There is no iota of a doubt that Manny Pacquiao is one of the greatest boxers who ever lived or still living in this generation. His accomplishments in the ring are just too many to enumerate, but for the benefit of the novice boxing fans, Pacquiao is a sole holder of 10 world titles in eight different weight divisions. He is also the first and only boxer who holds four lineal title belts in four different weight classes. Pacquiao is also recently named as the most popular or searched athlete in the U.S. in 2011 besting Tiger Woods and Lebron James for the honor.
Problems with Greatness
Truly, pure greatness comes at a price as in the case of the pound for pound hero Manny Pacquiao. After demolishing a squad of celebrated fighters of the sweet science such as Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Antonio Margarito, Pacquiao is once again ridiculed for his mediocre performance against his long-time nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez. Did Pacquiao really win? He did but not so convincingly that a lot of people doubt his majority decision victory. Seriously, does Pacquiao need to knock out each of his opponent to be declared the winner? People thought that he would destroy Marquez easily because of his previous dominant performances against other superior fighters but they might have forgotten that styles make fight and Marques is no cakewalk, even for other legendary warriors. He also has victories over a few good names like Barrera and Katsidis so definitely, Marquez is a fighter to be reckoned with.
Erroneous Assumption
While Pacquiao subjugated other excellent fighters, it is wrong to assume that he will attain the same success against everyone else. Marquez has the perfect style to frustrate Pacquiao and that’s exactly what he has done. Pacquiao tried to make it a battle but Marquez did not oblige so Pacman should not be blamed for the result of the fight. The judges saw him winning and many boxing aficionados concurred so the decision is rightfully delivered. The problem is that many critics just couldn’t accept the fact that even the great Pacquiao can win a tightly-contested championship fight.
To avoid further disappointments, do not expect to see the Pacquiao-Mayweather be handed to you on a silver platter. Until both fighters sign the dotted line of the boxing contract, never believe that the fight is on; otherwise you may end up proclaiming that these two great fighters have failed you once more. But in reality, you failed yourselves for believing an overvalued hearsay.
Sources:
Admin, “Manny Pacquiao’s Biography” Manny Pacquiao Fan
Leah Goldman, “The Most Popular Athlete in 2011 is…” Business Insider Sports
Rick Reeno, “Pacquiao Decisions Marquez, Highly Controversial Win” BoxingScene
