Category: Manny Pacquiao

Good luck, Manny! And, goodbye

Exactly 14 mornings from today, Filipinos will congregate. We’ll devour 3,654,985 lechons. We’ll gulp barrels and truckloads and pitchers of San Mig Light. We’ll hold reunions with neighbors and barkadas. We’ll gather around our Samsung flat screen TV sets or troop to the SM City Cinemas—all with clenched-fists, ready to stand and scream, “Yes! I’m proud to be Filipino!”

Dear readers… That’s the good news. Here’s the bad: Let’s savor the moment. This is Manny’s last fight.

Is it? Yes, I believe so. Had he lost in Congress last May 10 like he did in his first round of politics against the “heavyweight” Darlene Antonino-Custodio, he’d fight more fights. Had he not annihilated everybody in sight and climbed the Mt. Everest of Boxing—and be declared the sport’s No.1—he’d fight more. And is he not turning 32 years old this Dec. 17?

Yes he is. Here’s one more yes: Manny is retiring on Nov. 14. What more is there for him to accomplish? He’s now a Congressman—and a Senator come 2013. He’ll win his eighth weight division—a feat so outlandish that I don’t think any human being has done it before. He has four children—possibly more—named Jimuel, Michael, Princess and Queen Elizabeth. He is King; the most famous Pinoy in this planet of 6.7 billion inhabitants—more popular than P-Noy, GMA, Lea S., and, yes, Charice. In world rankings, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index, we’re ranked 134th out of 178 countries—a black-eye of an embarrassment—yet Pacman soars as our lone Philippine Eagle. He’s today’s Jose Rizal.

Manny has billions. No exaggeration there. Granted that, for each fight, he grosses $15,000,000—even if his net pay check is half or $7.5 million—that’s still P350,000,000. For one 12-round fight that he often reduces to seven rounds and 21 minutes of punching. Manny has all the money you and I will ever need—for a dozen lifetimes.

Why fight more? What’s the incentive? None. Why do you think Manny’s training for this fight is his worst? That’s because his mind, his heart, his lungs, and even his feet are elsewhere. “He has a foot problem,” said Freddie Roach in an Associated Press story. “And that’s because he wears dress shoes too much.” That’s laughable. But true. And dangerous for our man. That’s what politics does. It corrupts even the feet.

“I know his mind is off the fight,” added Roach. “I know his mind is somewhere else, and that’s because of politics. If there are no more challenges out there after this fight, this could be it… He loves his other job, and he might be done with this one.” This “other job,” of course, is basketball. The dribbling called politics.

If, indeed, come two Sundays from now, we’ll see The End of The Manny Pacquiao True Story Movie, it will be sad. We’d have lost our inspiration. We’d have more traffic on fight-day mornings. (The good news: the 10:45 a.m. Redemptorist Church mass will once again be filled with churchgoers.)

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao’s life story is better than any movie Steven Spielberg or Marilou Diaz-Abaya can concoct. It’s more unbelievable than James Bond’s—with more savory “girls escapades.” His dropping out of high school and leaving home at the age of 14 because Nanay Dionisia, who had five other children, could not support Manny. His rough beginnings as a construction worker and kargador. His start as a professional boxer at the age of 16 (height: 4-foot-11) and weighing only 106 pounds. His knockout losses against Rustico Torrecampo in 1996 and Medgoen Singrurat in 1999. His defining moment when he stunned Marco Antonio Barrera. His Phil Jackson-like coach in Freddie Roach. His winning his last 12 fights up until today—against sure-Hall of Famers like Morales, De La Hoya, Marquez…

Manny has done more in his 31 years of breathing air than we can ever achieve in 31 lifetimes. Will he win come Nov. 13? On his attempt for a 13th straight victory? Won’t this “13” be “Unlucky 13” for PacMan? In his last stand, one will be the last man standing. He’s Filipino.

