By Klaas Mabetlela: The dust is settling down following a brutal fight between erstwhile Manny Pacquiao and compatriot Manuel Marquez. Speculations, advises, guesses are flowing all over the place especially regarding Manny’s future. Most of us are ditching advises and wishes that suit us and we forget that the most important person in this equation is erstwhile Manny Pacquiao.
The advises and wishes range from Manny Pacquiao taking a long rest before fighting on; taking a tune-up fight before embarking on big fights; not taking a tune-up since it is unnecessary (His coach Freddie Roach); retiring- as we heard remarks from Philippines and his family among many; fighting Marquez for the 5th since he was ‘winning’ their recent fight before the knockout and so on. His promoter Bob Arum insists that the 5th fight with Marquez is bigger than the fight with Floyd Mayweather. Some people feel that Manny needs to redeem himself and protect his legacy by fighting on.
I think Manny’s legacy is intact; he is a Hall of Famer and one of the most exciting ever-period. As for the future, I do not think he should retire. He just need time to heal, learn and re-prioritize. I also think that he should learn from Marquez and Floyd Mayweather that all fights require 100% plus preparation and focus no matter how big or small the fight is. Manny himself used to be a demon when it came to fight preparations but he has lifted a pedal a bit in the last few fights and at high level that makes a huge difference. I am sick and tired on excuses regarding distractions, we are not dealing with a truant school boy here. Top athletes know that the difference between winning and losing lie on smaller margins since competition is very tight.
Ultimately, boxing needs Manny Pacquiao more than he needs it at this juncture. As Arum said, we have not seen such an intense fight in years and unfortunately he is right. Ironically, the fact that Manny has been slipping actually helps in this regard because it makes his fights even more exciting. Manny also brings a lot of casual fans to boxing which is financially rewarding.
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