Pacquiao vs. Marquez 3: Why Boxing Should Be Pulling for Pac-Man Victory

Should Manny Pacquiao receive the opportunity to fight Floyd Mayweather if he were to lose to Juan Manuel Marquez in Saturday night’s showdown?

Absolutely not.

Boxing should be pulling for Pacquiao so they have something to give to casual boxing fans. Boxing is enduring some of the worst times in the history of the sport. They don’t want to jeopardize their future, so they should be rooting for Pac-Man.

I’m sure they’ll try to convince fans that Pacquiao-Mayweather would still be a major event in boxing, and they are probably right. It wouldn’t be as appealing, though. At least to me.

I don’t want to watch somebody who lost a fight to an inferior opponent get a chance against the best fighter on the planet. It wouldn't make sense.

Boxing needs a Pac-Man victory. Whether it is compelling or not doesn’t really matter, but they need a victory from Pacquiao for sure.

The sport needs the two best to go head-to-head. What other sport doesn’t have the two best go head-to-head? The NFL has the AFC champion versus NFC champion, NBA and NHL have Eastern Conference versus Western Conference. That’s how it should work.

It would be an absolute shame if these two competitors never fought in the right at least once in their glorious careers. Boxing needs to make it happen within the next year. However, it shouldn’t happen if Pac-Man drops the ball against Marquez on Saturday night. I may still watch the fight, but it wouldn’t feel the same.

Boxing should be pulling for Pac-Man so they don't have wonder how great it would have been if both were at the top of their game.

For the latest news and updates on Pacquiao vs. Marquez, and for all the latest news and insight on all things boxing, be sure to check out Bleacher Report's Boxing Central.