Many Manny photos

With POC Chairman Monico Puentevella (blue barong) and, to the right, Raffy Osumo

Team PACQUIAO vs. SAC (Sportswriters Association of Cebu)

Handing Manny the Lifetime Achievement Award during the Cebu Sports Awards

In one of our several basketball games, that’s me (#9) guarding Manny

With Michael Aldeguer (center) and (from left) Jun Migallen, John, Manny, Atty. Jingo Quijano and Raffy Osumo

At the Waterfront Hotel in Lahug

With Gerry Peñalosa and Jingo Quijano at the Marriot

With Noel Villaflor, Girlie Garces of SMC, Jingo and Raffy

At the Cebu Coliseum weeks before fighting Marco Antonio Barrera

With Noel, Jonas Panerio of CDN, and POC Chairman Monico

Despite the distractions, is MP still Mr. Destruction?

Nobody possesses more self-confidence than our modern day version of Jose Rizal. Like the hit 1982 videogame by Atari that gobbles up wafers, Pacman is a hit—and he gobbles up opponents as if munching on Mexican burritos. Plenty of Mexicans he has gobbled: Velasquez, Solis, Morales, Barrera, Marquez, Larios and, yes, on the morning of the 14th of Nov., another enchilada named Antonio.

We have so much belief in Manny Pacquiao winning that odds-makers tag him a “minus-525” favorite. This means that a $525 bet on MP will earn you only $100. That’s a staggering number—considering these numbers: Pacman stands 5’ 6” while the Tijuana Tornada is nearly 6-feet-tall. Well, that lopsided betting figure is justified because, in his last 12 fights, Manny has won one dozen. The world of boxing has grown to expect Manny NEVER TO LOSE. To us, he’s not Superman—he’s up, up, and away…..

Still, I’m anxious. So, I’m sure, are you. With all these media reports that have bombarded us the past 14 days, it’s hard not to feel nervous. “MANNY SKIPS MORNING RUN BECAUSE OF BASKETBALL,” reads one headline. “FOOT INJURY!” screams another. “PACQUIAO BETTER STEP UP,” announces Bob Arum, fully aware of the marvelous shape of his other ward, Margarito.

What’s worse, instead of being imprisoned in his Baguio prison camp, the laagan that he is, Manny often escapes The City of Pines to head down to The City of Entertainment. Almost every Saturday night, he’s in Metro Manila.

For this is who Manny is: He likes games. He loves playing games. He relishes teasing us. While we’re troubled with his training, he’s training, all right—practicing the guitar and doing voice lessons to prepare for his after-fight concert in Dallas, Texas. Pacquiao is forever a risk-taker. A man on the edge.

What I’m most concerned of are two-fold. First, I haven’t heard much from Freddie Roach. Usually, a month or so prior to The Fight, this planet’s most celebrated trainer boasts, “Manny will knock him out in 7!” And, true enough, Freddie is Nostradamus—he’s correct. Sadly, he’s silent this time. Sure, Freddie said, Manny will toy with Antonio. But wasn’t that years ago? I mean, two months back? Before he saw the fitness level of his prized treasure? Before he realized that, “Hey, Manny’s taking it TOO EASY this time, he’s too overconfident, he’s not in perfect shape with just three-plus weeks to go.” And so first, I’d like to hear from Freddie. I’d like for him to reassure us. Thus far, we haven’t heard much. This isn’t good.

Two: the distractions. I know, I know. Manny, while called Mr. Destruction, is also Mr. Distraction. Most superstars love distractions—it’s how the Kobe Bryants and Lady Gagas and Pacquiaos orbit Earth. But, don’t you think this time, Manny has one too many? No, I’m not talking about Krista Ranillo and filming TV sitcoms and the alleged gambling midnight sessions of the past.

I’m talking about sessions in the House of Representatives. Months before his hardcore training started, Manny focused not on his physical body but on his mental capacity. He studied RP’s laws, lobbied for Sarangani’s 500,000 constituents, campaigned for Villar then shuffled footwork to align with Aquino—he’s now one of our 278 congressman.

Isn’t this good? CongressManny? It may be bad. For boxing. For us. It may have taken away that “edge.” Surely, it has dragged Rep. Pacquiao inside the political arena for hours and weeks and lessened his time inside the boxing arena. Don’t you think, while training, his mind often wanders to his obligations? Political?

