This is Rummy’s Corner.
Ooof!
Madone!
I don’t know shit about boxing.
This past Saturday, Manny Pacquiao fell short in his efforts when he challenged Yordenis
Ugas for the WBA super duper belt that previously belonged to him.
Ugas fought an intelligent disciplined effort that enabled him to box at his own pace with
great efficiency.
Ugas exhibited great defense, blocking and avoiding most of the incoming fire, and he
worked behind a snappy jab, frequently doubling it up with great success.
Ugas likewise was effective and judicious with his counterpunching, and for the most
part he was able to dictate the fighting range while maintaining good balance.
As for Pacquiao, I think this represents the end of the road in his long and illustrious
boxing career.
Pac-Man had little bounce in his step, his once stellar head and upper body movement
were lacking, his punches no longer had the same explosiveness, and he was unable to create
the type of punching angles that he is famous for.
Simply put, Pacquiao looked every bit his age in this one, and the defeat solidifies
the end of an era.
But even though Pacquiao is clearly far removed from his best days, he still put forth an
admirable effort.
He did not embarrass himself, and he kept things competitive throughout.
Congratulations to Yordenis Ugas who executed his gameplan with tremendous poise and style.
When we look back on the sensational career of Manny Pacquiao, he is obviously one of
the very best in the long rich history of professional boxing.
Top 15 to 20?
Maybe even Top 10, which is extraordinary.
Wherever future historians ultimately rank Pacquiao, he clearly made his mark in the
sport and he is absolutely a part of the discussion when we talk about the greatest boxers of
all time.
A lot of fans are quick to point out the unique milestones - champion or title holder in 8
weight classes, champion in 4 different decades, and these are no doubt exceptional achievements
that may perhaps never be equalled.
But these milestone accomplishments, from my perspective, the abundance of focus on
the statistics take away from the bigger picture that defines his true greatness.
And for me, that was the way Pacquiao was able to not only overcome the odds so often,
but the staggering way in which he did so time and time again.
Pacquiao was already a two division world champion when he challenged the great Marco
Antonio Barrera, who was one of the best in the world at that time.
This was Pacquiao’s big coming out party.
Pacquiao defied the odds in menacing style, and it was simply surreal watching Pacquiao
overwhelm and bludgeon a seasoned elite champion like Barrera.
And amazingly, at this point in time Pacquiao was far from the complete package.
Pacquiao evolved closer to the complete package when he closed out his trilogy against his
former conqueror, El Terrible, the great Erik Morales.
After dropping a clear but competitive decision against El Terrible, Pacquiao twice avenged
that loss inside the distance.
By this point in time, Pacquiao was already a bonafide All Time Great, and little did
we know the best was yet to come.
The most impressive run in Pacquiao’s career was when he made the seemingly ill-advised
jump up two weight classes to welterweight when he squared off against The Golden Boy,
Oscar De La Hoya.
Pac-Man overcame the gargantuan size advantage and dominated Oscar.
In his next fight he dropped down to 140 and brutally stopped Ricky Hatton.
Next he jumped up to 145 when he beat up and outclassed the great Miguel Cotto.
If his previous coming out party against Barrera felt surreal, Pacquiao’s utter brilliance
inside the squared circle during this stretch was like watching the David Lynch movie Eraserhead
on strong hallucinogens.
Following that Cotto victory, Pac-Man fever had reached an all time high.
Of course, Pacquiao continued to prove he was one of the very best boxers in the world
for many years after that.
Even as his legs and reflexes started declining, Pacquiao continued having success despite
battling Father Time.
And in July 2019, when he challenged Keith Thurman, the Pac-Man had his last great turn-back-the-clock
type of performance that helped put an exclamation point on his extraordinary career.
But after last weekend I think it is clear Pacquiao reached the end of the road as an
elite level prizefighter.
I for one hope that Pacquiao decides to hang them up and retire where he can enjoy the
next part of his life.
Pacquiao performed admirably against Ugas, and I think this is the perfect sendoff for
the Living Legend.
Pacquiao can retire from boxing with dignity.
Best of luck to both Pacquiao and Ugas moving forward, and thanks to both champions for
giving us a fun show this past weekend.
Thanks for watching everyone, I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful night.
This is Rummy’s Corner.