Boxer Manny Pacquiao recently has reiterated his claim that he doesn’t like the nickname “The Mexican Assassin,” but it’s going to be a tough tag for the Filipino icon to shake, especially when you consider that you have to go back four years to find a non-Mexican opponent on Pacquiao’s record. He’s fought eight times during that span with seven victories, the only loss coming in the first bout of his great trilogy with Erik Morales, a loss that Pacquiao avenged by subsequently stopping El Terrible in their next two meetings including this carnivorous third-round KO from the third fight. ↵
Manny Pacquiao: The Mexican ... Conquistador?
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↵Despite the fact that he all but retired Morales and fellow Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera (a.k.a. The Baby-Faced Assassin), Pac Man’s beef with the “Assassin” nickname boils down to what he claims is his abiding respect for Mexican fighters, a respect that has been eagerly reciprocated by his Mexican opponents and their fans (although, since his controversial loss to Pac Man this past March, the fans of Juan Manuel Marquez may not be lavishing Manny with adulation these days). ↵
↵↵Mexican fight fans will get another chance to respectfully root against Pacquiao in his upcoming June 28th PPV bout with WBC lightweight champ, Mexican-American David Diaz. It’s Pac Man’s first fight at 135 pounds, and should he defeat Diaz as is widely expected, one has to imagine that his likely next bout will be a big-money third fight with Marquez, this time at 135. In other words, it’s unclear right now if Pacquiao ever will fight a non-Mexican again, and if he keeps winning, I think he’s going to have to learn to live with that nickname. ↵
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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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