I feel to an extent, everybody won Saturday night, even Manny. Prior to his knockout, Manny Pacquiao showed to us all that the 'Old Manny' is still in there. He was fighting ferociously with speed and aggression, something we haven't seen in three years. Despite being knocked out, Pacquiao proved to us last Saturday that he still has something in the gas tank and can still provide us some great fights. At the same time, Marquez finally can rest easy with the victory he's always deserved. He can now end his career on a good note, as well as putting down the final chapter of his saga with Manny. I think we can all agree that there is no worthier fighter to have put that "L" on Pacquiao's record. While Marquez is entering 40 and probably doesn't have much left to accomplish to cement his legacy as an ATG, Pacquiao still has a couple years left in him. Even with his recent knock out loss - if we see the Pacquiao of the other night against any fighter such as Timothy Bradley or Brandon Rios, he'd likely end those fights in spectacular fashion. If Manny comes back into the ring with that intensity, we can be certain his last fights won't be as lack lustre as the previous few years. We shouldn't forget that Manny was going toe-to-toe with Marquez before being laid onto the canvas. As for the Floyd Mayweather fight, if it ever were to happen, it would still potentially be an amazing fight. While no longer hyped up as the 'fight of the century', it would still showcase something similar to what we've just seen the other night. If Pacquiao would go toe to toe with Floyd, it could still potentially be a hallmark fight of the decade. We shouldn't forget, either, that Floyd's victory over Marquez doesn't guarantee a victory over Pacquiao. Boxing is full of Rock-Paper-Scissors, such as Foreman-Ali-Frazier. Essentially, to summarize what I'm saying is this: - Marquez has just cemented his legacy - There's no better, or deserving, person to put Pacquiao on the canvas like that - Old Manny is back - Manny still has a few fights left in him, which could give us fireworks - Floyd vs. Manny would still be a entertaining fight, despite not being a 'mega fight' - The chances of Floyd vs. Manny has increased due to Manny being KTFO Whatever happens, it's clear that the current generation of boxers is on its way out, signifying the end of an era. I personally can't wait to see what boxing has coming up next and am happy, that Marquez has earned his own mention next to Floyd and Manny - as one of the fighters who defined this generation.
