Alexander the Great once wept when he realized that there were no more worlds left to conquer. He had reached the abyss of supremacy, an immeasurable deep chasm that had nothing more to offer but an oasis of nothingness; an ocean of emptiness. True enough, in his despair, his dynasty crumbled into pieces. Manny Pacquiao, by all means, is no Alexander the Great, however, having outclassed great fighters such as Oscar Dela Hoya, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Lehlohonolo Ledwaba, perhaps he too has reached the abyss of boxing supremacy.
It's been almost one year since Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his retirement, giving way to Pacquiao's reign as the best fighter in the sport. Due to the nature of his elevation to the top spot (albeit a logical one considering that when the number one guy goes out, the number two guy should move up and take his place), doubts of his "numero uno" status lingered in the air.
After a masterful performance against then WBC lightweight champion David Diaz, a scintillating performance against Oscar Dela Hoya followed and ultimately erased all those doubts. Pacquiao is currently sitting comfortably on his pound-for-pound throne, enjoying the fame and fortune that he has worked so hard for.
Now the question isÂ…how long will his dynasty last?
They say that Pacquiao has reached his peak. If so, a saturation point seems inevitable. Although the boxing world isn't quite ready to relinquish Pacquiao as the world's best boxing pugilist, kinks and rust may be starting to appear in his armor. Given Juan Manuel Marquez's sensational victory over Juan Diaz and Shane Mosley's success at turning back the hands of time with an impressive win against Antonio Margarito, it seems like the arguments as to who is truly the best prizefighter is starting to blossom like French Tulips in Spring.
For Pacquiao to once again silence the critics, one thing must be done. He must face a much tougher challenge and a much tougher opposition in Ricky HattonÂ…and he must win as impressively as the other elite fighters challenging for his crown.