So, who's really No. 1?

In Washington, a Texas congressman, Joe Barton, has introduced legislation that would prevent the NCAA from proclaiming a football game as being for the national championship unless it's the final of an eight-team playoff endorsed by Barton and many millions of other Americans, including President Barack Obama and Penn State coach Joe Paterno.

In Las Vegas, the debate as to who truly deserves the unofficial but prestigious designation as the premier pound-for-pound boxer in the world began in earnest Saturday night with junior welterweight Manny Pacquiao's two-round demolition of Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand Garden.

Pacquiao had assumed the mantle of P4P best upon the retirement of the previous claimant, Floyd Mayweather Jr., 16 months ago, and his rout of Hatton only served to buttress his supporters' claim that the Filipino southpaw still is king of the hill. At a Friday press conference in Vegas whose timing was anything but coincidental, Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs) announced he is ready to return to the ring and give fight fans "another dose of the Mayweather experience ... I will deliver the same electrifying performances I always have throughout my career."

That first dose comes on July 18 at the MGM Grand Garden when Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs) squares off against the formidable Juan Manuel Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs) in a catchweight bout with a contract limit of 144 pounds.

For those who like to piece together jigsaw puzzles or connect the clues in Tami Hoag mystery novels, Mayweather's comeback and the latest demonstration of Pacquiao's dominance are as interlocking as it ever gets. Consider the following:

— Pacquiao is 1-0-1 against Marquez, the victory by the narrowest of margins, so a rout by Mayweather on July 18 would support his stance that he remains "The Man," with Pacquiao only a pretender to the throne.

—"Pac-Man's" crushing of Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs), in which he floored the Englishman three times, the last of which left Hatton on the canvas, semiconscious, for several minutes, was even more devastating than Mayweather's 10th-round technical knockout of Hatton on Dec. 8, 2007.

—Pacquiao is promoted by Top Rank, whose founder is Bob Arum. Mayweather was promoted by Arum until there was an acrimonious split a couple of years ago, the result of which were lawsuits filed by both parties that are still pending.

Put it all together and Pacquiao and Mayweather are on a much-anticipated collision course, the impact likely to occur late this year or in the spring of 2010.

"(Mayweather) is scared of Manny Pacquiao," said Arum, throwing the first log on a bonfire of hype that figures to become a multimillion-dollar conflagration involving the two best fighters in the world.

In some ways, the path being set upon by Pacquiao and Mayweather is reminiscent of the first showdown between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, on March 8, 1971. Ali was the undefeated, deposed former heavyweight champion who had resumed his career after having been in exile for 3› years for his refusal to be inducted into the U.S. armed forces. Frazier was the reigning champ, but the only way for the public to anoint either as the best of the best was for them to settle matters where it counts, inside the ropes.

By that reckoning, Mayweather slides into the role of Ali while Pacquiao is cast as Frazier. The political and racial turmoil of the early 1970s has been replaced by the economic uncertainty of 2009, not that either man figures to work cheap. Pacquiao got $12 million for his night's efforts against Hatton (who was paid $8 million), and it's a lock he and Mayweather both will receive eight-figure paydays whenever they square off.

So, again, who's No. 1?

Arum, who has promoted megafights involving Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran, among others, said Pacquiao has a chance to not only be today's P4P best, but maybe the greatest ever.

"Ali had phenomenal speed and phenomenal reflexes, but he sure as hell didn't have the explosive power that Manny Pacquiao has," Arum said. "There has never been a fighter with the same combination of speed and explosive power as Manny Pacquiao."

Maybe Arum should check out some tapes of a prime Sugar Ray Robinson, when he was a welterweight, before he goes any further in lavishing praise on Pacquiao. But this much is clear: Pacquiao has a chance to become this era's Duran, a citizen of the boxing world whose appeal is not limited within any nation's borders.

When Pacquiao and Mayweather get around to swapping punches, it won't be the Philippines vs. the USA. It'll be No. 1 vs. No. 1. And, regardless of the time or circumstances, it doesn't get any better than that.