Score another victory and a huge round of applause for the great Manny Pacquiao.
I just finished watching the much anticipated rematch between Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Juan Manual Marquez of Mexico. The fight was held at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was their first fight since they last met in May 2004. That bout ended in a draw in spite of the three knockdowns that Marquez suffered in the first round.
This evening's rematch, like the first one, also went the distance. Once again, Marquez got floored by Pacquiao, this time towards the end of the third round. But except for that knockdown, this was a hotly-contested battle through all 12 rounds. In the end, Manny won by a split decision on the strength of that one knockdown he scored against Marquez. Thus, with this victory, Manny gained the WBC (World Boxing Championship) and Ring Magazine's Super Featherweight Championship belts.
Manny, once again, will receive a hero's welcome once he lands in Manila. A proud country will welcome him with open arms. Our politicians and people will find themselves united again, at least for one brief shining moment. Everyone will put on their best behavior, and rightly so, to honor and pay respect to a man who has always made his country proud.
In the international boxing scene, Manny has become known worldwide as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters today and maybe, even in history. Sylvester Stallone, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Mike Tyson now count among his fans. Mike Tyson even showed up to watch this evening's fight.
Manny's international fame is such that HBO ring announcer Jim Lampley remarked in this evening's fight that Manny is not just an icon in his native Philippines but has also become an icon in Mexico for beating two, and now with his victory over Marquez, make that three, of their best boxing champions. He is in a pedestal of boxing heroes now, along with the likes of Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, and contemporaries Eric Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, and his latest victim, Juan Manuel Marquez.
Pacquiao now holds the distinction of beating all three of Mexico's finest fighters. He's now a true legend and at 29, his legend may still grow in the years to come.
I wish Manny Pacquiao continued success in career and more importantly, in his life. The poor boy from General Santos City certainly deserves all the riches, accolades, and fame he has garnered. Simply put, they are the just rewards from years of hard work. I just hope that for his sake and that of his family's, that he will be wise and play his cards right in life. I hope that he would channel all that fame and wealth to productive and positive uses to make sure that future generations of Pacquiaos will no longer experience the poverty and hardship he experienced early in life.
Photo credit: MannyPacquiaofan.com
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Sweet Victory for Pacquiao
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24 responses:
one of my kids, a boxing fan, was so thrilled when he found out i was filipino. he said his fave boxer is pacquiao. let's manny doesn't get any ideas and run for office again. he's done enough "fighting" for our country.
Jane,
I fully agree. He should stay out of politics. He has done his job in making the entire country proud and in putting the Philippines back in the world boxing map. It's up for the millions of others to do their share.
The problem is, like in any other place, there are vultures around him under the guise of "friends" or "advisers" who are there for selfish reasons. I hope he has some true friends to turn to who will look out for his best interests.
there's no doubt that he is the winner though i heard that marquez's group is contesting.
i salute pacquiao for his excellence in his field but please don't let him run for president!
Hi Bing,
Marquez's camp can contest the decision all they want but it is going to be very difficult for them. Marquez got knocked down in the fight and though he had a cut near his right eye, Manny was never seriously hurt. I seriously doubt if the boxing officials will overturn the decision. Humingi na lang sila ng rematch.
As for politics, he'll just end up losing a lot of his hard earned money should he decide to throw his hat in the political ring. I agree with you. He should stay out of it.
oh! congrats, Manny!
i've been out of circulation from such news. thanks for sharing this post. got a glimpse of how the competition went. got no TFC yet. hehe.
i watched the delayed telecast with the boys at home. once i got home, i spilled out the juicy, much awaited news - pacquiao won already (according to you). telling them the outcome of the match didn't stop them from watching the ad-laden, uber-tagal delayed telecast at channel 7.
i watched the telecast, Marquez is good as well. i was quite bored waiting for the 2 sizing up each other. :)
it wasn't really a good fight for me.he won by a mere point. :(
hmmm...i also don't like the melodramatic admittance that he unites everyone. accdg. to one family friend, yes, he unites all Filipinos in watching TV and betting. :(
his mother asked the Filipino people to pray so Pacquiao will win. Ha! are they giving the millions to all those who pray?
and yes, like what you've mentioned, hopefully, he will invest his money properly for opportunity comes but once.
Manny is emulated by many younger boxers and would-be boxers in the provinces. But without the proper guidance and regulation of amateur boxing, these young hopeful will just fall prey to vulture promoters prowling the sport. I hope Manny can do something about this.
hail, manny! :)
it's very peaceful here in the Philippines.
A remarkable boxer!
Let's hope he can avoid the pitfalls of being rich and famous...
fingertalks,
No problem. I don't have TFC too. I got to watch the match through Pay Per View.
Mari,
Diehard Manny fans pala iyong dalawa. Hehehe Sobrang delayed pala. When I called my parents up to let them know of the results, hindi pa pinapalabas diyan.
Mon,
Manny had the same "vulture" problem in his early days in boxing. Remember Rod Nazario? Even his first promoter here in the US, Murad Muhammad, was known to be a shady character in boxing circles. The Nazario-Muhammad combination was an awful one for Pacquiao.
Lazarus,
Manny should schedule weekly fights then to make the peace hold and to bring the crime rates down. Hehehe
Ipanema,
I have to agree with you. Both fighters were tentative throughout the fight, Manny more so than Marquez. I am of the opinion that were it not for the knockdown he inflicted on Marquez, he could have easily lost that fight.
As for the melodramatic, what else is new? Some sectors of our society thrive on that.
Sidney,
I hope so too. I hope that there would be grown-ups around him to help him point out which ones are his true friends and which ones aren't. There's too many people hitting him up for money, favors, etc. taking advantage of his generosity and kind heart. That's all fine but he could end up back in the poor house if he's not careful.
I agree with Ipanema, ang arte naman ng nanay niya, praying the rosary and asking the the entire nation to pray for him, as if the survival of this country depended on his winnings... arrgh!
Sorry for the rabid Pacquiao fans out there but I don't approve of the term "hero" being used on him. "Champ" yes, because he is one... but a hero?
I was on the road during the fight and didn't get a chance to watch it but logged onto the internet at 4am. As usual the Inquirer website has the up to date news hehe :)
Great win for Pacquiao although his coach wasn't too happy with him chasing Marquez around the ring. Oh well, he won and that was what counts :)
Rudy,
Know what? You have a very valid point on the use of the word "hero". Maybe we ought to use other words such as your suggestion "Champ" or "Pride of the Philippines/General Santos City" and leave it at that. "Hero" nga sounds a bit melodramatic. I agree.
bw,
It truly wasn't one of his best performances. I felt that for the most part, he was a bit tentative in his attacks. It seemed that he worried too much about Marquez's punching power while underestimating his own. Without the knockdown he scored against Marquez, he could have easily lost this fight.
This post reminded me of one time boxing champion Rolando Navarrette. He is now living in a very small shanty by the seashore and would line up in front of Manny's house to beg for some cash everytime he comes home after a win. Like you said, these instant millionaires should learn how to play their cards right.
Rolly,
Yeah, Rolando Navarrette is a sad example of those athletes who failed to make hay while the sun shined on them. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I also heard that he's partly blind because of brain injuries he suffered from boxing.
I'm sorry I did not know that. All I know is that he became an alcoholic and terrorizing his place everytime he's drunk. If I remember correctly, he was in the news several years ago for beating up his wife or live in girlfriend. Truly sad.
Rolly,
Sorry for the rather delayed response but I read somewhere that his partial blindness was a result of repeated blows to the head in boxing.
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