Back in February 2021, Floyd Mayweather shocked the world by beating out his father’s advice to become the first boxer in history to simultaneously hold championships in four different weight classes. The undefeated boxer accomplished this rare feat by defeating Manny Pacquiao in a non-title bout. The fight was marked by excitement and drama, with both fighters exchanging a flurry of punches in the first round. Although Mayweather won the fight, it was later revealed that Pacquiao had contracted pneumonia which delayed his return to the ring and cost him several pounds. The Filipino icon had to withdraw from the sport in which he’d been competing just three months after the fight.
The Final Countdown
Now, 11 months later, the wait for boxing fans to see whether or not Manny Pacquiao would come back to the ring is nearly over. The former champion returned to the ring on November 12th and on that night he faced undefeated boxer Liam Smith at the Cardiff Arms Park in Wales. The fight was a rematch of an earlier encounter in which both men put in a convincing performance in a bid to earn a shot at Mayweather. As the saying goes, ‘never say never’ and it appears that Manny Pacquiao is certainly proving that to be true. After the fight, Pacquiao said that he was “absolutely exhausted” and that he’d “rather stay home and rest than continue with the press conference rounds.”
Despite the illness that forced him to withdraw from the ring just days before the rematch with Smith, Pacquiao put in a brave performance and actually started the fight stronger than he’d started any of his previous fights. This was evident by the third round when he scored a knockdown. In the fourth round, the 35-year old finally took a bit of a step back, but continued to trade punches with Smith until the end of the fight. The two-time champion’s body language was also fairly poor during the post-fight conference, which many fans and pundits took to mean that the rematch had gone poorly for him. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Far from being a loss, the contest was actually a major victory for Pacquiao.
After winning their respective battles in the fifth and sixth round, Smith began to tire as the fight progressed. This left many fans wondering whether or not he’d have what it takes to beat the much-favored Mayweather. Pacquiao, however, wasn’t done yet and he continued to press forward, scoring a knockdown in the seventh round. The challenger’s aggressive style finally took a toll on Smith, who began to crumble in the later rounds. In the final round, as the clock approached 12, the momentum clearly shifted in favor of Pacquiao. The Welshman, who started the fight confidently, now appeared a beat or two short of his opponent. Although he tried his best, in the end it just wasn’t enough and he suffered his first professional loss.
While the fight itself was thrilling, the buildup to it was even more so. Just four days before the bout with Smith, Pacquiao had announced that he would be retiring from the sport after 25 successful years. After the loss to Liam Smith, it appears as if the Filipino icon may have changed his mind and decided to continue competing. If this is the case, then Mayweather may have his work cut out for him if he decides to fight the two-time champion. This unprecedented bout could go down as one of the most historic in boxing history.