Manny Pacquiao: Why Pac-Man Must Silence His Critics

Manny Pacquiao is increasingly becoming the underdog in his bout with Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday, November 12.

Never before have I seen so many people doubt Pac-Man heading into one of his fights. Marquez isn’t just in his opponents mind, he has ninja’d every one of our brains. In true Black Ops fashion, Marquez covertly managed to penetrate my head and infiltrate the tiniest part of my brain that doubts Pacquiao.

I didn’t have an ounce of interest in this third meeting, despite generally loving the third movie in most trilogies. This was Godfather Part III I said to myself, not Return of the King or Return of the Jedi.

Now, though, I’m hyped—and it’s all because of Marquez. I may not be a believer that he’ll even the win column with Pac-Man, but I believe he’ll stand the grueling test for the third and (hopefully) final time.

It is up to Pac-Man to put me—and every single doubter—to shame for questioning him for even a split second heading into this bout. If he fails to silence his critics and more importantly, Marquez, he will lose more than just this fight. Instead, Pac-Man will lose all of his leverage against Floyd Mayweather, the man every sports fan wants to see him square off against.

Marquez and Mayweather have been talking smack about Pacquiao for more than just a few months. These men have storied gripes with Pacquiao and it’s time he puts his stamp on Marquez and sends a message to “Money” that he’s coming for him.

If Pac-Man stumbles, the hype for the epic dream bout with “Money” will be long gone. Why should fans care if he takes on Mayweather if he can’t dissect and silence Marquez?

This match may be a prelude to the looming Mayweather bout, but it’s almost just as important as the dream fight for Pacquiao to maintain his seemingly indestructible credibility.