Pacquiao vs Marquez: Why Challenger's Legacy Relies on Good Showing vs. Pac-Man

Manny Pacquiao's legacy is written in stone. The only thing he could really do at this point to add to it would be to fight and beat Floyd Mayweather Jr.. Other than that, his legacy is sealed. 

Losing to Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12, in their third meeting between the two, would hurt his record and potentially screw up a big payday with Mayweather. However, 20 years from now when we look back at Pacquiao's career, a loss to Marquez wouldn't really change anyone's perception of him.

That's not quite true for Marquez.

Granted, Marquez has fought Pacquiao incredibly tough twice. In 2004, the first time they fought, the bout ended in a draw. The second time they fought in 2008, the judges gave a split decision victory to Pacquiao. 

If we're going to look back at Marquez's career 20 years from now and remember him as anything better than a good fighter who was never elite, he has to at least give Pacquiao a strong fight.

I would say that he needs to beat Pacquiao, but I don't think that's quite necessary. Certainly, a win against Pacquiao would only bolster his legacy even more, but Pacquiao is a good enough fighter to where an 0-2-1 record against him wouldn't look bad.

That is, as long as both of the two losses are close.

The bottom line: If Pacquiao comes out and knocks Marquez out early, the perception will be that Marquez's good performances again Pacquiao were nothing more than flukes. Actually, I could even say that if the fight gets to decision, but Pacquiao is the clear winner.

Remember that in addition to a 0-1-1 record vs. Pacquiao, Marquez also has a loss to Mayweather.  

Whether some of the fights were close or not, a 0-2-1 record against the best two fighters of the era wouldn't do much more than show Marquez as a fraud, especially if at least two of the losses were convincing. 

So, both of these fighters have a lot to lose. 

Pacquiao needs to beat Marquez to keep a giant payoff vs. Mayweather alive. Marquez needs it to at least be a close bout if he's going to be truly remembered as an upper-tier fighter.