While Manny Pacquiao avenged a highly controversial loss to Timothy Bradley the last time he stepped in the ring, beating "Desert Storm" decisively in the eyes of all three judges, slightly declining gates and fervor for Pacman's fights indicate he's a bit past his prime. Don't tell that to Top Rank boss Bob Arum though.
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Arum said that Pacquiao looked his best against Bradley, and that the savage knockouts that thrust him atop many pound-for-pound rankings several years ago weren't a true representation of his top form.
"It was the best Manny Pacquiao," Arum told RingTV.com. "People look at the Cotto and Hatton fights and see Manny as this devastating knockout puncher, which he never was. Look at the fight against De La Hoya, where he threw punches in and out and more punches. That was the Manny Pacquiao that fought Bradley in their rematch."
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While few can argue that Pacquiao wasn't very sharp in the Bradley rematch, it is hard to argue he looked better outpointing Bradley than he did pummeling a near-his-prime Cotto into submission. A few short years ago Pacquiao's hands were just as quick, and he was throwing just as many lethal shots as he did on April 12, only the bouts were ending in knockouts.
"The Pacquiao that fought De la Hoya, that's Manny's big style. [Pacquiao] punches hard," Arum continued. "He moves and he is very hard to hit when he wants to be hard to hit. That was a magnificent performance by Manny Pacquiao."
This is likely a bit of promotional maneuvering, as it is little secret Top Rank plans on pitting the winner of Saturday's Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Mike Alvarado bout against Pacman for his WBO welterweight crown.
There are other rumors floating as well about a potential superfight with Canelo Alvarez, although Canelo has denied that talks have begun. Alvarez is slated to take on Erislandy Lara on July 12, but laid out a plan to fight three times in 2014.
What is Pacquiao's best performance? Tell us @SportsWN
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