Is Now the Right Time for Manny Pacquiao Retire?
The name “Manny Pacquaio” is already considered to be one the most popular and widely spoken names around the globe. As an eight-division world champion, the “Pacman” has accomplished more than any boxer has ever been able to in the history of the sport, in terms of sheer progress through multiple weight classes. Additionally, Manny has fought and conquered numerous former world champions, fought much bigger opponents, and continued to prove the doubters wrong time and time again.
However, Pacquaio’s past two fights have perhaps begun to show a decline in his athletic capabilities and his ability to deliver his devastating knockout blows. Many now call to question whether Pacquaio should consider ending his already remarkable career, and retiring to further concentrate on his other business ventures and his political career.
Manny’s third bout against Juan Manuel Marquez last year was, to me, the beginnings of a slowing and weakening Pacquaio. Even though Manny won the fight by Majority Decision, the fight displayed a struggling Pacquaio missing many crucial shots, seemingly unable to close the distance with Marquez to release his speed and punch power.
Of course, we must not forget that Marquez fought a brilliant defensive fight, landing precise and accurate punches onto Pacquaio. In addition, his style has always been the antidote for Pacquiao’s whirlwind aggressiveness, so it wasn’t necessarily a surprise to see Pacquiao struggle. However, at the time many thought that with Marquez moving up to Welterweight waters, that Pacquiao would be able to dominate. After the poor performance, excuses came rolling in, in the form of Pacquiao’s marital issues and more.
Then came Pacquaio’s first loss since 2006, against Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley earlier this year, and here once again we saw a lackluster performance from Pacquaio’s side. Even though decision of the bout was controversial, Pacquaio failed to finish the match strongly, even with an injured Bradley.
For the majority of the bout it seemed as though Pacquaio was taking it easy for the first 2 minutes of each round, and only throwing punches in the final minute to try to steal the round. This may have been the strategy adopted by Pacquaio’s camp, and in particular Freddie Roach, but could this signs of a slowing down Manny Pacquaio?
The vintage Pacquiao we all know worked nonstop, every minute of every round for the whole fight. If that Pacquiao had been in with Bradley, he could have stopped Bradley, instead of letting him hang around.
Finally, the last point to consider in terms of Pacquiao retiring is the question of who he even has left to fight at this point. His three next options are all rematches – Bradley II; Marquez IV; and Cotto II. Of course, we would love to see Manny go up against undefeated fighter Floyd Mayweather. However, every time both camps speak, talks of money and drug tests seem to halt all negotiation. Maybe it’s time that we stop even considering a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight altogether.
Manny Pacquiao has fought and beaten so many top ranked fighters that he can retire a happy man. He is by far one of the most outstanding and exciting boxers of all time. He has the titles across eight divisions, the wins over hall of fame fighters and champions, a boatload of money and all of the fame and popularity a man can handle. Why do we need to see him in there with a fighter he has already beaten? And what else does Pacquiao have to accomplish? Maybe now is indeed the ideal time for him to retire.
