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Boxer, Politician, Entertainer?
Manny Pacquiao!
By Barbara Pinnella
How many adjectives can be used to describe the talent of
Manny Pacquiao? Frankly, I can’t think of any that have not
already been utilized. I could make some words up I suppose,
or start writing in another language. But that is
unnecessary, I’m sure. One only has to watch the master at
work to understand how great he is.
I did not get to see the fight until today, as I was out of
town. I did know Manny won, which pleased me, but I knew
very little about the manner in which he accomplished that.
Then I began hearing from some people that it was a boring
event and that Joshua Clottey did not come to fight. I read
that on some websites as well, so I when I finally sat down
for the twelve rounds of what many were saying was not
action, I was prepared.
Maybe it was because I already knew he won, or perhaps it
was because I am unashamedly a rider of the “Pacman Train”.
Having had the opportunity to watch him train recently, I
was pretty certain that he could withstand whatever would
get thrown at him. And that was just it – now I realized
where the boring comments were coming from. The fact is, as
almost all of you know, not much was thrown at him at all.
Because Clottey stayed in a defensive position for the
entire fight, the action that one would expect to see in
this type of contest wasn’t there. So instead, I spent my
time watching Pacquiao give a clinic. And I must admit, I
wasn’t bored, not for one round. His command of the ring,
his aggression, and his quickness were things that I really
enjoyed watching.
He got stronger as the fight went on. If Clottey was waiting
for him to tire, that wait was going to be a long one. One
of the announcers even made mention of those four-hour
workouts that Manny has become so famous for. The
differences in the number of punches thrown was staggering –
399 for Clottey, compared to a whopping 1231 for Pacquiao,
who averaged 100 punches per round!
One other thing that was a bit refreshing. These two men
like each other. It was obvious from the start that the
respect was there. And after the fight, Joshua said, “I got
beat tonight. In other fights I thought I might have won,
but tonight I got beat.”
Manny, as we have heard before, simply said, “It’s not
personal, it’s my job.”
Fast-forward to May 1, MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Floyd
Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley. This is a fight both men are
capable of winning, and as is the word at this time, the
winner will get a chance at Pacquiao. Myself, I would like
to see Mosley take out Floyd. But the fight everyone wants
to see is Mayweather against Pacquiao, and even though I
would like Shane to come out on top, I too want to see The
Mouth fight The Man.
And make no mistake about it, if we ever get to see this
match-up it will not be good guys’ club as was the fight
last week. No, neither trainer likes the other, and nether
fighter likes the other. The camps will be at odds from the
moment (assuming) Mayweather wins his fight. Actually, it
has never completely stopped, and began once again when
immediately after their victory; Freddie Roach called out
Floyd for yet another time.
So while we will have to be patient and wait to find out if
that ‘fight of the decade’ will take place, Pacquiao will
step into another arena, as he will begin to campaign for
Congress immediately. That Philippine general election will
take place in May. While Manny says that every fight brings
honor to the Philippines, this is certainly a different and
more powerful way to repay his people.
“The Filipino people don’t just give me their support, they
also give me their strength, their pride, and their love. If
my being in public office can attract new businesses to
relocate to my province and shine a light on the neglect my
people have endured, I am only too happy to serve.”
Some think that Pacquiao could not handle any more, that he
has too much on his plate already. Well, if there is one man
who can focus completely on the issues at hand, it is Manny.
There is no reason to believe that he will not continue to
be able to do so. But I do hope that this was not the last
time we see him in the ring – his time there is not
finished, and I want to watch another boxing lesson!
And finally, I have to give a big shout-out to the many,
many Filipino boxing fans that have emailed me and contacted
me on FaceBook with all their kind words of appreciation. It
has really been amazing, and I thank you all so much!
Be safe and God Bless
Viva La Raza,
Barb.
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