Manny Pacquiao: How Near Loss to Marquez Reshaped Legacy

Manny Pacquiao has reformed his lifestyle and renewed his commitment to his fighting career after a poor performance against Juan Manuel Marquez.

The fight ended with a mixed decision in favor of Pacquiao (via CNN), with Marquez clearly upset over the result.

Pacquiao dealt with serious distractions before the fight, most notably a falling out with his wife.

Pacman’s trainer, Freddie Roach, claimed that the fighter’s spouse served divorce papers the night before his bout with Marquez, via the Los Angeles Times.

Since the controversial decision in his last fight, Pacquiao has dramatically changed his lifestyle. The same L.A. Times report quotes Roach as saying that his fighter has severed ties with a cockfighting farm in the Philippines, a casino and a nightclub, all of which Pacquiao owned.

Another major change in Pacquiao’s life has been a renewed commitment to his religion. He has spoken about his recently intensified beliefs and even got into a little bit of trouble with comments about gay marriage (via examiner.com).

His religious beliefs have led to a toned-down lifestyle and will limit distractions leading up to his fight with Timothy Bradley, regardless of the media’s scrutiny of certain remarks.

If any Pacman supporters are worried about his spirituality leading to a pacification, Roach cleared that up in an interview with BoxingScene.com and said, “On the mitts he punches the s**t out of me every day like normal and when he hits me he says he’s sorry then he hits me again.”

These changes come at a very important time for Pacquiao. At 33 years old, he will need to start taking better care of his body in order to prolong his career.

If he maintains this level of focus going forward, he will be able to fight at an elite level for several more years. He may even be around when hell freezes over and his camp agrees to terms on a fight with Floyd Mayweather.

The lifestyle changes following the Marquez fight will help Pacquiao be a better boxer going forward. His legacy will be better off because of these reforms.