Juan Manuel Marquez says he’s amazed at how Manny Pacquiao blitzed and beat the younger and bigger Keith Thurman in a tight WBA welterweight unification championship in Las Vegas last month.
The Mexican boxing legend, who had a four-fight epic against Pacquiao, said the Filipino icon was indeed one of a kind.
In the same breath though, Marquez warned Pacquiao to look out for himself.
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen to Manny. But he needs to care and decide for his future,” Marquez told FightHub.
Why?
“He’s getting hit too much. He received a lot of punches in his last fight. Keith Thurman landed many punches with power.”
Pacquiao, 40, who dropped Thurman in the first round, was declared winner by split decision.
Thurman, 30, has been calling for a rematch.
After the brutal bout with Thurman, Pacquiao announced he’s not fighting within the year.
Marquez, in the same interview with FightHub, said Pacquiao can still hang with other fighters, given his experience and gift of perpetual speed.
However, Marquez said he’s not confident about Pacquiao taking on the sensational Errol Spence, who called him out after beating Mickey Garcia in his last fight.
Marquez said Spence would be too much for Pacquiao because of age and superior skills.
Meanwhile, durability icon Bernard Hopkins said Pacquiao has been performing magnificently at age 40 because the fighting Filipino senator is an all-around warrior like him.
“We know when to adjust and adapt styles to different types of opponent,” Hopkins explained.
Hopkins, however, said this ability could also prove a disadvantage.
“Sometimes our cornermen would not know when to throw the towel,” Hopkins said.
Pacquiao had been advised by trainer Freddie Roach to consider retirement after beating Thurman in a brutal 12-round war.
However, Buboy Fernandez, Pacquiao boyhood ally and trusted handler, said only Pacquiao will tell when he will retire.
Many fans readily called for Pacquiao’s retirement after he was knocked out cold by Marquez in 2012.
Pacquiao kept out of boxing for a year but was next expertly guided by Roach through a rich comeback trail.