MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao may never be the same again following his harrowing knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez last Dec. 8 at the MGM Grand.
Take it from Oscar dela Hoya.
The former world champion and pay-per-view king told radio station Power 106 in Los Angeles that it will take a lot of guts for Pacquiao to “rise again.”
It was brutal knockout that’s already being dubbed as the “knockout of the year.”
Can Pacquiao really recover from such loss?
“That’s going to be the million-dollar question,” said Dela Hoya, who fought Pacquiao in 2008 and quit on his stool heading into the ninth round.
“Psychologically he is always going to be feeling that punch. He’s always going to be looking for that punch. He will be doubting himself (and telling himself) ‘can I do this again,’” said Dela Hoya.
Pacquiao went down in the third round after a sweeping right hand by Marquez caught him on the side of his head, but had the strength to knock the Mexican down in the fifth.
It seemed that Pacquiao was going for the kill in the sixth, and in fact was ahead on all three scorecards, when he walked into Marquez’ powerful right straight.
It caught Pacquiao flush on the chin, with only one second left in the round, and he fell like a log.
No one could take such of a hit and stay on his feet. Not even Mike Tyson in his prime.
And it may haunt Pacquiao the rest of his career or the rest of his life – even if he tries hard not to show it.
“Even in training (he will be doubting himself). History shows this, and I’m not making this up. History shows that it’s impossible to (fully) come back (from that kind of a knockout).”
Again, Dela Hoya threw the million-dollar question.
“Can he (Pacquiao) come back? It’s up to him,” asked the Olympic champion and boxing’s Golden Boy.
“You look at Paul Williams (at how he got knocked out). Back in the days Thomas Hearns knocked out Roberto Duran and he landed face first. You look at Ricky Hatton at how he got knocked out,” Dela Hoya went on.
Hatton, of course, will always be remembered for the second-round knockout he suffered in the hands of Pacquiao, and it was very similar to the one the Filipino icon suffered against Marquez.
“You look at history in boxing,” Dela Hoya added.
It’s now up to Pacquiao.