Sometimes, an athlete?s entire legacy is unfairly defined by one terrible moment or poor decision. Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner had a stellar career, perhaps one even worthy of Hall of Fame consideration, but history will remember him as the guy who let the ball roll between his legs in the World Series, allowing the New York Mets to become world champs. It?s not fair that a long, distinguished career should be defined by one play in one game, but such is the life of an athlete competing at the highest levels of the sport.
For Manny Pacquiao, despite the tremendous feat of having won eight world titles in eight divisions and two decades of stellar ring performances, history may very well remember him best for his decisive loss to Floyd Mayweather back in May of 2015 in the biggest money bout of all time.
Maybe this one defeat would?ve been forgotten amid the multitude of great Pacquiao victories, if not for the disgraceful behavior and downright silly posturing that framed the Mayweather bout.
For years prior to the mega-fight, Team Pacquiao manipulated public opinion to give the impression that Manny was in hot pursuit of the cowardly Mayweather. Not a day went by that didn?t feature some headline somewhere about how ?Money? could run, but not hide forever from his comeuppance at the hands of the Filipino icon. The hype was so intense that, by the time the bout was actually signed, most Pacquiao fans sincerely felt that a flat-out slaughter was the only possible outcome in this hero vs. coward clash.
Of course, things didn?t go that way.
But then, to make a tough defeat even worse, Pacquiao and his people would cry ?injury? and blame the defeat entirely on a Pacquiao bum shoulder. That?s where a tough-to-stomach loss became embarrassing and, unfortunately for Manny, legacy-defining.
Now, after all the excuses and whining coming from Team Pacquiao in the wake of the Mayweather bout, the only way to reverse this negative stamp on a Hall of Fame career is to somehow get a ?do-over? against Floyd and make things right in the ring.
It?s too bad, though, that Mayweather doesn?t seem the least bit inclined to accommodate Pacquiao in this matter. Quite frankly, one can?t blame Mayweather, either, for refusing to give Manny a shot at redemption. After having his name dragged through the mud and his well-earned victory tainted by Team Pacquiao?s excuses and accusations, Mayweather has every right to ignore Pacquiao?s pleas, regardless of how much money is involved.
That leaves Pacquiao in a bind?a great fighter forever tainted by how he dealt with the greatest challenge of his career. And Pacquiao only has himself to blame.