Manny is Manny. Many are unlike Manny. He can juggle 149 thoughts per millisecond. He can strum a guitar, negotiate a P222 million deal for MP Building No. 5 in Gen. Santos City, kiss his children, shoot a left-handed 3-point shot, high-five Mark Wahlberg, meet Pres. Noynoy anytime he wishes—all within an hour.

But can he win 26 days from now? Abangan.

Jealous? Scared? Yes, Floyd M, Jr. is both

Because of all the attention Manny Pacquiao is getting from ESPN, Michael Marley, CNNSI, The Queensberry Rules and PhilBoxing.com today, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is envious. He used to be the star. He used to be the P4P king. He used to be the center of the universe’s orbit.

Used to be. Because every since MP defeated Oscar-DLH, Ricky Hatton, plus the slew of Mexicans named Eric, Juan Manuel, David, Marco Antonio—Mayweather’s status as boxing’s god disappeared. He relinquished it. Lost it to a miniscule Asian who used to fight 105 lbs.

Floyd is jealous. No doubt about it. Manny is absorbing all the love and praises of America—his America—and Floyd can’t stand watching it. Never beaten in 41 fights, Junior is used to being the last man standing… while the opponent is either lying flat on the canvas or has his eyes bruised. Mayweather was forever No.1. In his division. In Ring magazine’s Pound-4-Pound analysis. Not anymore. And so he’s fighting back.

Mayweather is quarreling Pacquiao, yes, but, no, not on the square ring inside a Las Vegas casino. Floyd isn’t fighting Manny there because, as you and I and the boxing community know, one person is scared. And it’s not Manny.

Our Sarangani congressman has humbled himself. Accused of being a drug cheat—though he’s never failed a single drug test, despite the hundreds conducted through the decade—Manny has agreed to every demand asked by the American. Still, the answer is No.

“No I won’t fight you, Manny. No, I won’t damage my perfect record. No, no, no, Manny. No!” Those are the unsaid words chirping inside Mayweather’s crooked brain. How crooked is his brain? Here are some of the words he spitted out yesterday in a YouTube confession that lasted for four minutes and 20 seconds.

“Poochiao,” he called Manny. He also said he will “cook that yellow chump,” that he will “kick the midget a**,” and “cook him up with some barbecued dog.”

Can you believe those words? Those are beyond racist. Those are evil. Here’s more: On the steroids issue, Mayweather said: “This mother f**ker’s name is Emmanuel. He got a fake name, taking power pellets.”

Worse, Mayweather added: “They ain’t got to worry about me fighting the midget. Once I kick the midget’s a**, I’ll make that mother f**ker make me a sushi roll and cook me some rice.”

Are you surprised? I’m not. For those are the exact words Floyd uses behind the scenes. Only now, he’s posted them on YouTube. Floyd’s always got the most egoistic attitude. He’s always possessed the most vilified mouth. And, you know what? He’s gotten what he’s wanted now: attention.

While Manny and Antonio Margarito are out touring LA and Texas promoting their Nov. 13 embrace, Floyd has managed to steal that limelight and focus the light on, once more, himself.

Now, in the midst of this Pacquiao-Margarito media blitz, it’s he—FM, Jr.—who’s getting all this attention. Even my writing this story today—the same story/criticisms hurled by hundreds of other journalists worldwide—is testament to his “stealing the show.”

Selfish. Loud mouth. Faggot. Let’s call him whatever bad name we can find; let’s seek revenge!!! Right?

No. For even Manny isn’t doing that. Manny’s taking the presidential high road. He’s not stooping down.

Yet, the world knows. Not only us, Filipinos, because we admit bias towards our countryman, but the boxing fans—even Floyd’s fellow Americans, who should be rooting for their own—now realize this truth: Floyd’s jealous. Floyd’s scared.

If you ask me, what would be a perfect ending to this latest twist? Sure, I’d recommend for Atty. Jingo Quijano to lead the case of defamation against Mayweather and win for Pacquiao millions of dollars in damages. That’s good. But I want an even better ending.

