Boxing needs more fighters like Manny Pacquiao. There is nothing better than a fighter that wins on the championship level and looks good doing it. His menacing attack is reminiscent to Mike Tyson in the prime of his career. There is a misconception on why Mike Tyson was so popular in the 80’s. Many think it is because of his outrageous behavior out of the ring, but that is not true. It was because of the way he intimidated and knocked everyone out. He had an aura of power about him, that he could knock anyone out on any given night. Manny Pacquiao has that same kind of appeal. The Filipino marvel never takes a step back, always comes prepared, throws a ton of punches, and has the devastating KO power that keeps fans on the edge of their seats. Manny rivals only Arturo Gatti as being the most exciting slugger in the sport. I found it strange when an analyst said that Pacquiao was “quite a prospect” after he destroyed Jorge Eliecer Julio on the Tyson vs. Lewis under card. Usually two time world champions are not called prospects. Prospects are unproven and still have questions that need to be answered regarding their capabilities in the ring. There is only one question that needs to be asked about Manny Pacquiao: Is he the best fighter in the world?
The answer to that question is no with guys like Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Kostya Tszyu still at the top of their games. Still, “The Destroyer” never ceases to amaze me. At 19, the age most Americans are just starting to think about turning pro, Pacquiao knocked out Chartchai Sasakul to win the WBA Flyweight Title. As he rapidly developed into his adult body it became increasingly more difficult to make the 112 pound weight limit. About a year after beating Sasakul, Manny lost his belt on the scales by failing to make weight by one pound. The strain in trying to lose the weight left him in a dangerous state of exhaustion and his opponent simply had to push him over to get the win.
After that Pacquiao skipped over two weight divisions and began fighting at super bantamweight. That is a giant leap rarely seen in boxing and shows just how much weight Manny had to try to lose in order to make the flyweight limit. The move proved to be a wise one as Pacquiao was stronger than ever and started to go on a tear, knocking everyone out. American audiences first saw him when he was brought in as a late substitute against Lehlohonolo Ledwaba for the IBF Super Bantamweight Title. Manny, the underdog, took everyone by surprise by not only winning, but absolutely crushing Ledwaba. There was a buzz in the boxing world about the exhilarating ball of energy from the Philippines.
During this time I was calling for Pacquiao to fight Oscar Larios in order to unify the 122 pound division. Larios was, and still is, the WBC champion. That would have been a great fight if it had happened, but the opportunity came for Manny to face featherweight superstar Marco Antonio Barrera. At first I thought this was a mistake for Team Pacquiao. Barrera was of the pound for pound elite in the sport, plus he was naturally bigger than Pac Man. I thought that jumping up in weight to take on Barrera was a little too much for him at that time; especially with the chance to unify against Larios in a much more winnable fight. The Barrera fight went on and going into it I remember hoping that this would not ruin the exciting young fighter.
To my surprise and most observers, Barrera was severely beaten and eventually stopped in the 11th round by Pacquiao in a career defining performance. Fans were left speechless. He had made one of the world’s best look like an average club fighter. Was Manny really that good? Can he achieve greatness? He certainly has the right attitude to do so. After beating Barrera he said that he would fight any and all comers, including a rematch with Barrera, a defense against Juan Manuel Marquez, or even moving up one more division to fight Erik Morales. He stayed true to his word by agreeing to step in the ring with Marquez in his very next fight.
Juan Manuel Marquez is about as close to a perfect fighter that you can get. He has excellent physical gifts, intangibles, and flawless technique. However, because of his cautious counterpunching style his marketability has never been stellar. Because of this he had been one of the most avoided fighters in boxing until Pacquiao came along. Barrera or Morales wouldn’t dare step into the ring with Marquez during their reigns at featherweight. They were aware that Juan Manuel had boxing skills that would be extremely difficult to be victorious against. Since Marquez was not the most marketable fighter, the risk reward ratio did not make sense leaving him without a big fight for years. Then along comes Manny Pacquiao who agrees to fight Marquez without even blinking.
Going into that fight I slightly favored Marquez for a few reasons. First, I had never seen Marquez knocked down, hurt, or stunned. Second, as good as Pacquiao is, styles make fights and Marquez presented a difficult style for him. The best way to beat Juan Manuel is to stink out the place by jabbing and then running like Freddie Norwood did to him in 1999. Pacquiao would never do that. Since Marquez is a counter puncher he does not punch first and enjoys when his opponent comes right in to trade punches. That allows him to have the upper hand because no one is better at slipping punches and then finding openings to fire back at. Coming at Marquez allows him to display his whole arsenal of punches and have him be at his best. There was no secret that Manny was going to charge in face first like he always does so I figured that would play right into what Marquez wanted.
What Manny did in the first round of that fight was amazing. Nobody does that to Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao came straight at Marquez and pummeled him, putting him down three times. The Mexican showed off those intangibles I talked about earlier by somehow surviving that round and getting back on track in the subsequent rounds. In what may have been the fight of the year, Marquez survived the first round onslaught to come back and earn a draw against Pacquiao. If Manny had finished off Marquez in the first as it appeared he was going to I would have thought he was invincible.
That fight showed off that both boxers had special qualities about them. A rematch was a necessity due to the excitement generated from their performances. Marquez and Pacquiao are scheduled to do it again on February 29th of next year. If Manny is victorious that night he has a serious chance of becoming the #1 pound for pound fighter in the world. He clearly wants the big fights and is willing to take risks in order to make them happen. The talent in and around his weight class is very good. If he can consistently beat fighters like Erik Morales, Rocky Juarez, Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai, Scott Harrison, and Chris John there will be no denying that he is the best fighter in the world.
Manny looked sharp and focused in his last fight against Fahsan Por Thawatchai. He is a physical specimen in the prime of his career. Very few have the talent and dedication needed to become a legend. Manny Pacquiao has both and is in a position to establish himself as an all time great. It will be a pleasure watching him try to make history in the next few years.
