Pacquiao-Marquez 5 still palatable

By Al S. Mendoza

 

MANNY Pacquiao meeting Juan Manuel Marquez a fifth time is almost a done deal.

I say that because Marquez will do his damnedest to defeat Mike Alvarado on May 31.

Marquez cannot afford to lose.

Otherwise, Alvarado could be Pacquiao’s next foe.

Ugh!  Will that sell?

Yes, it will.

One, any Marquez conqueror automatically earns bragging rights to fight Pacquiao.

Why, because Marquez holds the enviable distinction of having inflicted Pacquiao’s first knockout since 1999.

Before Marquez stopped Pacquiao in 2012, PacMan suffered a controversial split decision loss to Timothy Bradley.

The loss to Bradley in June 2012 was Pacquiao’s first defeat since PacMan’s points debacle to Erik Morales in 2005.

But then, Pacquiao more than avenged his setback to Morales as he twice knocked Morales out in 2006 to virtually put an end to the illustrious career of El Terible.

Pacquiao’s back-to-back knockout victories over Morales also triggered a winning streak that saw PacMan demolish some of boxing’s greatest fighters, including David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito.

The victory run was only halted in 2012 but only after two judges scored dubious wins for Bradley, resulting in a wildly-booed split decision loss by Pacquiao.

But after Pacquiao overwhelmed Brandon Rios in a unanimous decision win in November 2013 that was followed by Pacquiao’s similar unanimous decision victory over Bradley on April 13, PacMan is back in business.

Actually, officials have already said Pacquiao’s next foe could be the winner of the Marquez-Alvarado fight on May 31.

With Pacquiao being done with Bradley, it is Marquez’s turn to do his job.

If Marquez bungles it, it could be goodbye forever for him.

In brutal reality, it is a must-win for Marquez against Alvarado.

A loss could mean retirement for the Dinamita from Mexico.

Marquez is 39.  In a few months, he will turn 40.

So, if ever a Pacquiao-Marquez 5 happens in November, which is the targeted date for the fight, Pacquiao, at 35, could be holding an edge, age-wise.

Still, it is not much of an advantage for Pacquiao if we base the Pacquiao-Marquez 4 to gauge Marquez’s staying power.

And even as Marquez had lost on points to Bradley, the Mexican Dynamite could still pack it in – his punches still solid and jarring.

With so much pride at stake, and emotions spiked by suspenseful thrill, Pacquiao-Marquez 5 might still turn out to be a blockbuster at the tills.

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