Manny beats Goliath this Nov. 13, fights The Racist sometime May 2011 and knocks him out like he did Ricky Hatton. Flat on the floor. Eyes frozen. Body unconscious. That should put to sleep this a*%&ole!

Margarito vs. Pacquiao is Goliath vs. David

(Photo: Granville Ampong)

YouTube is one of mankind’s greatest inventions. According to Wikipedia: “In May 2010, it was reported that YouTube was serving more than two billion videos a day…”

One of those two billion videos I watched at 6 p.m. yesterday. It was a 13:23-minute clip and three men—Bob Arum, Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao—spoke during the press conference two days ago in Los Angeles. What did I see?

Bob Arum, today’s Don King minus the standing hair, spoke first. He talked of injustice. He articulated how Mr. Margarito was denied justice in Las Vegas, disallowing him to fight in the “Sin City.”

Antonio Margarito stood up next. Donning a shiny black leather jacket and wearing eyeglasses that made him look like a UCLA student with spiky hair, “Tijuana’s Tornado” spoke in his native Mexican language.

Then, Bob Arum came back on stage to introduce the beloved superstar. Said Arum: “He’s now the Congressman from Sarangani… to the best of my knowledge, he’s the first professional boxer, while he is pursuing his boxing career, to be a representative of the highest parliamentary body in his country… that is a real tremendous achievement.. and he’s just starting because… in 2016, he’s going to be Vice-President and, hopefully, while I’m still around, we’re going to the Presidential Inaugural!”

Sporting a yellow Abercrombie & Fitch shirt and wearing his usual mustache and goatie, P-Manny rose from his chair and alighted the pulpit. Camera bulbs flashed. Hands collided. Applause reverberated throughout LA.

Rep. Emmanuel Pacquiao spoke. His English, despite his hurried training in the halls of the Batasang Pambansa, sounded crooked. But never mind. Because when Manny talks, his facial expression does the talking. He smiled.

“Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you. I’m here again! (smiling)”

For doesn’t Manny love to smile? And, when he does, don’t we return the favor and smile, watching our greatest-ever athlete enjoy himself on center-stage?

For that’s the originality of Pacman. While the Tysons, the Mayweathers, the Hattons wear the ugliest of frowns during press gatherings—as if there was a “Who Can Frown Best Wins” contest—with our fighter, it’s the opposite.

Manny grins. His face is no boxer’s pugilist face that will scare your 5-year-old boy. He’s the most relaxed, casual and laid-back man in this sport that demands fighters not to be relaxed, not to be casual and never to be laid-back.

Boxing is tough. It’s the most brutal and merciless of games. Blood gushing off one’s nostrils is a guarantee. So are swollen knuckles and broken ribs. Yet Manny makes it all look so easy. Effortless. As if earning $10 million on 30 minutes on the boxing ring were no sweat. (In his actual eight-week-long training camp, however, we know the reality: many would get killed following his work ethic and bruising regimen.)

With the press-conference, it was a feel-good story. Again, so unlike-boxing. Even Margarito, seated to Manny’s left while our boxer spoke, was seen amused and smiling as his enemy spoke.

And you want to hear the best part? To greet the Mexican crowd—plus Margarito, our fellow Pinoy spoke Mexican. No kidding. Though I couldn’t decipher what he said, it was amazing to hear Manny recite several words in his opponent’s native tongue.

Manny praised Antonio. He called his challenger’s fighting style “very aggressive.” He said he’s “strong and bigger than me.”

Was this a beauty pageant? A Mr. Universe contest to see who’s the kindest on-stage? No. It was Manny as Manny. That’s who he is.

Finally, the two stood up, holding the golden belt, and faced the cameras. It was a marvelous sight watching a 160-plus-pound behemoth of a man who stands an inch short of 6-foot-tall beside a baby-faced Asian who used to fight 105 lbs. But, as we know from one of the bible’s most famous clashes, the smaller yet more cunning fighter catapulted his weapon to obliterate the giant. Let’s hope for the same on Nov. 13.

