Tungod, Inabanga, Bohol – In the wake of Philippine pride and boxing’s most sought-after superstar Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s (50-3-2, 38 KOs) demolition job of erstwhile welterweight champion Miguel Angel Cotto (34-2-0, 27 KOs) of Puerto Rico on the way to a record 7th world title in as many weight divisions, talks about a potential blockbuster showdown with superbly talented, yet awfully untested “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (40-0-0, 25 KOs) of the United States have created so much buzz that one would be led to believe that this titanic encounter is already in the bag… but hold your horses, fight fans! Though early reports have indicated both parties’ interest for this megabout, at least on the financial aspect of it, I, however, have serious doubts that Mayweather would win the lottery for Pacquiao’s next opponent in the first place. Before you dismiss the whole idea for a fact that this is really just my personal opinion, read on and try to think about the reasons behind this rather radical point of view.
Pacquiao is running for a political office. That’s already given and just like the last Philippine elections about three years ago, nobody can still stop him from doing something that he has put his mind into, perhaps even if he’s at a huge disadvantage. You see, Manny will always be Manny whether he’s inside or outside the ring. By now, your impatient mind might already be wondering, “so what?” Okay, here’s the deal. Running for office entails huge amounts of time and effort, not to mention that it is very physically demanding, to say the least. If Team Pacquiao chooses to go for Mayweather, don’t you think that would do him well not having his full attention in what could arguably go down as the most important bout in his illustrious boxing career and probably the one that will put him on the same breath as, or even surpass, the likes of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson in the elite list of all-time greats? Your guess is as good as mine!
Fighting someone of Mayweather’s caliber requires careful planning and strategic preparation. It is almost impossible for Pacquiao to have his full and undivided attention in training for the fight of his life if he also has to go campaigning to far-flung areas of his congressional district. Of course, Manny has always been a master of multi-tasking. However, this one’s different. Mayweather and politics are a whole different story than say, Cotto, concerts and Wapakman (the film) altogether. It’s certainly not worth the risk.
Here’s were Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) comes in. The Mexican counter-puncher is in the perfect position to negotiate a third installment of their two explosive encounters for three main reasons. The first reason is that Pacquiao’s win over Marquez at lightweight was far from being decisive. Pacquiao, for his part, would not want a question mark in his resume, especially looking back when his career is over and done with. If Pacquiao is able to defeat Marquez decisively this time around, which I expect he will at 140 or 142 lbs, then that question mark will be replaced with an exclamation point. Second, Pacquiao could go for a knockout, which I think is also inevitable before the 6th round (my early prediction), and use this as a huge bargaining chip for the eventual showdown with Mayweather, who wasn’t able to stop the considerably smaller Marquez when they traded mitts a few months back. And finally, the third reason being that fighting Marquez would not require a whole bunch of scouting and planning new strategies and/or training regimen that demand a lot of time and effort, considering the fact that by now Team Pacquiao very much knows Marquez pretty well already. The same cannot be said if Pacquiao opts to fight Mayweather.
Pacquiao-Marquez III might not be as huge as Pacquiao-Mayweather would be. Pacman-Pretty Boy is definitely what we all want to see… but any moment soon is not the right time for it, particularly for Pacquiao., unless he drops his political plans, which is close to impossible. Nevertheless, a bout with Marquez is still historically significant and probably financially viable, especially for the person who could go down in history as the G.O.A.T of this sport, unquestionably… and undeniably!
