By Alston H. Borrel
As a boxing fan I would like to see a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., however, I would much rather see Pacquiao accept the rematch with Timothy Bradley to clear up that issue.
I would like to see Pacquiao face a Bradley who is fighting without the handicap of having a swollen, twisted right ankle and a broken left foot which must have severely hampered him in their last fight.
The question on my mind, and I’m sure the mind of others, is why, after his controversial loss to Bradley, Manny Pacquiao did not immediately call for a return bout with Bradley, and why, to this day, Pacquiao hasn’t yet exercised his right to a return bout with Bradley, as stipulated in their contract?
Maybe it’s because Pacquiao realizes that Bradley’s speed and movement gave him trouble in their last fight and that a healthy, emboldened Bradley, would potentially pose even more problems for Pacquiao in a return encounter?
Or, is it because Pacquiao realizes that at his age, his skills and therefore his marketability is rapidly decreasing, so he has to take less dangerous fights in order to try and squeeze out one or two more massive paydays from Bob Arum, one potentially against Mayweather?
One explanation maybe the fact that Manny Pacquiao’s performance seems to have declined since all the talk about steroid use and drug testing began.
In Manny’s last few fights he seems to have lost the exceptional skills of power, speed, timing and the ability to finish off an opponent when he has him hurt. Those attributes he once possessed and displayed with incredible authority.
Why are Manny Pacquiao’s once exceptional attributes less evident today? I have my suspicions…what about you?
Follow Alston H Borrel on Twitter @Arouca09
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