“God gave me this illness to remind me that I am not number one; he is,” so said Muhammad Ali after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome at the age of 42.

Ali, one of the greatest boxers to lace on the gloves, was officially found suffering from the dreaded nervous disorder in 1984, just three years after he retired from boxing in 1981. However, as early as 1977, Ali’s long-time doctor Freddie Pacheco knew something was already wrong with the fighter’s health. That year, after seeing Ali take solid shots to the head from challenger Earnie Shavers, Pacheco advised Ali to retire. When Pacheco was rebuffed, he left Ali’s entourage. A stubborn Ali fought four more times after the Shavers bout, losing three. In 1980, Ali emerged from a two-year retirement and was beaten up in 10 rounds by his former sparring partner and then WBC heavyweight champion Larry Holmes. Ali was already showing signs of Parkinson’s syndrome (i.e., slurred speech, trembling hands) around this time and the beating he took from Holmes arguably accelerated the process.

While studies have shown that only around 15 percent to 20 percent of pro boxers are likely to suffer from brain damage during and after their careers, Ali’s case proves that a boxer, journeyman or all-time great, can succumb to it. Boxers are actually shoo-in candidates for pugilistic dementia or punch drunk syndrome, a degenerative brain disease with symptoms that include memory loss, confusion, depression and emotional outbursts. The condition is caused by forceful and repeated blows to the head and is considered the kissing cousin of Parkinson’s syndrome.

Given the fate that befell Ali, the recent opinions rendered by neurologist Dr. Rustico Jimenez and forensic expert Dr. Raquel Fortun—that Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao may already be exhibiting signs of pugilistic dementia—cannot be swatted away like pesky flies.The main argument against the two medical experts is that they came out with their “findings” without having personally examined Pacquiao. Then again, I know a doctor who can readily sense something wrong with the health of an individual by merely looking at his eyes. If such an opinion came from a jueteng bet collector, then by all means crucify the guy.

Dig this: In 1999, Las Vegas-based neurologist Dr. Margaret Goodman immediately knew something was wrong with the health of “Terrible” Terry Norris after she merely bumped shoulders with the former super welterweight champion at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. “I said hello to him, and he couldn’t enunciate the words,” Dr. Goodman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. A year later, Norris applied for a license in Las Vegas in the hope of launching a comeback in the ring. Dr. Goodman was part of the Nevada Athletic Commission that rejected Norris’ request for a license. “You didn’t need a million-dollar study to tell you this young man didn’t belong in a boxing ring anymore,” she explained.

Norris, who defeated the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, John Mugabi and Meldrick Taylor in a sterling 12-year career (1986 to1998), was diagnosed last year with pugilistic dementia. Norris is only 45 years old, but he could no longer remember the names of the great fighters he defeated or the date of his own wedding.

Medical studies show that the punch-drunk syndrome begins to manifest about 12 years to 16 years after the start of a career in boxing. The condition becomes full-blown after a period of time, in some cases decades after a boxer has retired. The studies are far from being inaccurate. Norris started showing signs of the illness less than a year after he ended his 12-year career. Pacquiao, 34, turned pro in 1995 and is on his 17th year in the punch-for-pay business. He is coming off a devastating sixth round knockout loss to Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in December.

Instead of threatening Dr. Jimenez and Dr. Fortun with legal action, it will serve Pacquiao well to follow the suggestion of promoter Bob Arum. Before mapping out any return to the ring, Arum wants Pacquiao tested at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. Arum has been in the business for over 50 years and he knows the risks involved. Since it is his own health which is stake, Pacquiao stands to lose nothing if he pays heed.