INQUIRER Sports

STEPPING OUT OF A CINEMA together with hundreds of others who went through 12 delightful but anxious rounds of Pacquiao-Cotto, you couldn?t help but wonder what our sports life would be like when Manny runs out of worthy challengers and hangs up his gloves.

I will probably not see a Filipino win an Olympic gold medal but I have seen more than a lifetime of Pacquiao magnificence to at least, in some way, approximate the thrill of winning that elusive Olympic prize.

His punches continue to befuddle opponents, just like what Miguel Cotto experienced in the third and fourth rounds and at the last, when Kenny Bayless rightfully stepped in to stop the fight. Pacquiao?s transformation from a raw, hard-hitting slugger into a cerebral and calculating champion has thrilled a nation hungry for heroes to emulate.

We should enjoy this while this lasts. This recent win against Cotto, carved out of guts and brains and not exclusively by power, secures Pacquiao?s place in history as one of the greatest Filipino athletes ever.

When the Pacquiao phenomenon ends?and we all hope for an ending where the Filipino warrior is the last man standing?no one else will capture our imagination in the same way he has over the last decade. His life story, rise to fame and string of conquests are the stuff great tales are made of.

Wannabes inspired by Pacquiaos conquests and financial success have emerged but have submerged just as quickly because they don?t get the same breaks or don?t work as hard as the Filipino ring icon.

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So how much longer will this last?

Being a smart warrior and a witness to how many have erred by not hanging their gloves at the right time, Pacquiao should be in our collective spotlight for probably three or four more years.

A third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez will erase all doubts about his ability to stop the Mexican counter puncher who has clearly learned how to take the very best from Pacquiao. (Pacquiao has said a fight with Marquez is definitely off because it will not sell.?Ed)

However, with the way Pacquiao is conditioned now, Marquez will find it very hard to exact vengeance.

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A fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. will arguably bring Pacquiao?s career to a glorious finish.

The money angle is getting in the way of making this fight happen. But count on the sport?s negotiators to find a way to settle the differences. It is a fight everyone wants to see.

In the future, when Pacquiao and Mayweather?s fight records are evaluated, questions will arise why they never fought each other given that they belong to the same generation.

Enjoy this newly minted Pacquiao title. It will be part of the legend you will tell your grandchildren for a long, long time.