It doesn?t take much of a leap of faith to declare that Manny Pacquao, like the phoenix bird of mythology, is poised to be reborn and rejuvenated. And also like the phoenix, Pacquiao will be reborn from the ashes of his predecessor?in this case, ?reborn? from the ashes of his old self, energized with the drive and focus that saw him become an unstoppable force as he rose through the weight divisions.
So, why can I say such things? Is this just wishful thinking?
Well, knowing the competitive juices that flow through the veins of Manny Pacquiao, there can only be one response to the dark, dark days of the last couple of months. The eight-division world champ and icon will be feverishly driven towards redemption and a measure of revenge.
Manny now sits on the sidelines, healing both body and mind. Last month he suffered through a defeat against his greatest rival, Floyd Mayweather. Despite burning with desire to deliver a comeuppance to the abrasive Mayweather, several bad breaks stood in his way. Manny walked into the biggest fight of his life with a vulnerable shoulder that would be re-injured during the round of his greatest success, the fourth, right when he had momentarily stunned Mayweather into stiff-legged passivity. From that point forward, beating the elusive ?Money? would prove to be an uphill battle, made more difficult by fighting in Mayweather?s hometown under the rule of a commission widely regarded as protective of their hometown cash cow. A commission-denied pre-fight anti-inflammatory shot for Manny may or may not have been a factor in the loss, but it was no doubt just one of several things in place to hinder him and benefit Mayweather.
Still, Manny fought through the injury and the stacked deck, putting on a very solid performance that many say was more than enough to get a win. It didn?t go his way though and, to add insult to injury, class action lawsuits would be filed against him and his team for allegedly cheating the viewing public by going through with the fight, knowingly hampered by an injured shoulder.
Now, after the loss and the shoulder surgery and the lawsuits, Manny is still Manny. Arm in sling, he has had to bear the brunt of media scorn and even had to put up with an arrogant, dismissive Mayweather calling him a coward and a liar on worldwide television.
Lesser men would?ve crumbled. But as we have all come to know, Manny Pacquiao is made of stronger material than you and I. For a warrior at heart, humiliation and defeat is fuel. He will be back, better than ever and focused on redemption. If Mayweather won?t grant him the rematch, then everyone else in Manny?s way will have to pay the price. But one way or the other, Manny will not go out with a whimper.
