A knockout or an impressive win by Manny Pacquiao over Chris Algieri on Nov. 22 in Macau, China, could prompt the Filipino star to set aside his plan to retire in 2015 and continue fighting as long as he keeps on winning.
Pacquiao, who turns 36 on Dec.17 has said last year that he plans to retire in 2015 or after two or three more fights. But if he scores a KO win over Algieri, his popularity will continue to soar and more elite fighters will chase him for huge purses. Pacquiao, who is the second highest paid boxer today, is favored to win over unbeaten the light welterweight champion. Also if he wins convincingly or scores a KO win against Algieri, his guaranteed purse will eventually rise which makes it even more tempting for him to continue fighting. Continuing to fight on a winning mode becomes a business decision for Pacquiao who needs huge funding for his charities or even for his political agenda. But Pacquiao’s ability to score a KO against Algieri is now becoming an issue in the wake of his knockout holiday that started right after his KO win over Puerto Rican star Miguel Coitto five years ago. Pacquiao’s inability to score a knockout win even before his devastating loss to longtime foe Juan Manuel Marquez has led to the decline of his guaranteed purse as well as his share in pay-per-view revenue. Although Pacquiao looked good in his last two fights following his loss to Marquez, he was visibly not the knockout artist that fans used to watch in the ring. In his comeback fight against Brandon Rios at he Cotai Arena of the Venetian Resort & Casino in Macau, China last year, Pacquiao failed to impress his fans as he settled for a unanimous decision win. In a rematch against Timothy Bradley last April, Pacquiao tried but failed to score a knockout win. Leading up to the Algieri fight, everyone wants Pacquiao to go for a KO win including his longtime trainer Freddie Roach, who wants a quick finish on Nov. 22.
Kia Sorento playing coach Manny Pacquiao with Jun Aquino, MP official artist Jun Aquino/MP Promotions Like this image Roach must have realized that only a KO win can silence Pacquiao’s critics and send his popularity rating soaring once more. To end Pacquiao’s KO holiday, Roach has assembled a tough group of sparring partners to make sure that he wins the fight via KO. “Well, you know, we added some big sparring partners. Mike Jones is really a big, good puncher and so forth, and Manny is doing really well with him. He’s hit him with some good shots here. He’s hurt him a couple time in training camp already,” Roach told reporters “He’s showing good power so far and he’s showing the intensity that I want. When he hurts somebody, then he opens up on them and finishes them. I told him if we get rid of a sparring partner, we just get another one. So training camp is going really well,” he said. “I would love to see a knockout,’ Roach added. Pacquiao was quoted to have said that he wants a short fight, indicating that he will indeed go for a KO win. Indeed, a knockout win over Algieri will likely extend Pacquiao’s impending retirement beyond 2015.
