By Erwin Lastimosa
I would like to congratulate Terence Crawford for his sensational victory over Viktor Postol on Saturday night, it was a virtuoso display of boxing. Crawford was rumored as the next opponent to face Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao, and as a fan of the 8 division champion, I hope he stays retired and avoids Crawford for his own health.
Pacquiao has already proven himself in boxing history and has been a part time fighter ever since he got involved with Philippine politics. He has one foot in the boxing ring and one in the political field and this type of mentality is very dangerous when fighting a young lion like Crawford. Pacquiao is almost 40 years old and has been in many wars including a vicious one punch KO to Juan Manuel Marquez and he recently retired with a good win over American rival Timothy Bradley. He should not tarnish his grand exit to be a stepping stone for a young fighter.
Floyd Mayweather has the right mindset for health and longevity, he has the power to pick and choose the safest opponent while applying the safest strategy to win while avoid punishment. He also makes millions with this tactic and has been undefeated for years. Pacquiao on the other hand is more of a loyal employee who is eager to fulfill any task his boss Bob Arum asks of him.
After witnessing Terence Crawford toy with and outbox the number two light welterweight in the world, it made me realize at this stage Manny has nothing left, he might even suffer a bad beating at the hands of Crawford. Pacquiao has slowed down, his killer instinct is no longer there and he seems to only fight to earn money.
Another issue is the ability Crawford showed to confuse his opponent by moving backwards without getting tired. Crawford had Postol chasing him and unable to time him, while Crawford fired off vicious counter shots by baiting Postol into traps. Pacquiao has a difficulty cutting of the ring and doesn’t do well against movers or runners as he says, he also ran into a vicious right hand counter by Marquez while jumping in trying to catch Marquez as he moved back.
Crawford is the future of boxing there is no doubt about it. He has the skills, the height and reach to hang with anyone at 140 to 147, and he has the ability to defeat this aging version of Manny Pacquiao.
As a Pacquiao fan my kind advice for the newly inducted Senator is to focus on politics and not make the same mistake as other aging legends who suffered several stoppage losses at the tail end of their career by fighting longer than they should. Fighting way past your prime can lead to neurological disorders like Dementia Pugilistica. Please Manny do not risk your health for one last payday. You are a future Hall of Famer, and you’ve already done it all in boxing with nothing left to prove. Stay Retired!
Erwin Lastimosa is a long time boxing fan and enjoys boxing discussion with his peers. Some of his favorite fighters are Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, Muhammad Ali, Flash Elorde, Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao.