Manny Pacquiao will fight for the final time on April 9 and likely at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on HBO Pay-Per-View.
He is facing an ironic set of circumstances coming into the bout.
In his final fight in December 2008, Oscar De La Hoya came down from 154 pounds to 145 pounds for a catch-weight bout with Pacquiao and was sent into retirement in eight one-sided rounds.
Pacquiao could be moving down himself, according to his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.
Arum told BoxingScene.com that a potential Pacquiao-Crawford matchup would likely be at 140 pounds.
Pacquiao has made just one appearance in the super-lightweight division, a second-round knockout of former world champion Ricky Hatton in 2009.
The issue De La Hoya had cutting weight will not likely be a major factor for Pacquiao, as the future Senator walks around 140 pounds when he is not training for a fight anyway.
However, Pacquiao will still have to face the music if he is still one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport.
Some see a fight with Crawford as a potential “passing-of-the-torch” fight because with a solid performance, the 28-year-old WBO super lightweight champion will likely pick up where the 36-year-old Pacman left off.
Some will argue that a prime Pacquiao would have stopped Crawford; and that is viable, just not relevant. A prime Pacman would have stopped Crawford inside seven rounds perhaps in a competitive fight, but which Pacquiao will come about in the spring of 2016?
Will we see an out of prime but still solid Pacquiao or a completely shot fighter?
After his performance against Floyd Mayweather, especially in the latter half, no one knows the answer.
Whether one believes in the shoulder injury is another question.
The former eight-division world champion is known to be a far stronger puncher when he fights below the welterweight limit of 147-pounds.
With this battle expected to be his final one, Pacquiao could pour all that is his left of his boxing ability on the line for one last war with a rising star.
It is going to be a dangerous fight not only for Pacquiao, but for Crawford as well. We are talking about another Pacquiao-Marquez type brawl with knockdowns from both ends of the ring.
Crawford has looked incredible in his past couple of matches against the likes of Dierry Jean and Thomas Dulorme, but has left himself open for a flush right hand. Pacquiao hits much harder than anyone Crawford has faced, and could so some damage.
Given Pacquiao’s experience in these type of fights, he could stop Crawford. However, given the youth and confidence Crawford has as the WBO super lightweight champion, it could be the painful end to a storied career as Pacquiao is coming into the ring having lost three of his last six fights, including a brutal sixth-round KO loss to Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez.
This fight may not happen after all. There are other options like a rematch with either Timothy Bradley or Brandon Rios, Amir Khan, and Adrien Broner.
Either of the aforementioned choices are certainly safer options at this point.
– Ryan O’Hara @OHaraSports
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