Manny Pacquiao: Why Pacquiao's Kindness Has Hurt His Legacy

Manny Pacquiao has long been considered one of the nicest fighters in all of boxing. While kindness will get you far in the real world, it has hurt PacMan’s legacy as a boxer.

Legendary boxers are supposed to be a little crazy in the head. They're supposed to have a mean streak. Some of the best boxers have played their off-color personalities to their advantage.

Muhammed Ali is the perfect example, as he would berate his opponents prior to their fights. He dodged the draft and challenged the United States government and became a cultural icon because of it.

Pacquiao's lack of a public mean streak, as well as a lack of anything provocative about him, has cost him the chance to become one of the most polarizing figures in the world.

We see Floyd Mayweather play up his fights all the time. He goes in on Larry Merchant and is certainly not afraid to speak his mind. His persona helps him to garner lofty pay-per-view payouts, and people will remember Money May much longer than they will remember PacMan, simply for the fact that he grabbed their attention more frequently.

We have seldom seen Pacquiao make waves for things he says about other fighters. Actually, we've never seen it at all.

Take Mike Tyson, for example: a guy who was an absolute headcase all throughout his career, and still is by all accounts, but people love him for what he used to say and do before and after his matches.

Remember this? Here's a little sample from that post-fight interview in case you don't feel like watching:

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"I was going to rip his heart out. I'm the best ever. I'm the most brutal, vicious and most ruthless champion there has ever been. No one can stop me...My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat your children."

"

He wants to eat his children. Pacquiao wouldn't eat a bag of chips that wasn't his, let alone his opponent's offspring.

Boxing isn't just about going into the ring and taking care of business. It's about building your brand as an athlete and an entertainer and Pacquiao's Wild Rabbit commercial just isn't cutting it. It's way too late for him to turn that around now, as his reputation as a Filipino congressmen and devout Catholic comes hand-in-hand with his reputation as a boxer.

Pacquiao grew up on the dark streets of the Philippines and could have easily used his adolescence as a cornerstone for a bad boy persona. Instead, he chose to take the opposite path and show respect to every last one of his opponents, as well as his fans.

He seems to be a great guy and it will continue to pay off for him, but it has been detrimental to his legacy as a boxer.