No wonder, some fighters who chose not to join the slandering movement founded by Floyd Mayweather Sr. emerge to be inspired by the Pacman.
Being a fighter of diminutive physical built-up and who jumpstarted at flyweight his now ornate career , few could have ever conceived in their wildest forethoughts that Manny Pacquiao will be able to mount as high as the welterweight division with equal dominance and conquests as he have had in the lower weight divisions. Wrecking havoc and collecting major world titles along the way, Pacquiao saw himself rewriting boxing history after becoming the first boxing combatant to capture seven world titles in seven different weight divisions.
Because of his rather extraordinary achievement and most likely out of envy, some people out there spearheaded by the Mayweather family started to accuse Pacquiao, baselessly attributing his retention of speed and power as being enhanced by a controversial substance known in the medical sciences as steroids. But Pacquiao since setting foot on American soil as a fighter always came out clean. Despite it, the accusation has pervaded the public, and by some means succeeded to tarnish Pacquiao?s reputation because of the significant number who got dragged to the side of the Mayweather homestead.
In defense of himself, Manny Pacquiao claims his achievements by far is the fruit of his hard labor which he does with heartfelt responsibility and consummate dedication in order to sustain his God-given talent. Evidently, it?s kind of hard to discredit this assertion of the current pound-for-pound king whose phenomenal diligence in training is a public knowledge. No wonder, some fighters who chose not to join the slandering movement founded by Floyd Mayweather Sr. emerge to be inspired by the Pacman, who appears to make them believe that such echelon of accomplishment is reachable. Pacquiao is human after all.
A notable case in point is Juan Manuel Marquez. He tried leaping up 2 weight divisions higher- from lightweight to welterweight ? and issued a challenge nonchalantly to Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the 142-pound catchweight. Sensing great chance at victory, Mayweather graciously obliged. Unfortunately and being short in almost all areas of fighting weaponry, Marquez failed to execute the boxers? collective objective, but bearing in mind it was Mayweather opposite him, he did quite well, hitting the American with clean shots to the face while holding his ground down to the last bell despite the trash-talking resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan coming 2 lbs. overweight.
Having engaged Pacquiao in two electrifying fights that ended a no contest the first time while losing the second via a very controversial split decision, Marquez is widely considered as Pacquiao?s arch nemesis and has been howling for a third encounter in whatever weight category. With that said, it is easy to hypothesize that Marquez?s adventure farther north of his bailiwick is an effort to pursue and grab Pacquiao with a deciding fight, while believing all the while that he can do equally or even surpass what Pacquiao has been doing ? it may be safe to believe that without Pacquiao paving the way, Marquez may just have to spend all his boxing life without having traveled farther out of the idea that may have been at first outlandish to the great Mexican counter puncher.
Yet, another ring figure of note that now appears to be inspired by Pacquiao to try his luck north of his familiar zone is the future hall of famer Eric Morales. He did a trilogy with Pacquiao, winning the first but was harshly knockout in the succeeding two fights. He fought one more time but in a losing effort to the then WBC lightweight champion David Diaz; after which he went into hiatus only to lace up the gloves yet again a little more than two years later. This time campaigning at the welterweight field too, where Pacquiao is currently wiping out the front line. Morales is fresh from defeating the former Nicaraguan world champion Jose Alfaro in a welterweight match up. Just like Marquez, Morales intention at making noise in the league of bigger men is possibly based on Pacquiao?s workmanship; the display of which made him confident that just like the Filipino fighting marvel he could fashion out of himself a welterweight fighter of some acclaim, and in due course acquired one last shot at the former destitute kid from General Santos City, Philippines, for riches and probably, reclamation of his long lost glory. Who knows if and when Pacquiao succeeds at becoming a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, Marquez and Morales might as well follow suits in their native Mexico.
