Manny Pacquiao: How a Pac-Man Loss Would Affect the Future of Boxing

A Manny Pacquiao loss would have a drastic affect on the world of boxing.

What we have to critically think about though are the realistic effects to come from the aftermath of a potential loss. We know Pac-Man's career is basically set and he has nothing left to prove, but interestingly enough all good things must come to an end.

Regardless of the route Pacquiao pursues after this fight, losing for one just opens up the door to new fighters. And Timothy Bradley is the lead man among the new era.

That said, let's see what a Pac-Man loss really means to boxing.

End of an Era

It would certainly put a damper on the end of Pacquiao's career, no matter what he does after the fight. The potential colossal matchup that everyone wants to see with Floyd Mayweather Jr. would lose some of its pizzazz, but it could be a lot worse.

As arguably the greatest pound-for-pound fighter, Pacquiao along with Mayweather will be legends once retired. Just like it did with Muhammed Ali, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis, it will simply be the end of an era (even if Pac-Man continues fighting because he'll never be the same as five or seven years ago).

And even if Pacquiao wins, it's not like he's going to be boxing for the next decade. Sooner rather than later, his era will end and we'll all have to move on to new and younger fighters.

Pressure on Bradley

This is the most fun and interesting part about Timothy Bradley possibly winning over Manny Pacquiao. Currently sitting at 28-0, Bradley is in the prime of his career and Pacquaio will be his biggest fight.

Just imagine what a 29-0 Bradley would do for boxing's future. The torch will have been passed on from Pac-Man and it wouldn't be surprising to see Mayweather want a shot at the new champ. So in some sense the immediate aftermath would really take off because Bradley's potential and confidence would be unreal.

At age 28, Bradley has five to six years left, and if he were to remain perfect, we're talking around 42-0 if not more wins. Each time Bradley steps into the ring, the pressure will gradually increase and boxing becomes more interesting.

Open Door for Other Fighters

Here is where the floor gates open.

Everyone around the welterweight division will be vying for that opportunity to fight Timothy Bradley. Junior middleweight fighter Zaurbek Baysangurov would be a great matchup for Bradley as Baysangurov has 20 knockouts in 26 wins.

Now, obviously Baysangurov would have to drop some weight, but it would be an exciting fight nonetheless. Elsewhere other young boxers in their prime such as Mike Alvarado (nearing end of prime but undefeated) and Danny Garcia (23-0) are formidable opponents.

Within a few years, we will have welcomed the next wave of promising boxers. Manny Pacquiao's accomplishments will never be forgotten, but a loss to Timothey Bradley directs our attention to the foreseeable future.

John Rozum on Twitter.