MANILA, Philippines – The controversial majority decision of WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao over Mexican challenger Juan Manuel Marquez will have little impact on the Filipino champion’s popularity and can easily be reversed by a “convincing” victory in his next bout, a Mindanao-based political analyst said.
In an interview with ANC on Monday night, Edwin Espejo, a journalist who has been following Pacquiao’s career, said one controversial victory won’t “unmake what Manny has become.”
“I don’t see how his popularity as a boxer or a politican will be affected by this. He will still be one of the greatest boxers of his time,” he said.
“Manny just has to win convincingly in his next fight. It may not be Marquez, it could be [Floyd] Mayweather,” said Espejo, who thinks Marquez won the trilogy on points.
He said the majority decision isn’t as painful as his loss to Erik Morales in their first bout in 2005.
Espejo also said Pacquiao and Sarangani Governor Miguel Dominguez already made a deal to switch places in the next local elections in May 2013
Pacquiao will run for governor of Sarangani in 2013, while Dominguez, who is on his last term, will seek the lone congressional seat of the province.
“The die has been cast…Tapos na yan. That has been announced,” he said.
Espejo said being governor of Sarangani will help Pacquiao’s expected presidential bid in 2022 more than if he stays in Congress, where he is just one of over 200 congressmen. He also said Pacquiao is not cut out for Congress, but is learning his lessons well.
He added that Pacquiao can maintain his popularity as long as he can give away cars and houses, although he added that he believes the neophyte politican “sincerely wants to help the poor.”
