Manny Pacquiao has definitely made his mark in boxing history as the only professional boxer ever to win seven titles in seven different weight classes.

But beyond his entire feat, he still stands a slim chance of cementing his immortality from the sport to which he owes his comfortable life to —  at least when it comes to boxers whose surnames start with the letter “P”.

The Ring Blog of the Ring Magazine, recognized as the bible of prized-fighting, has recently released a special feature naming A-Z boxers who has been the best and the finest of all time.

It’s a surprise, however, that the man who made it to the top of list at letter “A” isn’t Muhammad Ali, but Henry Armstrong.

Jumping into the meat of the matter, Pacquiao’s recent string of successes in the recent years, which ultimately crowned him as one of the sport’s finest, hasn’t proven to come close to matching the brilliant career of another fellow named Willie Pep.

Pep, nicknamed “The Will o’ the Wisp,” is described in the Ring feature as the “best pure boxer who ever lived” and had a professional record of 229 wins (65 knockouts), 11 losses, and a draw. Despite standing an inch shorter than Pacquiao at 5-foot-5, Pep appeared to be almost invincible, according to boxing analyst and historian Bert Sugar, who compared fighting Pep to “battling a man in the Hall of Mirrors."

“Pep won 229 fights over his 21-year professional career,” the feature says. “That included six victories over hall of famers and dozens of others over elite opponents. He won his first 62 fights and was an unfathomable 134-1-1 before he met his arch nemesis and fellow hall of famer Sandy
Saddler for the first time. And he held the featherweight title twice — first winning it when he was only 20 — during a time when there were essentially eight weight divisions.”

“Pep was likened to a tap dancer in boxing gloves. He was fast, he was agile, and he was graceful,” writes B.R. Bearden of East Side Boxing. “He was called the Will o' the Wisp because, like that illusive phenomenon, he was almost impossible to lay hands upon.”

“The name Willie Pep will forever be remembered as a name put to melody and symphony, a balletic will to grace that made him the ‘Will o’ the Wisp,’” Sugar.

One could not simply argue why Pep was chosen over Pacquiao. Maybe because of his record or his ring generalship or maybe because of the way he handled himself against the best of the best during his time.

Pacquiao’s story, on the other hand, still remains to be seen. His rags-to-riches story only brings more emphasis on the gravity and significance of each of his victories on the ring — something which has made him an icon of an embattled nation as the Philippines. Now assuming the role as a member of the House of Representatives for Sarangani province after winning the May 2010 automated polls, Pacquiao is embarking on a journey that only a few athletes like him has dared to take — as champions of the people.

Pacquiao is about to jumpstart his training camp in preparation for his much anticipated November 13 super welterweight bout against come-backing Antonio Margarito of Mexico at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. But issues have been brewing as of late, with the Filipino champion refusing to believe that the 5-foot-11 Margarito doesn’t know anything about the illegal substance found in his hand wraps prior to his January 2009 fight against Shane Mosley.

"Of course he knew that (he had illegal wraps)," Pacquiao, 51-3-2 (38 knockouts) said in a joint news conference at Beverly Hills Hotel on Tuesday, as reported by Reuters. "He is just making alibis but it's unfair to him that we don't give him another chance (to fight). He badly wants to fight again and to entertain people."

Pacquiao’s camp has reportedly requested two of his representatives to closely monitor the wrapping of Margarito’s hands come fight night, something which was welcomed by Margarito’s new trainer Roberto Garcia.

"I know the wrapping that I do and every single time the commissioners have always congratulated me for the good job that I do," Garcia told reporters. "I have no problem with Manny himself being there when I am wrapping." (With reports from Reuters)