The Philippines is still in absolute shock when Juan Manuel Marquez knocked out Manny Pacquiao just before the end of the 6th round with a counter right hook (does he???) last Saturday night (US Pacific time) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, plummeting Manny into the canvas lights out.
After the fight, I ask myself, is this the end for Pacman?
To tell you honestly, Everybody knows boxing is a very dangerous sport, and for guy like him, I think it's time for him to retire. Let me explain.
__________________________
IS MANNY LOSING HIS EDGE?
Since his unanimous decision victory over Joshua Clottey back in 2010, Pacquiao never won again by knockout. In my opinion, I sensed that his style is slowly deteriorating, especially when he lost the "pound-for-pound king" status to Floyd Mayweather, Jr back in April of this year. Right now Manny is ranked second in the pound-for-pound list of Ring Magazine, and because of his two recent losses, probably he would switch places with Andre Ward, who is currently third; or relegate further to fourth, behind Sergio Martinez. If Donaire will win against Jorge Arce on December 15 (US Mountain time), maybe Manny might relegate further at fifth place.
__________________________
IS MANNY OVERCONFIDENT?
Probably. Especially if the fighter had a 15-fight winning streak. Overconfidence was probably one of the reasons why Manny lost to Marquez. In their last three fights Manny toppled Marquez several times but managed to get up at once. I was thinking that Manny might think that Marquez can be defeated if he could just overcome the latter's counter-punching abilities with a good strategy. But as I watched the pay-per-view yesterday, Manny was returning back from his old aggressive style of fighting he had way back in 1995. He is craving for a knockout so much he never saw Marquez's right hand coming.
On the other hand, Marquez has improved his style since the past few years. Yeah we all know he was sometimes dirty, but with clean knockouts against Michael Katsidis, Joel Casamayor and Juan Diaz, I think he brought back the stinging power he had before. Admit it, he is a force to be reckoned with. Counter-punching skills, check. Technical abilities, check. Stinging power, check. Handspeed, check. Dirty tactics, ABSOLUTELY!!!
__________________________
TOO MANY ROLES FOR MANNY?
We all know Manny is not just a boxer. He is a businessman, a recording artist, an actor, a politician, and a pastor. I think that was too much for Manny since he, as a male, is not used to multitasking.
Since the dawn of civilization men usually do the work, while women tends the house. In today's world everything has changed, men doing the household chores while women get high-paying jobs (the so-called women empowerment).
Two years ago, The Telegraph (www.telegraph.co.uk) posted an article about psychologists proving that women are better in multitasking than men, The Telegraph's Science Correspondent, Richard Gray, states that "women and men work on a number of simple tasks - such as searching for a key or doing easy maths problems - at the same time, the women significantly outperformed the men."
The study was conducted by a team of psychologists led by Professor Keith Laws from the University of Hertfordshire. As written by Richard Gray, "Prof. Laws gave 50 male and 50 female students eight minutes to perform three tasks at the same time: carrying out simple math problems, finding restaurants on a map and sketching a strategy for how they would search for a lost key in an imaginary field.
"As they performed the tasks, the volunteers also received a phone call that they could either chose to answer or not. If they did answer, they were given an additional general knowledge test while they continued to carry out their other activities.
"While women were able to preform well in all four activities at once, men performed, on average, worse when it came to planning to search for the key."
That's the case for Manny Pacquiao. Because of his popularity, he was put in other fields like in showbusiness and politics. That was too much for him. If he want to win more fights, he must focus on boxing. If he wants to help the people, continue pursuing politics. If he wants to spread the Word of God, continue being a pastor. That's it.
__________________________
WAS HIS NEWFOUND FAITH A JINX FOR MANNY?
Here's the most interesting part. Since Manny became a Reformed Christian, he lost twice in a row. First is Timothy Bradley, now Juan Manuel Marquez. If you would go back in the past 15 fights Manny always wins. He was Catholic back then.
Even if I am an Indepedent Christian, I have a feeling that probably the rosary he used to wear back then was the source of his strength. It was some sort of like a talisman wherein Manny draws his abilities from. When he became a Reformed Christian, though he never turned away from God, he turned away from the tradition that has been with him since he was born. It was like a good-luck charm. The Catholic faith took him to immortality, but with his newfound faith, no offense to other Reformed Christians, Manny fell under a jinx.
If my memory serves me correctly, after the fight, in GMA Flash Report, Mark Salazar from GMA News interviewed Mommy Dionesia Pacquiao, who, miraculously, never fainted after his son's loss. Though she accepted her son's fate after the fight, she blamed Manny's newfound faith as the key reason of her son's defeat, especially the pastors around him that "brainwashed" her son.
__________________________
WILL PACQUIAO AND MARQUEZ BEAT THE RECORD?
Even though Mommy Dionesia urges her son to retire, Manny stated yesterday that he will come back. He has no problems in facing Marquez again for the fifth time. Bob Arum said, "Sugar Ray Robinson and Jake Lamotta fought six times, why not break the record?"
He had a point. Manny is boxing's top draw. If he would retire, Philippine boxing will never be the same again. No more zero crime rates, no more unity amongst Filipinos. Manny is the one who unites the whole nation with his fights. Time stops when he fights. I myself am a witness. I watched the fight yesterday on a giant screen set up inside Puregold Angeles. Puregold employees, managers and supervisors, and even shoppers stop and watch the fight. After Manny lost, It's all back to business, but with sorrow in their hearts.
But Manny is 33 years old. He can retire anytime. If I am Manny, I will retire now, than having a concussion later.
Just like Mike Goldberg says in UFC, IT IS ALL OVER!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment