By Rob Smith: In response to the comment from a Filipino doctor that he might have the symptoms of early Parkinson’s disease, Manny Pacquiao spoke up and said he’s feeling fine and isn’t planning on retiring anytime soon despite the doctor’s advice that he should consider doing so.
Pacquiao said to the Manila Bulletin “I am doing good. I will be the one to say that I will retire from boxing because I am the one who knows and feels what my body is telling me”
Filipino doctor Rustico Jimenez said he had spotted “Tremors” in Pacquiao’s hands while observing him on television. He feels that the twitching is signs of early Parkinson’s disease.
Pacquiao may say he’s feeling good but you can’t really agree to him looking good right now after he was knocked out in the 6th round by Juan Manuel Marquez last month. Pacquiao has lost his last two fights, and he seems to have lost his ability to move around the ring and take hard shots.
The worry is that Pacquiao may stick around in the sport too longer and end up losing each time he faces someone good. It would be sad to see Pacquiao refusing to see that his career is over and just sticking around and getting beaten over and over again like some of the great ones. Look at Roy Jones Jr. He was nearly unbeatable in his youth, and he’s now getting viciously knocked out against guys that he would have easily beaten in his prime.
If Pacquiao gets knocked out in his next fight this year he’s going to be faced with the growing evidence that he doesn’t have it anymore. He can explain away his losses to Marquez and Bradley by saying he should have won the Bradley fight and that he was overconfident against Marquez, but you can’t explain away how Pacquiao is longer performing the way he used to. Something has changed his game and it started shortly after his win over Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao has looked slower, more flat-footed and not impressive in his fights with Bradley, Marquez, Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley. His promoter isn’t putting him in with soft touches in anymore and he’s getting beaten.