Manny Pacquiao has been a powerhouse in boxing over the past 5 years beating everyone in his path. In his past 20 fights he has only lost once, to Erik Morales, and has avenged that loss by technical knock out twice. He has also TKO’d Marco Antonio Barrera who along with Erik Morales had never previously been stopped. Manny Pacquiao has said that this will be his final year as a boxer. Now I know that retirement speeches from boxers are about as reliable as campaign promises from politicians, but seeing as how he has thrown his hat into politics who knows what to expect from him. So how do you top stopping two future Hall of Famers? With the rematch with Barrera looking more and more like an oasis than an actual reality, here are some match-ups to keep him on the lips of boxing fans for years to come.
His alias means “Little Tyson” and if you have ever seen him fight than you already know why. Joan Guzman, the undefeated Dominican Republic fighter and WBO Super Featherweight Title holder, brings power, ferocity, and energy to all of his fights. A match-up between him and Pacquiao is like fire and dynamite; they just can’t help but be explosive. Their all action style of offense first defense second would be an all out battle that boxing fans wouldn’t forget for years.
Another match-up that would be good for Manny Pacquiao for different reasons is with another undefeated fighter. His name is Chris John and he has been sitting on his perch for years and nobody has been able to knock him off. His cause has been helped by not venturing to far from home, but what better way to leave boxing than by beating a champion. Plus Pacquiao’s case will be helped by his popularity. With many eyes looking at Pacquiao it won’t be so easy for John to quietly get a hometown decision like in his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez.
Pacquiao could also consider a bout with the newly crowned WBC Lightweight Champion, Joel Casamayor. While Joel Casamayor isn’t the star attraction of say a Diego Corrales or a Jose Luis Castillo, he is a well respected champion who has had fights with all of the good lightweights. In addition to fighting Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, he has also fought Acelino Freitas, Nate Campbell, and Kid Diamond. And more importantly than just fighting the big names, he has won these fights or it has been close. He has never been outclassed by anybody and that is a great opportunity for Pacquiao to prove his dominance.
Manny could also fight a rematch against Juan Manuel Marquez, a fight that ended in a draw due to a judges’ mistake on his scorecard. Pacquiao scored three first round knockdowns but Marquez regained his composure and boxed his way to a draw. Since the first Morales fight, Pacquiao has become such a better boxer that I would love to see these two fighters step into the ring to face each other again. If Pacquiao should emerge victorious from this fight than he should consider fighter Rafael Marquez, Juan Manuel Marquez’s brother, for his grand finale.
Unfortunately, moving any higher than lightweight and Pacquiao would more than likely forfeit the power that makes him such an opposing force, so match-ups against the likes of British Superstar, Ricky Hatton, and Pound for Pound King, Floyd Mayweather, is the stuff that dreams are made of. Even though I have listed many great match-ups, I have barely scratched the surface with the amount of talent that is out there. Other match-ups available for Pacquiao are Edwin Valero, In Jin Chi, or Rocky Juarez. With the plethora of talent that exists at the lower division, Pacquiao’s boxing future may be uncertain, but it’s anything but bleak.
Regardless of whom Pacquiao fights next, he can rest assure that the eyes of boxing will be watching. He has earned the love and affection of the boxing world for his actions in and out of the ring. As a true testament to Pacquiao’s boxing prowess you don’t see boxers looking into cameras after winning fights to challenge Pacquiao and you don’t see boxers using interviews trying to bait him into fights. Pacquiao does not cherry pick fights and he hasn’t ducked anyone. Furthermore, he has proven that you don’t have to talk tough to fight tough, that you can be respectful of your opponent and still have a great fight in the ring.
Manny has escaped the shadow that is Barrera and Morales by beating them both handily, something no other boxer can claim to have done. And not only did he defeat the living legends, he knocked them both out, a feat that has been underrated because of the weight division. Jermain Taylor should be somewhere taking notes on how it’s done. It’s not enough to just challenge the champions, you have to dominate them. If you want respect from the boxing community, take the fight to the champions and out of the judges’ hands. Pacquiao has shown to be a true champion and you would be hard pressed to find someone who has shown as much courage and heart that he has shown in the ring. If this truly is his final year as a boxer, he has given us enough memories to last a lifetime and hopefully he’ll make a few more before he makes his curtain call.
