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LAS VEGAS. — One of the most notable differences between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao can be found in their amateur records. As they prepare to fight in Las Vegas on May 2, Mayweather’s supporters will point out that he was a brilliant and successful amateur but that Pacquiao never had much of an amateur career.

Mayweather won three American Golden Gloves titles and represented the United States at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where he won a bronze medal in the featherweight division.

He was probably unfortunate not to win gold because the scoring in his semi-final bout against Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria was highly controversial.

Todorov, who went on to win the silver medal, is one of only six people who can say they beat Mayweather when he was an amateur. But he won his other 84 amateur fights and has not been beaten in 47 professional bouts.

Little is known of Pacquiao’s amateur record. According to available records, he won 60 and lost four of his amateur bouts.

Some reports say he was living on the streets of Manila when he was 14-years-old. However, he must have started boxing at about that time because he was selected for the Philippine national team and given board and lodging by the local government.

Somewhere, however, there are a few men who can say they beat the famous and wealthy Filipino congressman when they were amateur boxers.

Since his debut as a professional on January 25 1995, when he beat Edmund Enting Ignacio on points over four rounds, only five boxers have beaten “Pacman”.

He lost on points over 12 rounds to Erik Morales on March 19 2005, on a split decision to Timothy Bradley on June 9 2012 and by knock-out in the sixth round to Juan Manuel Marquez on December 12 the same year – all three fights in Las Vegas.

The names of the two others who defeated Pacquiao will make almost unanswerable quiz questions. They were Rustico Torrecampo and Medgoen Singsurat.

Torrecampo knocked out Pacquiao in the third round in Manila on February 9 1996 and Singsurat stopped him in the third round in Nakhon Si Thammarat in Thailand on September 17 1999.

The popular Filipino also drew twice – with Agapito Sanchez in San Francisco in 2001 and with Marquez in Las Vegas in 2004.

But after those defeats against opponents whose names hardly anyone remembers, Pacquiao went on to be regarded by some experts as the best boxer, pound for pound, in the world.

His professional record before the biggest fight of his life stands at 57-5, with two draws and 38 wins inside the distance.

Most experts regarded Mayweather as the best of his generation as he remained undefeated in 47 bouts, of which he won 26 inside the distance.

But some of those, it will be said, were hand-picked to safeguard his status.

His professional debut was against Roberto Apodaca, whom he stopped in the second round at the Texas Station Casino in Las Vegas on October 11 1996, a year in which Pacquiao had seven fights.

The referee for Mayweather’s debut fight was Kenny Bayless, who has handled about a dozen of Pacquiao’s fights and several of Mayweather’s and is now one of the leading officials in the world.

Hand-picked opponents or not, Mayweather will be the favourite when they clash, at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas on May 2. — SuperSport.