I’ve been a very big fan of Manny Pacquiao, 44-3-2, 35 KO’s, for the last seven or eight years now. His ongoing career has been nothing short of dramatic. He is in my opinion, the most exciting champion active in boxing today. He is a buzz saw inside of the ring. He is a terrific offensive fighter, equally adept at knocking a foe out in concussive fashion as he is at out boxing and outworking an opponent over twelve torrid rounds.
For me, it’s more than just his heavy hands, sharpness and forward offensive motion that makes him special. Manny is a chance taker of the highest order. His offensive prowess is underlined by a complete willingness to lay it all on the line, regardless of the caliber of opponent. In fact, Pac has been accused by this writer of undue recklessness on occasion in the past, more so for his willingness to detonate than for displaying amateurish offerings or too much discretion in a climactic moment, something a few other present day marquee names have been accused of or given away wins displaying. It is precisely because of his willingness to dare to be great, coupled with his physical attributes and warrior spirit that he has become a force to be reckoned with and a champion in four weight divisions over the last decade.
Looking back at some of the other multi-division champs in the last twenty years, I cannot help but see some similarities between them and Manny. There is but a handful of fighters that have won major titles in several weight classes over the years, and often the argument comes up that today such a feat is far easier than it was in the day of Henry Armstrong and Sugar Ray Robinson, but this article isn’t about looking for new ways to split hairs or prop-up achievement. It’s about comparison mixed with a touch of deja vu.
For the sake of sheer context, there can be no winning a major world title at any level without desire, hunger and the fusion of pure character and skills. The winning of a title is not a chance happening. It is the culmination of years of toil, dedication, practice, sacrifice and usually underlined by a foreboding sense of desperation. That aside, there are those that win titles by showing exacting technique and surgical precision – and there are those that win titles by playing the role of the gunslinger. In the case of Manny Pacquiao, proper comparison demands a look at the gunslingers that have annexed titles over several weight classes rather than the acquisition of yet another bibelot and the bragging rights associated with the addition, in safety first fashion. The accumulation of scalps as opposed to amassed over time, eyebrow raising stats.
Of the available pool of multi-division former champions we as fans have to look back upon, there are three in particular that Manny Pacquiao mirrors in my mind, in varying ways. These are former, multi-division champions that from watching him perform, listening to him talk or even watching him outside of the ring, come to mind from time to time.
One fighter that Pacquiao reminds me of whenever I review his early losses and initial championship setbacks is Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns. Hearns made history in 1987 by being the first boxer to win titles in four different weight classes. Today, Manny holds the distinction of having won four titles in four different weight classes. Like Hearns, Manny has had to recover from an early career knockout loss, a third-round knockout and loss of his WBC Flyweight Title at the hands of Medgoen 3-K Battery in 1999. For his part, Hearns lost his WBA Welterweight Title to none other than the great Sugar Ray Leonard in a pivotal unification match back in 1981. Also in similar fashion to Hearns, Pacquiao took the loss in stride and moved-up in weight, ever confident in his ability to adapt and perform in improved fashion.
As he moved-up, his crushing power was still evident, but his ability to adapt and box in intelligent fashion often set the tone for success. Today, at super featherweight, Manny wins more by his ability to box and adapt in the ring than by merely looking to deliver his power in the hopes for an explosive knockout. In this regard, Pacquiao resembles a variant of Hearns in or about the period when he invaded light heavyweight waters.
There are two more multi-division greats that Manny reminds me of, strangely for similar and dissimilar reasons.
It occurs to me that Manny’s penchant for challenges and thirst for competition in this day and age of PPV mismatches and safety-first career paths resembles that of Oscar De La Hoya. Like Oscar, Manny has openly sought the biggest available game, having met the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez, and multi-division champions in Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barerra. Going into each bout with these great champions, victory for Manny was never a given. There was a sense of distinct risk with each bout being a gamble of sorts. Like Oscar, he could play the studied sharp shooter, seemingly bringing a superior set of skills and athleticism to his greatest bouts.
Also as in the case of Oscar, Manny has become a cross-over star of considerable magnitude. He is huge and in major demand, albeit in his homeland, but never the less, has managed to capture the hearts and imaginations of the general sports fan as well as those that have followed his career since its inception. His good looks, charisma and smile have all added to his appeal beyond the ring. Television spots, front page headlines, commercial endorsements – Manny has enjoyed a level of notoriety reserved for only a very select few fighters over the years.
One last fighter that has intermittently popped into my mind when watching Pacquiao over the years is Sugar Ray Leonard. Yes, Sugar Ray Leonard. You see, we live in a day and age where business interests, politics and careful career navigation rule the boxing landscape. For the most part, we’ve all watched the cream of today’s crop approach only the easiest challenges, and even then, there is almost always an angle of approach that lends itself to suspicion and questions, as in the recent Wladimir Klitschko – Lamon Brewster IBF Heavyweight Title rematch. Going back to Ray’s era, the best outright sought-out the best. In Manny’s challenge of the then-streaking Erik Morales, in a higher weight class, no less, fans were treated to an unlikely pairing between two successful fighters that were reigning champions, in no need of such heightened risk. The paydays and opportunity to toe the line in their respective weight classes was there, but he chose to make the match.
In their initial encounter, Morales underlined his greatness and studied approach by playing matador to the onrushing force of nature that so often is Pacquiao. It was an embarrassing loss for Manny, but not the type of setback that alters the career path of a fighter with his sense of competitiveness and ambition. Like Leonard, Manny demanded and got the rematch. Also like Leonard, Pacquiao approached the rematch with a different and more controlled strategy, taking control at the precise moment the opportunity to shift momentum presented itself. The result was a stoppage win against an equally talented fighter, the first stoppage loss of Morales’ career. In reversing the loss, Pacquiao demonstrated an indomitable fighting spirit and underlined his passion for competition beyond handsome purse figures and PPV ratings.
There is one last facet of Manny Pacquiao that reminds me of the great Sugar Ray Leonard. It’s something people often seem to overlook when discussing Manny, an attribute that I’ve heard others such as Oscar De La Hoya criticized for not showing during crucial moments in a heated or close bout. Like Leonard showed us in his bouts with Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler and even as late as his challenge of the much larger and stronger Donnie Lalonde, Pacquiao is not afraid to stick his neck into the fire and take a chance to get the victory. Can you imagine Manny adopting a late-round cruise control style after seven or eight close rounds of sheer boxing against an on-rushing aggressor the way Oscar De La Hoya did with Felix Trinidad in 1999? No way.
Pacquiao didn’t make that mistake after the near blowout of Juan Manuel Marquez. The huge early lead did nothing to quell his sense of urgency. Manny fought at full speed right up until the end. The official verdict notwithstanding, Manny dared to take the whole thing on his terms, not satisfied with leaving matters to outside forces. In both the Morales rematch and the rubber match, Manny opted to press the issue as opposed to being satisfied with a mere bunt and a checkmark in the win column. He dared to be great, looking to stamp his exclamation mark on the event.
So there you have it. In many ways Manny Pacquiao is a modern day mirror image of some of the great multi-division champs of yesteryear. In no way is he a carbon copy, or superior to them. What he is for fans today is a throwback of sorts, a rarity, a gunslinger in a time of PPV numbers, boxing politics and thirst for profit. Watch him and enjoy him while you can. Along the way, try to keep in mind that such fierce competitors don’t come along very often, and despite some rough edges and flaws, he gives fans his all each and every time he enters the ring, his popularity and star status be damned.
