Marquez/Pacquio: What Happens Now?
The hype for Juan Manuel Marquez vs Manny Pacquio 4 was there, but I heard a lot of people displaying slight annoyance that seemed to stem from redundancy. I understand why a person can lose the lust to see a rematch, even if the previous ones were entertaining, because who wants to continue watching a different rendition of their favorite movie that has a similar ending. This 4th fight was anything but a rerun to the previous 3, and was arguably the most electrifying fight in the feud. As we slowly transition into the aftermath of this great fight, the question is: where do both fighters go from here, and what happens now?
“Manny Pacquio should retire, because he’s damaged goods, and Juan Manuel Marquez should retire on top because he has nothing else to prove!” Sound familiar? These words, and similar statements, come out immediately when a fighter, usually an already distinguished fighter but not limited to, goes through a great deal of stress whether good or bad.
Manny Pacquio was/is going through the stress of being on the opposite side of a devastating blow that rendered him unconscious for several minutes. This will indeed affect his thinking and the thinking of his loved ones, but does that mean he should ride off into the sunset? Should he adopt the path that his victim, Ricky Hatton, took after he suffered a similar defeat? I would say yes, if he was knocked out by a less than superb fighter and/or he had nothing else to offer the sport, but that’s not the case. His conqueror is easily becoming Julio Cesar Chavez’s competition as the best Mexican fighter of all times, if he hasn’t reached that status already. This defeat is bad in physicality, but not bad in viability.
If he decided to call it a career, no one would blame him nor would his legacy decline because of it. On the other hand, if he still has the desire to compete, it will not be looked at as a foolish decision to continue adding victims to his list. He is still better than almost every fighter in the 140 and 147 pound division, so there are still fights out there he can win over top opponents. The boxing world’s attitude is that they don’t care about Pacquio Bradley 2, but if it is made, it will be watched, which would be a good meaningful fight for him to bounce back with!
Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquio both spoke of going for the knock out in this fight, and they both did. They both traded knock downs in the 3rd and 5th until Marquez ended the fight. Neither fighter has anything left to prove, but when I hear that statement, the first thing that comes to mind is: They have nothing left to prove to who?
Juan Manuel Marquez, like Manny, could go the rest of his life without ever lacing up his gloves again and he will be known as one of the best fighters ever to do it, but is he done? Is he done getting on that stage and performing with a brutal, but also graceful, display of forceful action that he’s known his whole life? If he feels he is, I believe he should retire, but if not, I think he goes on and fights again until he feels he’s done.
A lot of people say it’s better to go out on top, but I say: “Fight while you’re on top, and quit before you spiral down!” And by that, I mean that a fighter should continue doing what they love doing and look into retirement when it’s time, such as: You lose the desire, you are no longer performing at a level you are proud of, health becomes an issue or you’re now at a higher risk of a health issue, etc.
Juan Manuel Marquez is in a great position to do what he wants, especially if he does it now! He just crushed an icon of the sport, so his stock has increased immensely, so if he acts now, his next fight will sell through the roof off of his performance from Saturday, but I say act now because the memory span of a boxing fan can be short lived.
[quote author=” – Phillip Harris”]Fight while you’re on top, and quit before you spiral down..Knowing when it’s over is the key![/quote]
