MANNY PACQUIAO HAS LOST THE “EYE OF THE TIGER”

By Jong Mostajo

Manny Pacquiao has often used the popular Rocky 3 hit song “Eye of the Tiger” as his ring walk music. In fact, in his two most recent bouts against Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez, he had the original Survivor lead singer, Jimi Jamison sing it live. This song is appropriate for Pacquiao as the lyrics reflects his mental fortitude for most of his career. The Pacman is a relentless fighter whose aggressiveness in the ring makes Rocky Balboa look like a choir boy. Manny was even once described as a guy who starts punching from the dugout. He was always hungry and always out for the kill. It didn’t matter if he got hit as long as he imposes his will on his opponents in return. He threw caution to the wind.

Over the last few years, Pacquiao has gradually lessened his frenetic pace in the ring. That’s fine especially since he is becoming more technical and fighting more intelligently. He was still able to maintain his natural aggression.

But like I said, Manny had the “eye of the tiger” for MOST of his career. Recently, he has shown signs of losing that ferocious edge.

In the Shane Mosley fight, it was surprising to see Manny fight a different way. He got cautious. Overly cautious, in fact, in some rounds. The fight lacked action and it was Mosley’s reluctance to engage that took the blame. And rightfully so. But Pacquiao’s newfound caution didn’t help. The few times that Shane took the initiative, Manny back-pedaled. He didn’t fight fire with fire which was his signature style. Pacquiao only showed his assertive nature when he was “knocked down” in the tenth round. Had he fought the way he did in the last two and a half rounds, he may have even knocked Mosley out.

Then came his third fight against Juan Manuel Marquez last month. The first two rounds had little action. Pacquiao started the way he did against Mosley - very cautious. When the pace picked up a bit, the energy that defined his career was still not there. Although he was the one moving forward throughout, he didn’t show enough fire in his game to intimidate or at least make Marquez back down. Even in the latter rounds when his trainer Freddie Roach said he needed a KO, there was no urgency in his attack. As a result, Pacquiao got no knock-downs, never really hurt Marquez and barely got away with the win. If Manny fought aggressively like in the past, he may have eaten a lot of counters but he could have also knocked out Marquez like everyone predicted.

Unfortunately, he didn’t fight that way. He chose to be tactical. There’s nothing wrong with that normally but it has replaced what made Pacquiao the best fighter on the planet. Manny’s offense was also his defense. He was fearless and like a mini- Mike Tyson, he just kept on coming. Yes, he gets hit a lot but in the process overwhelms his opponents. His effectivity has lessened since he started fighting defensively. That’s just not his way.

In the movie Rocky 3, Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) also lost that edge. How? As his trainer Mickey would say, he got “civilized.”  Rocky rose to the top the hard way and once he got there, the “good life” softened him up. The heart, fire and passion slowly slipped away. And Manny’s no different. Pacquiao grew up in abject poverty and started his career fighting real hard in the ring like his life depended on it, because it surely did. He was hungry for every win. And he would win multiple titles because of this hunger.

But times have changed. Manny’s now arguably the most popular boxer on the planet. He has legions of fans. He rakes in millions in each fight and has several houses and expensive cars in the Philippines and the US. He is the most accomplished boxer of his time and there is little reason to keep pushing hard. His life has become easy. He has become “civilized.”

And aside from the comforts brought by his fame and accomplishments, Manny may have been lulled to complacency due to lack of hard competition. Pacquiao has been dominating his opponents for the last three years and he may have lost the instincts to “go for the kill” to win. His opponents may not have motivated him enough to bring out his best.

But are those the only reasons why his game has changed? Another possibility is that he may actually have learned the meaning of “fear.”One observer noted that the hard punches Pacquiao received from Antonio Margarito may have reduced him to a more defensive-minded fighter. Yes, he won that fight by a wide margin but he really did get hurt by “Hands of Plaster,” especially in the sixth round. Fighting bigger foes may have changed his offensive-mindedness. He has lost his aggression in the process.

But whatever reason it is, it is quite noticeable that Manny Pacquiao has lost the “eye of the tiger.” His warrior-spirit has been replaced by a calculating mind that doesn’t really suit his style and makes him not that special. If the Pacman wants to continue winning and remain an exciting fighter, he has to get that edge back. If he doesn’t, he will slowly fade away and maybe even tarnish his legacy.