Later this week, Manny Pacquiao will take on Brandon Rios in an attempt to show the boxing world that he's still capable of being among the most fearsome fighters on the planet.
That's because Pac-Man hasn't actually earned a victory since November of 2011, and at least for the time being, his future in the sport appears to be somewhat in doubt.
Not so long ago, Pacquiao appeared to be the most intriguing opponent for pound-for-pound champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., but until the 34-year-old proves that he deserves to face Money at this stage of his career, it won't happen.
Well, his Nov. 23 clash with Rios will give him the opportunity to do just that, as the American certainly presents the former eight-division champion a challenge. Heading into the bout, Rios stands at an impressive 31-1-1, but like Pacquiao, he's in need of a victory after falling to Mike Alvarado earlier this year.
But for Pacquiao, a third consecutive loss would force him to seriously contemplate retirement, because for a fighter who is sure to go down as one of the sport's greatest ever, ending a career with a lengthy string of defeats, even if they do come against quality opponents, would be less than ideal.
And for their part, his camp seems to acknowledge this:
Manny Pacquiao's trainer says the Filipino boxer will contemplate retirement if he fails to perform well against Brandon Rios this month.
Freddie Roach said if the Rios fight "does not go well, we will seriously talk about his retirement," but he added Pacquiao was training as well the Nov. 24 bout in Macau.
While it would be a shame to see Pac-Man go out this way, dropping consecutive decisions to Rios, Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley should be enough to force him into retirement.
Yes, the scoring fiasco during the Bradley fight is still fresh in the minds of many, but Pacquiao simply didn't look like the dominant force he once was during that fight, and he certainly didn't against Marquez, who scored a sixth-round knockout.
Prior to those two defeats, Pacquiao hadn't lost since 2005, so a third consecutive loss would not only put a serious dent in his record, but also presumably in the confidence of a man who was once viewed as the best fighter in the world.
There's no doubting that he still has the tools to hang around for a while longer even if he's upset by Rios, but would Pacquiao even want to do that?
If Pacquiao orchestrates a vintage performance en route to a victory over Rios, he'll continue for a while longer.
But if he falls, or fails to live up to his own expectations in the ring, one has to believe that Pacquiao will leave the ring for good, while the memory of his dominant years remain relatively fresh within the boxing community.
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