What If Manny Pacquiao Loses To Brandon Rios?

Manny Pacquiao is coming off two straight losses at the hands of Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, however, the Filipino fighter has said in the press that he has moved on from those defeats and he is looking forward to a new chapter in his boxing career.

His upcoming fight against Brandon Rios on November 23 could prove to be a catalyst for Pac Man’s triumphant return but what would happen if he loses this bout?

It’s a question that not many Pacquiao fans want to explore, but according to Rios it’s a sure thing. Let’s talk hypothetically about what’s the possible outcome of yet another loss for Manny Pacquiao.

“While he’s focused on the fight, obviously it’s a distraction because he cares about his people,” said Freddie Roach in an interview to the media about Pacquiao’s focus and how the recent devastating Typhoon Haiyan is affecting his fighter.

The suffering of the victims in the Philippines has been on the mind of everyone worldwide but more so on one of it’s own citizens.

In fact, Manny Pacquiao has dedicated his fight against Rios to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. The pressure of fighting is hard enough when you’re just thinking about your opponent but add to add the burden of winning a fight for a nation and that pressure can be too much for even the most clutch fighter.

In the last few years, Manny Pacquiao has been at odds between his responsibilities as a Congressman for the Philippines and his boxing career.

There is an innate sense of responsibility instilled in Pacquiao that makes him passionate to help his countrymen. There is no need for him to keep fighting, especially if his responsibilities to his country take precedence over the sport.

Should he lose his third fight in a row, he is an intelligent man who knows about business and can make money from branding, public appearance and other lucrative endorsements to help him generate income for his future endeavours.

Even his trainer, Freddie Roach, has said that should Pacquiao struggle against Rios, there will be a serious talk about retirement after the bout.

“It’s really hard to say until we see the fight, but I will be the first one to tell him to retire,” said Roach in a teleconference last week.

Which is smart on Roach’s part because Pacquiao doesn’t need to keep fighting. He should step out of the sport while his name still has value. There is no need to stay on and take loss after loss just to prove you can still go out there. There is too much good that his name and influence can do, especially for the Philippines.

Should Manny get knocked out for the second time [the first time came against Marquez], that should be a clear sign for Pac Man to leave the sport behind.

Remember that Pacquiao has never had exceptional defensive skills, partly because his offensive bursts more than made up for a lack of defence in a fight. This is something similar to Roy Jones Jr., who after getting knocked out by Antonio Tarver in 2004 was never the same fighter.

Once a dominant fighter’s chin is suspect, that becomes a mental thing because Pacquiao knows he vulnerable. On the other hand, fighters do start to lose the fear of fighting Pacquiao because they know he can be knocked out.

To answer the question of what would happen if Pacquiao loses, the only answer is ‘retirement,’ which does not come from not this humble writer but from Freddie Roach.