It seems that, lately, Manny Pacquiao (51-3, 38 KOs) can't lose. It doesn't matter if he's fighting for a belt at 140 pounds, 147 pounds or a seat on the Philippines Congress. Even acid reflux is no match for this guy.
Now as happy as I am that Pacman has dreams outside the ring and is accomplishing them by getting involved in the Philippines political scene, I am also very saddened that the end of his boxing career is in sight. As the world watched to see if Pacquiao would get elected, Bob Arum was telling media outlets that he thought Pacquiao still had three fights left in him.
So that leaves us to make some decisions — maybe not congressional decisions, but almost as important. What three fighters does Manny Pacquiao have to take on to close out his career?
Here are my choices.
1. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (41-0, 25 KOs)
OK, this is obvious. Bob Arum has said Pacquiao is fighting in November. A date of Nov. 13 has been pegged as a possible date for the superfight, and the world is collectively sending out good karma in hopes that it gets done. It's not often that the two all-around best boxers in the game are fighting around the same weight class. If this fight fails, it would not only be a huge money-making opportunity lost, but it would also open the floodgates for people to say, "It's another black eye on the sport of boxing."
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is coming off the best win of his career against Shane Mosley. Not only did Mayweather overcome a few rough moments in the third round after being wobbled by Mosley, but he also beat Mosley to the punch, walked the offensive fighter down and was somewhat entertaining. "Money May" looked so good against his 38-year-old opponent that the message boards, Twitter accounts and Facebook status updates were filled with boxing fans proclaiming what would happen to Pacman if a fight did indeed take place. To that, I reply with another boxing cliche: "That's why they fight the fight".
This fight needs to happen. It would be good for the sport, good for both fighters' legacies and, most of all, good for the fans who have stood by patiently while the two sides bickered like an old married couple.
2. Timothy Bradley (25-0, 11 KOs)
No matter the outcome of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight — meaning win, lose, draw or doesn't happen — I would like to see this matchup. Timothy Bradley is a no-nonsense, come-forward boxing machine. He first opened eyes when he took a split-decision victory over the awkward Junior Witter in enemy territory (England). He walked away with WBC light welterweight title and boatloads of respect from hardcore boxing fans.
Bradley has followed up that fight with nothing but impressive victory after impressive victory. He has beaten Edner Cherry, Kendall Holt, Nate Campbell and Lamont Peterson in the past two years. I would be willing to bet that there aren't many boxers who have faced that caliber of opposition lately, much less beaten them all. Bradley has also just joined the HBO ranks, which means he will start to get some recognition.
Bear with me as I toss out another one: "Pressure busts pipes." In the case of a Pacquiao-Bradley fight, I think "Pressure makes a diamond." Pacquiao doesn't back down, and neither does Bradley. Bradley seems to be built like the Energizer Bunny, never slowing down, never stopping and constantly banging away. You could name the fight after one of my favorite Tom Petty songs: "I Won't Back Down."
3. Amir Khan (23-1, 17 KOs)
Let me explain before you react! Let us first go through the process of whom Pacquiao could fight as his third opponent; after all, his first two were quite easy to pick.
Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs): Arum has already stated that he will match up Pacquiao with Margarito, should a Mayweather fight not happen. When thinking of who should match up with Pacquiao these days, you have to take many things into consideration, including who deserves the massive payday. I, for one, don't think a guy who is, No. 1, overrated, and, No. 2, a cheater, is deserving of a huge payday. Also, I already watched Margarito get destroyed by an offensive weapon named Shane Mosley. Would a Pacquiao fight go differently?
Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs): This is the fighter who has looked the best against Pacquiao in the recent years. They fought to a draw back in 2004 after Marquez had been down three times in the first round. In 2008, Marquez lost an arguable split decision to the pound-for-pound for champion. After all that, why would I not ask for a third fight? Pacquiao has moved up in weight, handled it very well and looked unstoppable in his last several fights. Marquez has tried to follow suit. He had a tough fight against Joel Casamayor, a life-and-death type battle against Juan Diaz and was outclassed by Mayweather. I would rather not see Pacquiao move back down in weight to fight a former champion who may be fading.
Devon Alexander (20-0, 13 KOs): I really like Alexander. He's tough, he can punch and he is an entertaining fighter. I can't wait to see some of his matchups down the line. But I don't think most of the non-boxing world knows who he is, and at this point, we need a name as well as a good fight.
Shane Mosley (46-6, 39 KOs): After his last fight, I would say he has gotten old and can't pull the trigger like he used to. That doesn't mean he can't fight — just not against such a ferocious opponent as Pacquiao.
Paul Williams (39-1, 27 KOs): He didn't look so good in the early going against Kermit Cintron, and it may be a bit too freakshow-ish type of matchup for my taste.
Kermit Cintron (32-3-1, 28 KOs): A hard puncher, but not much on defense. I think it would be a quick fight.
Sergio Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs): Could be an intriguing matchup, but I wonder if he will leave middleweight now that he is the champion.
Andre Berto (26-0, 20 KOs): Berto still has some unfinished business against Louis Collazo in my opinion. A few fights against A-list caliber opponents and you could argue that he deserves the third spot.
All those others at 154: I love that Manny Pacquiao has gotten more belts in more divisions than any other fighter, but really, who will remember that over a quality fight? Real boxing fans don't talk about how many divisions a fighter won titles in. Did you know that Tommy Hearns won six titles in six different divisions? Probably not. Did you see his epic three rounds against Marvin Hagler? Probably.
Back to Amir Khan. Like it or not, this is a kid who has been followed by most boxing fans since he emerged in the 2004 Olympics. He is a charismatic young tyke who can box, and he proved it against the solid Paulie Malignaggi. Khan has an incredible jab, extremely fast hands and, under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, what seems to be an expanding boxing IQ.
Don't get me wrong — I don't think Khan is ready for Pacquiao right now, but if he were to put away a Marcos Maidana, maybe Victor Ortiz and perhaps a decent welterweight over the next two years, then he's in good shape.
Outside of Marquez, who knows Pacquiao better than his sparring partner Khan? Let's not forget what type of drama would ensue over the fact that Khan is also trained by Roach (sweet 24/7 material right there).
For those of you who will dismiss my pick of Khan in the three-spot due to his chin, I can argue against that as well. He was starched by a virtual unknown in Breidis Prescott (22-2, 19 KOs), but it was before the fight really got started, during a period when Khan probably thought he was invincible and against a kid with dynamite hands and nothing to lose. Let's not forget that John Ruiz was also left counting stars within seconds against a solid puncher named David Tua — anyone think Ruiz has a shaky chin?
Khan vs. Pacquiao would be the type of fight that either passes the torch or lets the the great old gun fighter ride off into the sunset like Shane (in the classic Western) while we all collectively yell for him to come back.
I have faith that the powers that be can get the superfight done. I would so much prefer to see black eyes handed out by the fighters rather than the writers.
Would you like to hear me talk more about Floyd Mayweather, Jr. versus Manny Pacquiao, plus opinions on Peter Manfredo Jr.'s big win and thoughts on Vitali Klitschko's upcoming Pay-Per-View fight? Tune in to The Mouthpiece Boxing Show this Saturday, 5-6 p.m. on 1510 AM. Also, I would like to wish my Dad a happy birthday! He is, to use his own words, "old as dirt." Happy birthday, old man!
