In appreciation of a legend
It was not supposed to end that way.
Nope, not but a long shot. But somehow, Juan Manuel Marquez did the unthinkable by ending the series against archrival and Pinoy boxing hero Manny Pacquiao in the most brutal and devastating fashion – a sixth round knockout.
Nope. That wasn't supposed to be the ending of this story. Marquez was supposed to be the slick technical boxer who will make Pacquiao look bad with his counter punching skills, but not finish the fight via a brutal one-punch knockout. Manny Pacquiao was supposed to be the hungry one, the killing machine, the Pacquiao of old whose speed and power were envied and feared by many.
Add to it the fact that Pacquiao haven't suffered a legitimate knockdown since his knockout loss to Medgoen Singsurat 13 years and eight weight divisions ago. (No his phantom 'knockdowns' in the first Barrera fight and the Mosley fight don't count)
But somehow it happened. The king has fallen. The 10-time world champion, the only guy to hold world championships in eight different weight classes and the only guy to hold four lineal belts in as many weight classes has fallen badly in the hands of his arch nemesis.
You guys better believe it.
In one of the best fights of the year, Manny Pacquiao has reverted back to his old self. Taking criticisms for not having his old killer’s instinct anymore due to his newfound fame, Manny has once again proved that he can have that old aggression back. All for the sake of the fans, all for the sake of vindication, all for the sake of proving a point that he still has it.
The exciting one. The reckless. The killer. The destroyer and for a good portion of the fifth round, one would think that Marquez wouldn't last any longer with the barrage of punches, the speed and the aggression that Manny has shown, bouncing back from a third round knockdown.
One could say that his aggression may have caused him the fight and it may be right. In the final seconds of the sixth round, Pacquiao pushed Marquez into the ropes and over-committed with his 1-2, which Marquez timed perfectly with a bomb of a right hook. Out cold. Over.
One could say that Pacquiao has been deteriorating skill wise. Which is arguable at best. His chin may have betrayed him in this fight but that's it. For 17 minutes and 59 seconds of the fight, Pacquiao looked like the Pacquiao of old. Light on his feet, quick on his punches, throws with no remorse or whatsoever.
However, what's disputable are the claims that Pacquiao is just in it for the money, or Pacquiao is being too cocky or Pacquiao's focus isn't there anymore, as what these so-called "boxing analysts" in the Internet have suggested.
Pacquiao came in there to fight, to prove to himself and to the world that he can finish the Marquez series with a bang. The Filipinos wanted the Pacquiao of old for this fight, not the smart, technical Pacquiao or Ninong Manny or the fighting congressman of the Philippines and for one more time Pacquiao gave the Filipinos what they wanted, however this time it caused him dearly, he paid for it by being knocked out cold, face flat in the canvass.
Pacquiao came in there to prove one thing: that he's still the Manny Pacquiao that the fans paid to see, and despite the outcome, he proved it.
He has always given Filipinos what they've wanted. The most exciting fights, the glories, the bragging rights and all of that. Now is the time for the Filipinos to give it back.
When everything’s said and done, the guy lying down, unconscious, face flat on the canvass was an image of a man who has given out everything not only for his countrymen but for the sport of boxing as a whole.
Consider yourself lucky to live in and experience the era of the Pacman.
When it's all said and done, there will never be another Manny Pacquiao.
