Manny Pacquiao Must Look Impressive Saturday Night to Stay Relevant

Manny Pacquiao has not scored a knockout since 2009 when he stopped Puerto Rican boxing star Miguel Cotto via TKO on the last round of their fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

Pacquiao's last four fights have not been impressive, although he got praises for his classic performance with giant Antonio Margarito in 2010 in a 12-round brawl where he broke Margarito's orbital bone on the way to a 12-round unanimous decision.

The eight-division world champion has not been successful in pleasing his fans in the last three of his four fights since winning over Cotto via TKO three years ago. 

His fight against Joshua Clottey in 2010 was one of Pacquiao's most frustrating fights, as the boxer from Ghana refused to engage him in a toe-to-toe fight, sending home over 50,000 dissatisfied and frustrated spectators at the huge Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Last year Pacquiao tried to appease the angry and frustrated fans who watched him fought Clottey, but the fight turned out to be almost a repeat of the Pacquiao-Clottey fight, as he failed to put up a good fight against the aging Shane Mosley.

Then in November, Pacquiao fought Mexican counter-puncher Juan Manuel Marquez for the third time at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. Marquez dominated the fight, but Pacquiao ran away with a controversial majority decision by the judges. 

Pacquiao has acknowledged his failure to put up a good fight with Marquez and praised the Mexican for his skill and experience in the sport.

His trainer, Freddie Roach, said via The Los Angeles Times that it was one of Pacquiao's off nights, citing distractions and marital woes as some of the reasons he did not perform well.

On Saturday night, Pacquiao must score a knockout or at least put up a good fight against unbeaten Palm Spring boxing sensation Timothy Bradley in order to regain his stature as the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.

An impressive performance against Bradley will determine Pacquiao's immediate future in boxing as he prepares for eventual retirement. He has lately announced an open-date retirement plan, opting to wait until his trainer tells him when it's time for him to quit on the basis of his ring performance.

''If he looks bad, he retires,'' Roach said, according to The Associated Press. ''At least I'll tell him to. And he may be the first one who will listen to me.'' 

Still, another potential distraction awaits Pacquiao's camp, as Roach will not allow conditioning coach Alex Ariza in Pacquiao's corner on Saturday night, according to Chris Robinson of Boxing Scene.

Pacquiao and Ariza have somehow developed good bonding in the past training camps, and to know that Ariza won't be part of the ringside entourage could lead to another potential distraction for Pacquiao.

In the Examiner.com report, veteran commentator Larry Merchant said he doesn't know Ariza as a boxing guy and does not understand his role during the fight.

"I’m not sure why he would be in the corner during the fight," Merchant said bluntly. "I can’t understand that. It doesn’t mean there may not be a good reason, but why would he be in the corner if he’s the strength guy? And there has been a fight or two where he has been vocal and I just don’t understand the relationship. I don’t know him as a boxing guy and I don’t understand what his role would be during the fight."

Ariza, who is shuttling between training camps to tend to other high-profile clients including Julio Cesar Chavez, is reported to be poor terms with Roach, who seems to have been offended when Ariza left Pacquiao's training camp in Baguio City, apparently without clearance from the trainer.