There was a time, not so long ago, when a beast from the Far East named Manny Pacquiao sowed terror by embalming opposing boxers alive in the squared circle. Back then; Pacquiao beat up his opponents so bad there was nothing left thereafter for the vultures to feast on.
Flash forward to the present day: Pacquiao is still a fixture in the ring, but the visage that once sent shivers down an opponent?s spine has been replaced by a more subdued, even civilized look. And you know what the old-timers love to say: ?When a fighter becomes civilized, he?s finished.?
True enough, Pacquiao has not scored a knockout victory in the last three years, something difficult to imagine for a guy who boasts of the punching power of the Incredible Hulk. However, as an incumbent Congressman and aspiring Bible preacher, Pacquiao?s priorities have evidently changed. When Pacquiao outpointed American Shane Mosley in May 2011, he was criticized for being overtly friendly. Pacquiao fought as if he wanted to win Mosley?s vote in an election.
Amid rising and alarming concerns that Pacquiao has become soft, the boxing world may be in for a drastic change on December 8, when the Filipino ring icon returns to the ring to take on Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez in a non-title welterweight (147 pounds) match.
Marquez has yet to throw a punch at Pacquiao, but he has already succeeded in knocking some sense into the latter?s head. Fully cognizant of the fact that Marquez is capable of beating him, Pacquiao has vowed to bring back his old, ferocious self when they square off for the fourth time.
It sounded like music to the ears of Pacquiao?s followers when the eight-division world champion talked about regaining his old form. ?I want to make this fight short. I want to knock him [Marquez] out,? said Pacquiao during the official press conference launching the fight. It has been awhile since Pacquiao talked with bad intentions and trainer Freddie Roach couldn?t be happier. ?I don?t want the nice Pacquiao, that makes me crazy,? said Roach.
Pacquiao is going back to his old ways, at least as far as boxing is concerned. Then again, the fact remains that Pacquiao is already 33 years old and has accumulated a lot of fistic mileage. For Pacquiao to turn back the clock, he has to work overtime in the gym. He appears to be up to the task, jettisoning Baguio and opting to lock himself up at Roach?s Wild Card Gym in California for the entire duration of training camp.
Marquez, 54-6-1, 39 knockouts, has also promised to finish off Pacquiao in what could be their final showdown. But considering Marquez?s pure counterpunching style, it is difficult to fathom the Mexican abandoning his style of fighting that has proven to be very effective against Pacquiao. On the contrary, when it is Pacquiao who talks about igniting a punchaton, there is good reason for opposing fighters to be scared. Pacquiao started out as a devil-may-care slugger and only altered his style (to include some nifty boxing moves) when he moved up in weight. Pacquiao needed to be flexible as moving up in weight meant taking on heavier foes who would not readily fall from one punch. When Pacquiao took on Antonio Margarito for the World Boxing Council (WBC) super welterweight crown (154 pounds) in November 2010, it was the Filipino?s boxing skills that gave him a huge push against the taller and heftier Mexican.
For the Marquez fight, many feel it is time for Pacquiao to go back to his gung-ho self. Pacquiao changed his style to prolong his career, but now that he is down to his last few fights, the time has come for him to let it all hang out.
Jungle fever has hit Pacquiao. Let?s hope the beast in the Pacman will come roaring out of the corner in December.
