By Steve Lewis: This final part of this trilogy will be a “compare & contrast,” involving the predictions of a group previously mentioned in the 1st and 2nd installments of this trilogy: those who like to stir the pot up just to get a reaction from the Pacquiao fan base.

To reiterate, there are Monday Morning Quarterbacks who “player hate,” and player haters who “Monday morning quarterback,” but there are those who do both for the sake of getting a reaction, and consequently, to garner attention for themselves. There are lots of them out there, especially on the internet. So for purposes of brevity, I will be referring to these types, generically speaking, as the “Perez Menace,” in honor of a particular Pacman Nation favorite, known for his adept writing and Nostradamus-like prognosticating skills.

So Nostradmus-like indeed, that everyone should be running to their local bookie or going down to the sports book at the casinos based on what he and his similar thinking compatriots say. Let us take some past examples:

Prior to Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya:

“You know what’s going to happen, you just know it; Pacquiao is going to be too small, too over his head in trying to deal with the much bigger De La Hoya and is going to get taken apart by the surgeon-like shots from De La Hoya.”

“I go to say that I don’t see Pacquiao having much, if any, chance at beating De La Hoya. The added weight that Pacquiao has put on his small frame, some 12 pounds, has had the effect of making him slower, less mobile than he was at the lighter weight classes. At the same time, he remains what he was before – namely a small, 5′6″ fighter, trying to mix it up with a much bigger 5′11″ De La Hoya.”

“As a Mexican, I always wanted to see Pacquiao get his backside handed to him, but not like this. This fight is a joke and I personally feel ashamed to see De La Hoya, 35, resorting to taking a fight with a fighter so much smaller than him like Pacquiao. I could excuse De La Hoya for taking a fighter one level above or below his junior middleweight class, but for him to take a fighter three divisions below him at lightweight is just wrong.”

After the De la Hoya fight:

Oscar quits on his stool – Pacquiao wins TKO8!

Prior to Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton:

“If people think that Manny Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) is going to be the next “Golden Boy,” then I say they’re going to be sadly disappointed when Pacquiao is knocked out by Ricky Hatton (45-1, 32 KOs) on May 2nd, at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada.”

“Pacquiao won’t have that same luck tomorrow night and will be facing a fighter in Hatton that is fighting at his normal weight and who will be much bigger, stronger and aggressive than any fighter that Pacquiao has ever faced before in his career.”

“This is why I agree with De La Hoya’s prediction. Hatton will be knocking Pacquiao out tomorrow night and he’s going to shock the world in the process. Right now, not too many people are picking Hatton to win against Pacquiao, but boy are they going to be wrong.”

“Hatton isn’t just going to win, I see him destroying Pacquiao with power shots and making him look like a fighter that doesn’t belong at light welterweight. In fact, Pacquiao doesn’t belong at this weight, but after tomorrow night it will be academic.”

“I got to call like I like I see, he’s going to beat Pacquiao black and blue come May 2nd.”

After the Hatton fight:

Pacquiao knocks Hatton out cold in the 2nd Round!

Prior to Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto:

“I see Manny Pacquiao getting the living daylights beaten out of him on November 14th by WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in their fight at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas. What we have here is a good old fashioned case of overreach on the part of Pacquiao…Okay, so Pacquiao is facing Cotto instead of a shot fighter….Well, Cotto is a little diminished from his beating at the hands of the tough Mexican Antonio Margarito last year, but he’s still fighting at around 80% of what he was in the past. That should be enough for Cotto to easily get by Pacquiao. What we have here is a case of fools gold, with Pacquiao looking better than he actually is because of his wins over Hatton and De La Hoya.”

“He’s fast but he’s no power at welterweight. Pacquiao is only strong at the smaller weights. De La Hoya said himself that Pacquiao doesn’t punch hard. I have to believe an old champion like De La Hoya. He’s a great warrior and he’s telling it like it is. Pacquiao is fast, De La Hoya says, but he doesn’t hit hard.”

“Cotto is going to take Pacquiao to the wood shed and give him a terrible beating.”

“Pacquiao is going to be physical wreck by the time Cotto’s gets through with him. You ever seen someone that was in a bad car wreck? You know, with the bloody face, sideways nose, lips all busted up and teeth littering the car. This is how I see Pacquiao ending up by the time that Cotto gets through with him next month. Oh, it will be sad to see Pacquiao beaten so badly, but it will be good for boxing. I think it will make smaller fighters like Pacquiao think twice before moving up in weight.”

After the Cotto fight:

Cotto floored twice – Pacquiao wins TKO12!

So now, this obviously knowledgable and insightful “Jimmy the Greek” of the new era has this to say about the possible megafight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather:

“Manny will be slaughtered by Floyd.”

Among other things.

So those from Pacman Nation, time to turn in your wagers. Just look at Mr. Nostradumus here and follow his recent trends (i.e., pick the opposite!). And if he happens to be right this time, that gives him a 25% accuracy rate in the last 4 fights. Man, the handicappers and head honchos in Vegas must be beating down his door to have him work for them!

So for those who get aggravated in Pacman Nation, as you can see, the track record speaks for itself. No need to get the proverbial panties up in a bunch. So in closing, some wise tidbits previously shared by Pacman Nation’s favorite prognosticator:

“I really hope that Pacquiao takes his loss like a man and doesn’t come up with the excuses after the fact but I just don’t see it happening that way.”

“There’s one thing that fighters need to accept is responsibility for their losses. The worse thing they can do is start coming up with the excuses after the fact.”

Hmmm…maybe somebody needs to heed their own advice and follow through accordingly.