There comes a time in the career of an athlete when they reach the pinnacle of their abilities. The majority of athletes will be remembered as “good” in their chosen sport, while others will stand out as “great”. It can happen in team sports with superstars the likes of Emmett Smith, Joe Montana, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, the Brazilian soccer star Pele, Diego Maradonna (also soccer), and even Wilt Chamberlain and the most dominant force in the NBA since big Wilt; Michael Jordan. A sport of individuals can see athletes that are one swing above the rest like golfers Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus along with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi of Tennis.
Boxing is no exception to this rule. In fact, as a sport, boxing maintains a list of athletes that hold an air of Greatness all to themselves. You have athletes from the past that radiated greatness like Muhammed Ali, Joe Frazier, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Salvador Sanchez, and of course Sugar Ray Robinson. Closer to present day, we see the likes of Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, Julio Cesar Chavez, Roberto Duran, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, and Roy Jones, JR.. A list of current fighters that present an aura of greatness include the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar De La Hoya, and Bernard Hopkins. Quickly adding his name to the current list is the man that has traveled the Pacific Ocean in search of his destiny to be great; Manny Pacquiao, 41-3-2, 33 KO’s.
To realize just how good he is, let’s take a look at what he has done in his 11 years as a professional fighter. He turned professional in 1995 as a Junior Flyweight. He would fight in his native Philippines during the beginning of his career, but bounced back and forth between junior flyweight and flyweight for three years before settling in as a true 112 pounder in 1998. During his journey he had amassed a record of 23 wins, 1 loss, with fifteen of those wins coming by way of knockout. In his twenty-fifth professional bout in only three years, the man known as “Pac-Man” would earn his first major title with an eighth round knockout of defending WBC Flyweight champion Chatchai Sasakul.
By 2004, Manny had dismantled all of the serious competitors in the Super Bantamweight division. It was clear why “Pac-Man” also earned the nickname “The Destroyer” for the way he demonstrated his ability to run rough shod over the division.
His first bout in the flyweight division would be a true testament to his power, skill, and ability. As a heavily favored underdog entering the ring, Pacquiao stared across the ring at the biggest obstacle by far in his pursuit of greatness; Marco Antonio Barrera. The crafty Mexican legend was an experienced brawler with enough skill and knowledge in the sport of boxing to hold a 57-3 record at that time. Stunning the boxing world, Manny would charge across the ring from the opening bell and bring the fight to Barrera. Utilizing speed, precision timing, and a tremendously powerful left hand, “Pac-Man” systematically broke Barrera down to earn an eleventh round technical knockout.
In one of the three times Manny has gone the distance in the last nine years, he would again do something that the boxing world had never seen. Highly regarded as one of the slickest, purest boxers in the sport, Juan Manuel Marquez was also the defending his WBA and IBF Featherweight belts when the two collided. Fireworks went off from the first round when Pacquiao forced Marquez into unfamiliar territory making him pull himself off of the canvas three times in the first round and convince referee Joe Cortez that he was OK to continue on. A mental lapse to become one dimensional by Manny allowed this contest to end in a draw.
Controversy will follow greatness. Look at Muhammad Ali and the whole ban from boxing for not going to Vietnam. Manny Pacquiao was no exception. Looking to add the moniker of “legend killer” to his resume, Pacquiao would square off against his third legend from Mexico; Erik Morales. The unanimous decision for Morales was not the controversy however; it was the antics leading up to the fight by his former promoter. “Pac-Man” would avenge this loss by handing Morales his only loss by way of knockout in his illustrious career when the referee stopped the fight in the tenth round.
So what makes Manny Pacquiao that great? Well, for starters, he is a three-division champion. Although some of his trinkets have been in the minor form, it was not until his demolition of Barrera that he was taken as a serious threat outside of the Philippines. Of those organizational prizes, he has held each for at least a year with the longest being a three year stay before he vacated the title to move up in weight.
There are plenty of fighters that are listed in the 130-pound division, but no one seems to be knocking on the door of the “Pac-Man”. For his up coming fight he had to accept a fight against a former featherweight champion coming off of a knockout loss and climbing two divisions-Oscar Larios. This fight is doing nothing for Manny Pacquiao except acting as a stay busy fight so he will be on his game come the rubber match with Morales that is already set.
His thrashing of Erik Morales played so heavily on the Mexican legend that he is trying to negotiate a catch weight of 132 pounds for the fight in hopes that the two extra pounds will make a difference for him. In addition to that, fans have been screaming for a rematch between Barrera and Pacquiao for two years now, but only recently did any talks begin to materialize-although they too have fallen through.
So here Manny Pacquiao sits, a fighter with nobody to fight. Sure, there will be the occasional prospect hoping to catch the “Destroyer” in a lackadaisical moment and score the upset, but with trainer Freddie Roach in the corner, that is very unlikely to happen. Could Manny Pacquiao move up to 135 and challenge the likes of Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo, or Acelino Freitas? If the “Pac-Man” can swallow a power pellet and exonerate his ghosts, it would likely be to his financial advantage.
The one thing Manny Pacquiao must realize is that there will come a time when he moves up in weight that the straight left hand that has ended all of his victories in a knockout since December of 1997 is not as effective. That is when the time will come for Manny to accept his status as a truly good fighter on the verge of greatness and bow out of the ring. Until that time comes, the boxing world should be on alert; there is a pandemic from the Philippines looking to break out.
