtag #P4Prank to join the discussion and follow along.
Here is the fighter ranked at No. 1:
1. Floyd Mayweather
Record: 49-0, 26 KOs | Years active: 1996-2015
Weight classes: Junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight, welterweight, junior middleweight
Titles: 11
Top 3 signature wins: Diego Corrales, TKO10, 2001; Oscar De La Hoya, SD12, 2007; Manny Pacquiao, UD12, 2015
Stats & Info: Mayweather has five of the top six largest gates in Nevada boxing history, including $72 million for his fight against Manny Pacquiao.
ESPN's take: When Floyd Mayweather retired following a one-sided decision win against Andre Berto to retain his unified welterweight title in September, he walked away with a perfect record of 49-0 and a legacy of greatness in the ring. Perhaps he will make a comeback eventually -- he has retired and returned before - but even if he never does, Mayweather will go down as one of the best boxers in history. In his era, he had no peer defensively and is perhaps the greatest defensive fighter in history. But he also beat a who's who of his era and usually did so with ease. His sublime skill and polarizing personality made him the face of boxing and the highest paid athlete in the world as "Money" broke every boxing box office record with one mega fight after another. Mayweather, who was also an elite amateur and 1996 Olympic bronze medalist (after getting robbed by the judges), spent many years entrenched as the pound-for-pound king. When he easily outpointed Manny Pacquiao in May in their long-awaited and record-shattering superfight, Mayweather not only cemented his position as the No. 1 fighter in the world but stamped himself as king of the era. -- Dan Rafael