What's Next For Pacquiao?

By Dan Kulik

The May 2nd matchup between Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao and Ricky “Hitman” Hatton was dubbed as the boxing event of the year. The excitement had reached mountainous proportions. It had everything: international appeal, two of the world’s premier trainers (self-proclaimed in Mayweather Sr.’s case), even a four part HBO miniseries. The whole world was watching on the night the bruising British brawler, undefeated in the Junior Welterweight division, stepped into the ring against the disputed pound-for-pound king. Well, so much for disputed.

As many boxing experts predicted, the Pac-Man proved to be the better fighter. Perhaps more unexpected however was the ease in which the Filipino won. In a ravishing display, Pacquiao packaged blazing speed and concussive power with a fiercely relentless aggression that rendered the Hitman utterly defenseless. Before the end the second round, Hatton had been knocked down three times and laid motionless on the canvas. Convincing enough was Ricky’s demise that referee Kenny Bayless didn’t even bother to start the count, and Pacquiao finished the night in possession of Hatton’s IBO and Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight titles.

Now that we’ve witnessed a relatively anticlimactic finish to the Pacquiao/Hatton bout, what’s next for the champ? Is there anyone waiting somewhere in the wings who can give him a good fight? Luckily for boxing fans, the answer appears to be yes.

On July 18th, Juan Manuel Marquez is slated to face off against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on HBO Pay-Per-View, a bout with serious implications for Manny Pacquiao.

Marquez, universally considered the number two P4P boxer in the world, has already proven that he has the intestinal fortitude and technical skills to stand toe-to-toe with Pacquiao. In their first bout, Marquez was knocked down three times in the first round, but in an unprecedented show of heart he was able to fight his way back to an eventual draw ruling. Marquez was not so lucky in their second battle, and a third round knockdown proved to be the difference in a close Pacquiao victory. Although Pacquiao has repeatedly denied Marquez’s requests for another rematch, a win over Mayweather might make Marquez’s case a touch more convincing.

Despite the public interest that would be stirred by a potential Pacquiao/Marquez rematch, the fight everyone really wants to see is Pacquiao/Mayweather. Like Pacquiao, Mayweather’s last fight resulted in a kayo of Ricky Hatton, though Mayweather took eight more rounds to do it. What’s more is that Mayweather retired after his win against the Brit as the P4P champ, so a victory against Juan Manuel Marquez would provide a natural fight with Pacquiao. Combine that with Mayweather’s trash-talking, flashy demeanor, as well as another 24/7 HBO miniseries, and you have yourself a marquee boxing match.

Manny Pacquiao’s last fight was preceded by a world of anticipation, but his next one looks to carry even more of it. Right now, there’s no doubt that Pacquiao deserves to be called the best pugilist on the planet, but to the delight of fight enthusiasts everywhere, he’s got his work cut out for him to make sure that doesn’t change.