By Chris Williams: Former two division world champion Ricky Hatton doesn’t like what he sees in Manny Pacquiao’s last three performances in the ring, and he believes these fights suggest a downward trend for the Filipino fighter that he’s likely not going to be able to reverse. Hatton says if it was just one poor performance then it wouldn’t be a big deal, but it’s been three straight fights where Pacquiao has looked less than great. Hatton says he doesn’t want him to get hurt if he continues to fight.
Speaking with On the Ropes Boxing Radio at doghouseboxing.com, Hatton said “I think Manny should retire now…he doesn’t look like the same fighter now…his last three performances haven’t been great. I can’t see the performances improving from here on end.”
Hatton brings up a good point about now being able to see Pacquiao improve from the way he’s fighting now. He’s 34, not 24, so the chances of Pacquiao changing course in the direction his career appears to be running in is remote at best. You rarely get an aging fighter that is showing signs of slipping fight after fight suddenly looking good again like he once did in his youth.
I know Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach seems to be under the impression that he can bring Pacquiao back to where he once was simply by having him train even harder, but that’s not likely to happen. Pacquiao is 34, and he’s been working out about as hard as you can work someone his age and he’s not producing like he once did. If anything, Pacquiao is getting diminishing returns.
You can have his strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza work on his strength, but the problem Pacquiao is having now is stamina related in part because he’s clearly not able to fight at the pace he once did, and you have wonder whether he can still take a hard shot without hitting the deck. Marquez put Pacquiao down twice last December, and if Marquez can do it then you’ve got to figure other guys will as well.
Pacquiao’s chin might be okay once his promoter Bob Arum halts the rematches with Marquez, and puts him in with some of his other Top Rank stable fighters like Bradley and Brandon Rios because those guys aren’t legit welterweights. But once Arum takes Pacquiao out of the comforts of facing his less than dangerous stable fighters, we could see Pacquiao getting knocked out against other welterweights.
I think Pacquiao is going to be one of those fighters that sticks around way, way too long, and ends up getting beaten pretty much every time he fights. If he keeps making big money, I can see him fighting into his 40s, I really can. The way he’s been losing recently will be nothing compared to how he’ll be losing towards the end of his career if he sticks around another six years. Dan Rafael of ESPN believes Pacquiao will keep fighting long after his skills have completely faded, and I believe that too.
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