The top 10 pound-for-pound boxers pre-Andre Ward-Sergey Kovalev II

9. Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao may be pushing 40, but the eight-division champion remains one of the sport’s best fighters, albeit a naturally diminished version of the transcendent dynamo who ran roughshod over some of the sport’s best operators circa 2009. While Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) cannot claim to be his generation’s best boxer — that distinction belongs to Floyd Mayweather Jr. — he’s a living legend still adding to his legacy.

Recent victories over Timothy Bradley Jr. and Jessie Vargas confirmed that Pacquiao could likely defeat almost anyone hovering around 140 or 147 pounds, which is a testament to his skills and longevity. Although Pacquiao’s upcoming fight against Australia’s Jeff Horn is a cash grab and mismatch, it’s hard to be overly critical of a fighter who has faced every elite foe of his era — some of them multiple times.

All that said, Pacquiao’s days on this list are numbered. A glorified retirement world tour is something no fight fan should be subjected to, especially given that Pacquiao’s abilities suggest he still belongs in the ring with someone like Terence Crawford, even if he’d be a clear underdog at this stage of his illustrious career. The question for Pacquiao is whether he’ll go out trying to make an emphatic statement or if he’s simply content to meekly fade away.