I am not a die hard Pacquiao fan, I'd like to think I am unbiased. I felt Marquez won the last fight even the second fight but the judges saw differently, not Manny's fault, so I knew defeat is a high possibility given how they fought previously. It's as if JuanMa was Pac's ring equal. Preparation, execution, talent they are very equal in many ways and they knew each other very well.
So came into the fight, first and second round was evenly fought although I had Manny winning in both 20-18. I said to myself it's going to be the same. Come third round Manny was caught/blindsided by a whopping punch from Marquez. From that round I came to know something different is going to happen the possiblity of a Pacquiao loss is inevitable. and so I thought.
Come the fifth round. Boom! Manny catches Marquez with a short left hook that rattled his knees, his gloves touching the canvas.Wow I said first knockdown by Pacquiao since Shane Mosley there could be a comeback of sorts. I was watching at home via pay-per-view, with a delirious household, friends and neighbors alike. In my native Philippines this is a natural thing friends gather to cheer Manny on and to their delight Manny didn't disappoint after downing Marquez, Pacquiao went on a flurry of punches catching Marquez, the most I've seen him caught by a Pacquiao flurry. I said to myself, well Mr. Pacquiao could very well still win it after all. But it was just me.
6th round, Pac was fantastic following up from the fifth Marquez nose and maybe the lips were bursting with blood. I thought this could be trouble for 'El Dinamita' since too much blood could cost him the fight via TKO. And Manny was relentless the mass that once shouted 'Marquez, Marquez' was now getting drowned by the all too familiar 'Pacquiao, Pacquiao' chants. Then the inevitable happened.
Manny pursuing Marquez to his corner got caught by a very vicious right hook by Marquez. At first there was confusion in the house what happened? Pacquiao just laid there wasted. I knew it was the end. The replay would basically show the grotesque punch that Marquez threw. And as the camera roll slowly the pain that registered through Manny's face stunned everybody in the house. For me, it was reminiscent of when Manny did it to Hatton. Visceral, stone cold knocking him out. This time it happened to himself. Karma is really a bad thing to mess with. What goes around comes around.
In that same time something tells me, Man you've had enough walk away. You know Manny has achieved so much, earned so much, beaten the best opponents available for him (well except for that Mayweather guy) there is clearly no more sense to continue. After two straight losses, one via an earth shattering knock out it's time for him to think about his health and his family. The guy is a great guy and you want him to live as great as he can be. Sans the yes men or end up fighting too long like Muhammad Ali did, or more recently Roy Jones Jr. Sure money in the ring is lucrative and the gamblers and high rollers would still be around honking at Pacquiao's door. But hey, Manny's well off now, he don't need the money as a celebrity and politician in the Philippines he can still sustain his star. He's a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, the 8 division championships almost guarantee that.
This is just for me as a supporter, heed you mother's request and retire. It's time to walk away Manny before it's too late.
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