Settling of Issues Super-Fight

In less than 60 days, the highly anticipated Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez II (JMM) super fight will settle a lot of issues. I?ll mention two.

The Pacman is a beater of ?has beens?

For the label ?has been? to mean the fading ring capabilities of Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera (MAB) would be debatable.

What I?m saying is that tangling with JMM now would be the first time Manny will be fighting a sanctioning body recognized champion at 126 and 130-lb divisions.

When Manny beat Erik, Erik ?has been? the WBC champion having just lost his title to MAB. Likewise, MAB ?has been? the WBC champion when Manny beat him for the second time. JMM had already dethroned MAB in the latter?s immediate fight before facing Pacquiao.

It seems that Manny has developed the undesirable habit of facing a ?has been? champion. This appears to be a habit because Manny also faced MAB at 126-lbs when the latter was likewise a ?has been? featherweight champion. The ?Peoples Champion? accolade would just not perpetuate in the record books. Believe WBC President Jose Solaiman.

If JMM beats Manny come March 15, JMM would prove those who came up with the ?has been? label right.

If Manny beats Marquez, he would have succeeded in disproving this ugly ?has been? tag. Manny would also succeed in cutting off the habit of beating ?has beens?.

Manny?s win settles this issue.

Who really won the Pacquiao-Marquez I?

It is high time to stop asking either Manny or JMM this question. Or any of either fighter?s die hard and subjective fans. Even the totality of the scorecards of the odd-numbered judges says the fight was even.

Now it?s up to Manny or JMM to finally settle this issue come March 15. I wrote ?or? and not ?and? to avoid the decision being again left to the scorecards. If neither fighter shows a clear dominance over the other, then this fight would live up to its literally being the ?Pacquiao-Marquez II? fight. That is, having the same unsettled outcome.

If this fight ends as the first, then ?Settling of Issues? this super-fight is not.