Win or Lose Manny Pacquiao will remain a Legend

By Wil Patino - 02/15/2015 - Comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS1uIxU-juo
By Wilmar Patino (Boxing’s Finest): Many of us are familiar with the Manny Pacquiao story and what he has accomplished. With reports of the fight vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. edging closer I’d like to take the time to talk about the legend, Manny Pacquiao. Win or lose his legacy is forever cemented in the rich history of Boxing.

Manny Pacquiao came into the states as a replacement fighter vs the champion Lehlo Ledwaba as a 10-1 underdog. Manny Pacquiao displayed his great speed and athleticism and captured the attention of the Boxing world that night by completely dominating Ledwaba. He would soon pummel his way to bigger fights. Facing off with Marco Antonio Barrera and stopping him in scoring a TKO in the 11th round.

Afterwards in what what would become 1 of 4 classic battles Manny Pacquiao went to war with Juan Manuel Marquez and came out with a draw, and 4 years later gave us another classic in winning a split decision. in between those bouts he fought the legendary Erik Morales in a close fight in which he saw his first lost in the states. Of course I can go on in great detail about every big fight he had, but for the sake of not making this article too long I’ll focus more on why we will remember him and the mark he left in the great sport of Boxing.

I may not know what you think of Manny Pacquiao as a fighter or a person, but I do know that he has given us all great exciting fights along the way. He beat Barrera twice and won 2 out of 3 vs Erik Morales. His biggest fight came against Oscar De la Hoya where he was a small underdog once again. As Manny Pacquiao was moving up in weight and challenging the taller and what was expected to be bigger De la Hoya. Manny Pacquiao proceeded to destroy what was left of Oscar and had him quit on his stool.

In his next bout he took on Ricky Hatton for the lineal title at 140lbs. Ricky Hatton went in to that fight undefeated in that weight class looking to mix it up and make it a hellacious battle. What came after was the Knockout of the Year when Manny Pacquiao scored a crushing left hook to Hatton’s jaw. From the destruction of Miguel Cotto to throwing over 1,000 punches against Joshua Clottey at Cowboy’s Stadium it seemed the legend would only grow bigger.

Manny Pacquiao had a tough battle vs the much bigger Antonio Margarito in a fight that showcased Manny’s beautiful boxing skills and combination punching. He endured damage but surely gave the fans what they came for. Manny Pacquiao would also become only the 2nd boxer to drop Shane Mosley to the canvas if my memory servers right. Then there was the 3rd fight with Juan Manuel Marquez in which he would get a majority decision win. Some would dispute the victory either way the first 3 fights were all very close.

Who will forget the controversial loss to Timothy Bradley in a fight that many ring observers had Pacquiao winning comfortably. Yet he took a loss, and even then he was not afraid to take on Juan Manuel Marquez for a 4th time in what will become presumably the last fight in their saga. Manny Pacquiao came out very aggressive promising to be the first to stop Marquez. It seemed we were in for another great war as Marquez scored his first knockdown of Pacquiao and Pacquiao returned the favor. In the 6th round the fight seemed to come ever so closely to Pacquiao scoring a knockout or stoppage of Marquez before Marquez did what he does best and scored a beautiful counter shot that put Manny to sleep.

Even so, Pacquiao went on to move forward with his career in outboxing Brandon Rios and Redeeming his loss to the then #3 pound for pound fighter in the world in Timothy Bradley. We last saw Pacquiao officially score 6 knockdowns of Chris Algieri this past November. With all those great battles and accomplishments of being a 10 time champion, 4 time lineal, and titles in 8 divisions Pacquiao seems to be heading towards his biggest challenge in facing Floyd Mayweather Jr. if the fight ever gets done.

What can I say, I have enjoyed Manny Pacquiao’s legacy and seeing all the ups and downs that went along with it. From rematches, to trilogies, to 4 epic battles vs his rival Juan Manuel Marquez. What hasn’t Pacquiao given us as fans of the sport? Maybe you are not too fond of him or his legion of fans, but either way their is no denying he’s a legend. I’ve seen him win big, go to war, have close battles, get knocked out, lose controversially, win controversially, redeem his losses and also not have the chance to redeem his biggest loss. He basically has done it all. Now, he might head towards a legendary clash against one of the greatest fighters of this generation in Floyd Mayweather Jr. What is there not to like about his career? It surely hasn’t been perfect and we’ve seen him look like a machine and human all at the same time.

I for one will remember him as an exciting fighter with and entertaining style who conquered many weight divisions and went through many battles. No matter the situation Manny Pacquiao kept it moving forward and for that I commend him in his career. As a fan of both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr I’m looking forward to see them square off in the ring for the pound for pound title of this generation. No matter the outcome, win or lose Manny Pacquiao remains a legend. With this article is a beautiful tribute attached of one of this sports unforgettable Legends. I hope you enjoy it and let us hear you voice your opinion of the legacy of Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.

Be sure to check out my Youtube channel at the link below. Just copy and paste folks. :)

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