Pacquiao-Matthysse: What will happen if Pacquiao loses?

Manny Pacquiao will undoubtedly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but his best days are far behind him. Despite many feeling he should have retired years ago, he will step into the ring for the 68th time this Saturday.

Although he is 39 years old and coming off a (controversial) loss, Manny Pacquiao will fight this Saturday in Malaysia against Lucas Matthysse. That age would be considered over the hill for just about any fighter, but due to the number of wars Pacquiao has been in throughout his career, he is even further removed from his prime than the average 39-year-old boxer.

It seems as though for the past few years, each time there is a Pacquiao fight announced, fans begin to question if it will be his last. He clearly is not the fighter he once was, and he has nothing left to prove.

Yet here we are, with Manny Pacquiao set to step into the ring for the 68th time in his career, this time without longtime trainer Freddie Roach in his corner.

Despite being a +155 underdog, many fans feel Matthysse has a legit shot to come out victorious, mainly due to his punching power and Pacquiao’s slippage.

The question remains: What if Matthysse were to pull off the upset? Where would that leave Pacquiao?

‘Pac-Man’ has not looked truly great in quite some time, but has still been able to be quite the draw, getting a ton fans to tune in to his fights. While not as good as he once was, a lot of casual fight fans will see that he is fighting and watch, just because of his name.

However, these casual fans would often see ads on the internet, commercials on TV, as well as segments on ESPN, all of which have all been absent in the weeks leading up to this fight.

A large part of why so many fans saw the ads/commercials for previous fights is due to the fact that previous Pacquiao fights were promoted by Top Rank, who has done an excellent job in making Manny the star he is.

This fight will be the first Pacquiao fight in quite a while that Top Rank has not fully promoted, and it will be interesting to see how the views are impacted.

If he were to win on Saturday, and look good, this will likely all be forgotten. There will be another fight, and probably against an opponent better (or at least more well-known) than Matthysse, which will lead to another big payday for Pacquiao.

However, losing to an over-the-hill Lucas Matthysse would mark back-to-back defeats on Pacquiao’s record. He will be 40 years old in December, and would be without a promotional company.

Without proper promotion, all fan interest in the once pound-for-pound king would likely vanish with the loss, leaving Pacquiao in a potentially sticky situation.

If he has been fighting recently just for the sake of fighting, or because he truly feels he is still an elite fighter, then he could retire off of back-to-back losses with nothing to be ashamed of. He could move all of his focus on his duties as a senator in his home country of the Philippines, and enjoy more time with his family, all while not getting punched in the face.

An eight-divison world champ and BWAA Fighter of the Decade, Pacquiao’s place in boxing history is cemented.

However, there is that potentially sticky situation. What if Pacquiao has been fighting as long as he has because he needs the money?

What happens if Pacquiao loses to Matthysse?

By Matthew Saljanin | Jul 13, 2018

Manny Pacquiao will undoubtedly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but his best days are far behind him. Despite many feeling he should have retired years ago, he will step into the ring for the 68th time this Saturday.