Who took a big risk that paid off?

Pacquiao took the bigger risk since he was just a junior featherweight when he fought and utterly defeated an already established featherweight champion in Marco Antonio Barrera. Note that before that fight happened, Barrera was already a toast of boxing having defeated among others former champions Prince Naseem Hamed, Kevin Kelly and bitter rival Erik Morales avenging his earlier controversial loss to Erik. Barrera was the pre-fight favorite although Pacquiao was a live underdog having dispatched the highly touted Lehlo Lebwaba for the IBF 122 lbs. title two years before and beaten a number of opponents by spectacular KOs.