As P-Noy spoke, P-Manny stood out

(Reuters)

CongressManny! If you watched yesterday’s SONA by Pres. Noynoy Aquino, in the midst of the political heavyweights that surrounded the audience glimmered one undisputed heavyweight champion: Rep. Manny Pacquiao.

Didn’t our honorable legislator look good in his barong tagalog? Ever-smiling and sitting up tall while the TV cameras broadcasted his space, didn’t he appear confident amongst the crowd of intellectuals? Yes. For this I bet: Other than P-Noy himself, there was no bigger celebrity yesterday—whom the attendees wanted to snap photos with—than our Pinoy champ.

But, with 110 days left before his Nov. 13 clash with Antonio Margarito, this will be another tremendous challenge for Pacman. Not wanting to disappoint his Sarangani constituents, he also can’t spend little time in the gym. How to juggle this added “Congressman” title is Manny’s latest trial. He has to remember that—beyond his representing the 490,000 constituents of Sarangani—his bigger role is representing the entire 90 million Filipinos… as our hero.

With Rep. Luigi Quisumbing in the foreground (Reuters)

He can’t lose. He must win. Therefore, he must train. Abandoning his Wild Card Gym camp in LA—that, by itself, is a breach of contract. Distractions, distractions. Though we’ve seen him triumph despite the myriad of affairs (TV shows, Krista Ranillo scandals, late-night gamble allegations, every-Sunday basketball games)—the next three months will be another Pacman game.

Train hard, Manny. Yes, you’re the Sarangani representative, but more than that, you’re the Representative of the entire Philippines.

‘A lie told often becomes the truth’

Vladimir Lenin said those words. They’re sad, but often true. For all this talk about Manny Pacquiao taking drugs is sad… and untrue. MP’s been tested, retested, possibly hundreds of times; he’s voluntarily, throughout his 15-year career, submitted to urine tests and blood extractions and never once, in any lab from Vegas to Vigan, tested positive. Pacman is drug-free. The only “drugs” that boost his punches are his internal spirit and supernatural work ethic.

Lies, lies, lies. They’re all lies, what Floyd Mayweather Sr. said about MP injecting chemicals. This was seconded by his son, Jr. Then the allegations were worsened by Paul Malignanni who, last December, said, “I’m taking facts and I’m putting them together and they don’t just make sense to me. I don’t have all the facts obviously he’s passing the tests (mandatory drug tests before every fight). Let’s keep in mind there plenty of things you can do to beat drug tests and there’s plenty of drugs and steroids that are not detectable.

“At the smaller weights he was very good but he was beatable but now he has gone up in weight and he’s not just beating guys and he’s crushing world class killers. He’s absolutely crushing them! He’s obviously become a Superman and people say but steroids won’t make your chin feel better, yeah, but there’s things that can make you feel like you’re on speed or something. There’s things out there that make you feel like that.”

It’s true: Pacman is Superman. It’s true: Pacman is crushing ‘em. But what’s a giant lie is this steroids issue. And now, just days ago, this latest uppercut coming from Ricky Hatton.

“A few years ago he was getting knocked down by little men like Marquez,” said Hatton. “Then all of a sudden he is knocking out Oscar de la Hoya, myself and Cotto, who are powerhouses in comparison… I could have had those rules, but I wasn’t bothered. Maybe in hindsight, I should have done I must admit, I fancied my chances against Manny… It is a little bit strange. He could be on what Floyd is accusing him of (performance-enhancing substances), or it could be that he is just a great fighter who has improved. We will never know.”

Sore loser!!!!! Again, all these allegations are fabrications. Never has Manny tested positive. Unlike, for example, the case of Lance Armstrong, where his colleagues admitted cheating and his sport is where drug use is most widespread, thus, these issues validly arise, with MP, there is no tinge or sign or shade of any type of EPO use.

It’s just one loudmouth in Mayweather Sr. shouting a deceitful story, then his Jr. “seconds the motion,” then Malignanni adds fire to the burning lie, then Hatton’s fable. Behind all this, we know the truth: Floyd is a coward. He’s instigating these lies because he’s scared.