Manny Pacquiao: Pac-Man Should Fear Floyd Mayweather After Marquez Scare

All the hemming and hawing coming out of Manny Pacquiao's camp about a fourth fight with Juan Manuel Marquez means only one thing, that Pac-Man and his handlers are afraid of Floyd Mayweather Jr.

As they should be.

Dinamita shook Pacquiao's confidence during their third match in mid-November. Marquez was arguably the better fighter throughout, but thanks to boxing's arcane rules about round-by-round scoring (and perhaps a bit of peculiarly placed favoritism from the ringside judges), Pacquiao emerged with his Welterweight title belts intact.

Even if his self-assuredness clearly wasn't, Pacquiao looked shaken in post-fight interviews, as though he had expected the judges to rule in Marquez's favor and was himself surprised by the ultimate result. Another fight with Marquez, while drawing the ire of just about every boxing fan in existence, would likely make for a captivating watch, seeing as how each of the first three editions provided plenty of drama and excitement.

That expectation, along with the anticipation among Marquez's fans that the Mexican legend might finally get his due, would give Pacquiao-Marquez IV enough economic appeal to drag both fighters back into the ring for a big payday.

Which should come as a relief to Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter and the CEO of Top Rank, who, like his biggest cash cow, probably knows all too well how vulnerable Pac-Man would be against Mayweather. After all, if Manny had so much trouble against a premier counter-puncher and careful defender like Marquez, how could he hope to even compete with Money May, who combines the best of Marquez with better speed, more punishing fists and a longer reach?

In that sense, it's tough to blame Pacquiao's camp for being so hesitant to schedule a mega-fight with Money May, even if it means leaving potentially the biggest purse in boxing history on the table. Ultimately, their chief interest lies in preserving and growing Pacquiao's worldwide brand (and profitability), which would undoubtedly take a huge hit if he were to succumb to Mayweather's crushing counters.

Thus, Pacquiao's avoidance, as frustrating as it is for boxing fans to watch unfold, is likely more the result of a shrewd economic rather than simply the fear of getting his face beaten in by Pretty Boy Floyd in front of millions of people on Pay-Per-View.

Though, certainly, the humiliation factor doesn't help.