Tag Archives: marquez

Posted on 08/07/2017

By: Sean Crose

Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez – arch foils of the great Manny Pacquiao – have announced their retirements. Good for both men. They’ve earned their keep in the sport. Sure enough, both fighters deserve Hall of Fame status upon becoming eligible for induction. As for Pacquiao (59-6-2), word is out that he aims to keep fighting – and that he plans to rematch Jeff Horn (17-0-1), which he is contractually permitted to do. Horn, for those with short memories, bested Pacquiao in highly controversial hometown fashion this past Fourth of July Weekend in Australia.

The problem for Pacquiao now may be the fact that it looks like he’ll be fighting Horn in Australia yet again. This, of course, means that the Filipino legend will probably once more find himself at the mercy of the judges. To say Pacquiao should simply knock his man out is to arguably divorce oneself from reality at this point. Pacquiao hasn’t had a knockout or stoppage in ages and he certainly didn’t seem his old self when he battled Horn this past summer. In all likelihood, a rematch will go to the scorecards, much as the first fight did. And that might not be good news for Pacquiao.

The bout will be for the WBO welterweight title which Horn lifted from Pacquiao, but it’s really for Pacquiao’s legacy, Horn’s future and for lots of money. Pacquiao isn’t the pay per view draw he used to be. Indeed, he’s not a pay per view fighter at all anymore. What the man remains, however, is a hugely popular, internationally known athlete. ESPN was rewarded for broadcasting the first Pacquiao-Horn fight with millions of viewers. No doubt the rematch, which may go down in November, will bring in some good ratings, as well.

Many believe Pacquiao has been on the downslide for years, and it’s hard to argue against that line of thought after seeing the man’s ring performance last month. The buzzing, dominating, angle maestro who threw punches in bunches with piston-like speed was nowhere to be found. Having said that, it certainly seemed like Pacquiao had done enough to win the fight after the final bell rang. Horn was tough, determined and more skilled than perhaps most people thought before the fight, but defying expectations doth not a winner make. Not in a fair world, at least. Life, however, isn’t always fair.

That’s something that’s painfully evident in the sport of boxing.

As for Pacquiao’s former foes, both Marquez and Bradley have opted to remove themselves from such ugliness. Both have earned a ton over the course of their careers. Marquez leaves the ring a legend. Bradley seems poised to perhaps become a legend as time moves on. He’s one of those fighters who looks to grow in stature as the years pass by. There are analysts who feel Pacquiao is at the point in his career where he too should hang up his gloves. A brilliant performance against Horn might change a lot of opinions, but does the man have another brilliant performance left in him?

Posted on 07/13/2016

Speculation Swirls With Announcement Of Manny Pacquiao Return
By: Sean Crose

“Don’t call it a comeback!” rapper LL Cool J hollered on his album “Momma Said Knock You Out.” The same statement could well apply to Manny Pacquiao now that he’s announced his “return” after what amounts to a couple of weeks’ worth of retirement. He simply hasn’t been away long enough to be retired. The guy only fights twice a year, for Pete’s sake, and his last bout was in the spring. Still, the Filipino Senator is once again the talk of the fight game with a return scheduled for this October.

Word was out that Manny might indeed face the colorful Adrien Broner. That may not have made for a top tier matchup, but it would have been interesting and would also have probably earned some serious pay per view coin. It may also have pleased fight guru Al Haymon to have what must be the biggest headache in his stable engage in a huge fight that would prove lucrative, win, lose or draw. Sadly, however, Pacquiao-Broner seems as if it’s simply not meant to be. For Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum claims that Broner simply asked for too much money (Broner is very much a contemporary fighter, after all).

Who else is out there for Pacquiao, though? Sure, there’s plenty of guys, but which ones are pay per view worthy? Jesse Vargas is being mentioned, but I can’t see that fight bringing in the numbers Pacquiao’s last fight with Tim Bradley…did and that bout was said to be a financial disappointment. Vargas simply isn’t a big enough name. Haymon fighters Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia would all prove interesting, but it’s worth wondering whether Haymon would want to send out his top welterweights to face a man who fights for another promoter and who might well beat them.

Terrence Crawford fights in the same camp as Pacquiao does, but he’s up against the extremely talented Viktor Postol this summer. Sure, Crawford may win the fight, but he may also lose. Indeed, Crawford-Postol is a very close matchup to call right now. Besides, if Crawford wins, he might need some more time to prepare for what would undoubtedly be the match of his life. As for Postol, well, he’s not really well known. Sure, he could fight Manny if he beats Crawford, but would a match pitting Pacquiao against the lanky European be something fans would clamor for?

The name of Floyd Mayweather will undoubtedly come up at some point, but I really don’t think fans would be crazy about that one. Many say a Manny-Floyd rematch would be huge if it did half the numbers of the first fight. Fine…but I wonder if it would actually do that much. Likewise, rematches with Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez may also have a “been there, done that” feel to them. Who, then, will the Filipino icon end up facing this fall? You can be sure it will be someone.

You can also be sure you’ll have to pay to watch it.