Manny Pacquiao at the crossroads

Credits: 

Jeff Bottari/Getty Images

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao can't seem to find his head these days. Even prior to his controversial loss to Timothy Bradley, Pacquiao's focus regarding his boxing career was already being questioned by many observers. As if his duties and responsibilities as an elected representative in the Philippine Congress were not enough, his newly-found religious fervor now also has to compete with the time that he has to spend in the ring.

As of this writing, Top Rank and Manny Pacquiao cannot seem to agree on the timeframe of his return to the ring as well as on his preferred opponent if ever he decides to fight again this year. This uncertainty coupled with his actions and behaviors in the past is another obvious sign that shows his heart is no longer 100% into his boxing career.

But one thing is certain, whether Manny Pacquiao decides to fight on November 10 or on a later date in December, the list of familiar opponents being touted does not excite even his die-hard fans more so the casual ones.

Timothy Bradley, Miguel Cotto, and Juan Manuel Marquez are all good fighters in their own right, but to many fans they are not the fights that they want to see, especially at this stage of Manny Pacquiao's career. But we also cannot deny the reality that Manny Pacquiao has very little options left except against Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

But since Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is enjoying an extended sabbatical from boxing after his stint in prison and trying his darndest best to evade the Pacquiao question, the boxing powers that be have given us just three choices to pick on who will be Manny Pacquiao's next dancing partner if and when he decides to fight.

In this writer's opinion, Miguel Cotto should not even be in the equation, especially after the brutal beating that the Pacman inflicted on him. There is no drama nor the element of surprise here as the fight was conclusive and one-sided. The loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr., even though the Boricua fighter gave a good account of himself, further disqualifies him in many boxing observers' minds.

Timothy Bradley, despite all his pronouncements lately, just does not cut it out. The boxing world knows who won the fight that night in Las Vegas, except the boxing judges who robbed Manny Pacquiao of his belt and gave it to Bradley, despite Bradley doing almost nothing to improve his stock in the fight. The dole-out was just inconceivable even to the eyes of the casual boxing fans who probably don't know the difference between a right hook and a bare-handed slap. No boxing fan in his right mind would want to undergo the experience of watching a snoozefest the second time around.

That leaves us with Manny Pacquiao's perennial nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez. The Mexican is probably the only fighter who was able to solve the Pacquiao puzzle and was not intimidated by the Filipino's mystique in the ring. Their trilogy was very competitive albeit controversial as both camps and their supporters believed in their hearts that their own fighter was the rightful winner regardless of the result of the fight.

Juan Manuel Marquez provides danger and a challenge to Manny Pacquiao. The Mexican fighter is like a bad nightmare that never goes away. Manny Pacquiao needs to put a stop to Juan Manuel Marquez's emphatic claims regarding their past fights.

Yes, Manny Pacquiao should choose Juan Manuel Marquez from the list in order for him to put an end to the lingering doubts of the skeptics regarding his close victories over the Mexican legend. Manny Pacquiao needs to stamp his class and put Marquez away decisively and for good.

But before he puts his name on the dotted line, Manny Pacquiao should try to look inside himself and find out whether he still has the fire and desire to continue fighting. Otherwise, it is time to walk away from the fight game.

 Note: This article was previously published on Detroit Fight Sports Examiner