Manny Pacquiao: Why Boxing Should Be More Important Than Politics

Few people on this planet are as important to their country as boxer Manny Pacquiao is to the Philippines. Not only is he beloved due to his prowess in the ring, but he is also a humanitarian and now a politician. If Pac-Man is going to complete his boxing legacy, though, he needs to ensure that it is his top priority.

As a congressman in the Sarangani province, Pacquiao obviously has a lot of responsibilities as an authority figure back home. His biggest contribution to his country has been the fame he has gained as a boxer, though, because it has made everyone more aware of the Philippines and the issues that the people have had to deal with.

Pacquiao is a fighter first and a politician second, and he has to remember that. At 33 years of age, Pac-Man doesn't have many prime fighting years left. He'll have the rest of his life to be involved in politics for his country and to improve the way things are run, though, so his career as a politician needs to take a backseat for now.

Most consider Pacquiao to be one of the all-time greats as he sports a record of 54-3-2 and has won six world titles. He was also named fighter of the decade of the 2000s by the Boxing Writers Association of America, according to Austin Knoblauch of the Los Angeles Times. There is one glaring jewel that is missing in his crown, though, and that is a fight and victory over Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The Pacquiao and Mayweather camps have gone back and forth regarding a potential bout for several years, but there is no doubt that both men need it. Not only would the revenue created be immense, but boxing fans want to know once and for all who is better. Mayweather currently holds the upper hand since he's undefeated, so the onus is on Pacquiao to make a fight happen.

Unless Pacquiao is able to defeat Mayweather, I believe that most will look at him as the inferior fighter. That is what Pacquiao needs to be worried about right now. There is no question that it's admirable that he is trying to use his fame to make improvements in the Philippines, but he needs to focus on fighting while his body is still young enough to handle it.

I can't imagine that Pacquiao will want to look back to this time period 20 or 30 years from now and regret that he was too wrapped up in politics at the time. Pac-Man is still one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, but he struggled in his last match against Juan Manuel Marquez. That may have just been due to a contrast in styles, but perhaps Pacquiao wasn't as committed.

Pac-Man has a lot on his plate right now, so it's possible that he wasn't adequately ready for his fight against Marquez. He still won since he was the aggressor, but Marquez frustrated him all night long and ensured that he couldn't find a rhythm. Pacquiao will need to prove going forward that his narrow win over Marquez was just a minor hiccup.

He'll get a chance to do precisely that against undefeated Timothy Bradley on June 9. If Pacquiao wins and does it decisively, then the questions regarding his commitment will go away quickly. If he struggles to another unconvincing win or even loses, then the talk about Pacquiao's priorities will only intensify.

Pac-Man desperately needs to beat Bradley if a fight with Mayweather is ever going to happen, so his back is against the wall in a lot of ways. If Pacquiao is committed, then he should win. If politics are at the forefront in his mind, though, Bradley may pull off the upset.

Pacquiao is always going to be known as a boxer first and foremost, and his fans are hoping that he comes to that realization.

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