Yes, I am one of those who believes that Manny Pacquiao should have hung up his gloves a few years ago.
I am not going to tell a prize fighter when to call it quits. That is their lookout and they?ll be judged after all when all is said and done.
So why is Manny continuing to fight?
In my opinion, it?s trying to correct or ensure a legacy of greatness. At 39 years of age, he knows that he doesn?t have a lot of time. In some ways, it?s a gamble. He?s 5-4 in his last nine fights. To many people, it is the losses. The loss to Jeff Horn via unanimous decision sticks in his craw.
Beginning with his 41st fight against Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003, Manny went 17-1-1 with the draw coming against Juan Manuel Marquez and the loss to Erik Morales. Up to 2011, that was an era of great success for Manny when he became a household name.
Suddenly, he loses back to back to Tim Bradley and Marquez. The fighter of the decade now seemed to be a fighter who had stayed on too long. Then there were two more losses. Including one to Floyd Mayweather in what I call a legacy loss. It was Money who grabbed that title as the arguably best of all time.
With Manny moving onto a bigger stage ? full-time politics — he wants to go out a winner.
When people call for him to retire, it?s also out of concern. He?s a national treasure and people want to keep that image of him as a champion. The losses tarnished his legacy whether he wants to admit it or not. Having said that, I believe when he eventually retires and a few years down the road, people will appreciate him more.
Some of that concern is going up against a fighter younger than he is. Lucas Matthysse is 35 years of age and he has a 39-4-1 record.
When Manny was 35 years of age, he strung up three wins ? against Brandon Rios, Bradley, and Chris Algieri. All via UD. Lucas has gone 2-0 at age 35 with a KO and TKO.
So you can understand some of this trepidation.
As for his relationship with Freddie Roach, I think that him leaning elsewhere is because he knows he?s 5-4 in his last nine bouts. He might want to go in a different direction. It is also possible he isn?t happy about the criticism coming from his own camp about the way he does things. Roach has made no bones about his being concerned about focus. It is easy to dismiss when you?re winning. When you?re struggling, those words sound even louder. They also ring of dissent. While I agree with Roach, apparently, Manny doesn?t.
As I recall in my analysis on a foreign news network a few years ago during the Mayweather fight, the tactics of Freddie Roach which he applied behind Oscar Dela Hoya?s corner in the Golden Boy?s match against Money was no less different during the Pacman-Floyd bout. They both ended in a win for Money.
Will they continue for the Matthysse fight?
It could be to salvage the PR nightmare that followed. Am not sure though if that is a good move given everything that has happened and said. But if Manny reached a compromise with Top Rank Promotions then it could happen with Freddie too. I just think that they should all move on after all that has been said.
Whatever happens, the Pacquiao-Roach tandem will rank right up there with Dundee-Ali/Leonard, D?Amato-Patterson/Tyson, Nacho Beristain/Dela Hoya and Lou Duva/Holyfield to name a few.
Whatever happens post-Matthysse, Manny?s legacy is secure. But he did go from being the greatest of all time to merely one of the greats. Who knows? History will pass that judgment a few years down the road.
