Tag Archives: Manny Pacquiao

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Boxing as karaoke: Mosley’s puffed up face shows you can go through the motions against Manny Pacquiao in a lacklustre fight and still end up looking like dog crap

Anyone who ordered the pay-per-view  fight last Saturday between Manny Pacquiao and Sugar SHAME Mosley (my new nickname for the loser) would be correct in demanding your money back.

At least if you were in Vegas, you could have won your money back betting the fight. For the rest of us, we were taken in by the promoters.

You wanted a fight? For the masses of Filipinos throughout the world watching via satellite, what we saw could only be described as a glorified sparring contest at best, a fraud at worst.

It was like karaoke boxing. Not really boxing, but it sort of looked and sounded like it. And everyone was drunk and had a good time anyway, right? Not exactly.

For our money we all deserved to see a real genuine battle between two men who actually punch at each other. We don’t watch boxing to see how sportsmanlike the boxers are in their etiquette.  We watch to see two brave opponents beat each other to the pulp. But in this title bout, no less, we had Pacquiao and Mosley practically hugging and winking at each other, love-tapping their gloves at the start and finish of each round.

Now I see why many people have turned to MMA. There’s no pussyfooting  there. And if there was, you could really tell.

In boxing, all the worse evasive things were on display in Saturday’s  championship fight. Mosley didn’t land many punches because he didn’t throw many. He was on the run most of the fight. The ring isn’t the place to do your roadwork.  

Even M.P., our hero, seemed to go at it in cruise control. When Pacquiao knocked down  Mosley in the 3rd round, one expected to see  Pacman  go for the kill. Instead, Pacquiao seemed to let Mosley continue the charade. M.P surely didn’t fight like his life depended on it. 

Pacquiao did seem to wake up when Mosley stepped on his foot then pushed him down.  Counted as a knockdown, the unfairness of it all seemed to inspire Pacquiao to step up the assault.  A matter of honor, I guess. But by then, he was so far ahead, there was just no point.

And that is the problem for both fighters. For Mosley, who should do everyone a favor and go off and retire, there was no point in this fight, other than to collect his massive pay day.

For Pacquiao,  it’s getting to be the same thing. There is no one left to fight except Floyd Mayweather, who continues to make unreasonable demands that make booking the “dream fight” more and more unlikely.

Mayweather may have wanted to look at how Pacquiao handled a seemingly stronger, larger opponent (as if he didn’t have ample evidence). But there was something about the aging Mosley that seemed to make many people doubt Pacquiao.  The pay-per-view seemed particularly biased toward Mosley, as if this would be the comeuppance for Pacquiao, the smaller man.

By the end, sportscaster James Brown, who is related by marriage to Filipina Loida Lewis, was apologizing for having bought into the Mosley hype. He should be. Another doubter of Filipino prowess fights the dust.

I imagine even Mayweather was looking at the fight as a barometer of how well he’d do against Pacquaio.  Mayweather had beaten Mosley recently, but not as easy as the Pacman did.

Seeing Mosley, his battered face puffed up and swollen,  say that he was surprised by Pacquiao’s power probably didn’t make Mayweather call his agent and say, “Let’s book this fight.”

I’ve always said Pacquiao should quit while he still has his head.  It’s no different now. He has so much to give to the world beyond yellow boxing gloves. Let’s hope he quits now.  

After Mosley, I don’t care to see any more. Readers will note that as an avid Pacquiao follower I was mum on this fight prior to Saturday. It just didn’t seem worth talking about.  Now the fight’s  real value emerges.

It could be Pacquiao’s last.

If it is, it wouldn’t surprise me.

Manny has nothing else to prove in the ring.

For the sport, he should quit now.

But for his accountant, his bank statement, and his entire entourage, the beat goes on.

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Obama meets the high-tech kings (and a queen); but my favorite Obama meeting this week was the one with Manny Pacquiao

In the twitterverse came the comment that people were lining up last night in Woodside awaiting President Obama. Surely, they must have shipped in from Redwood City and such.

People in Woodside don’t line up for much.  In fact, the line comes to them.

So it was quite natural for the president to fly in for dinner with the nation’s high-tech giants on their home turf Thursday.

Whenever you accept an invite to Woodside, you never know how much it ultimately is going to mean to you.  A million? A billion?

I hope it worked out for the president sake, for the country’s sake, last night.

The U.S. could use a few trillion.

There’s something about Obama when he hits the road. You forget about all the process stuff in Washington that’s bogging him down and you see him in his natural mode of rock-star schmoozer.

***

Earlier this week, I commented in the Philippine media on another Obama meeting, the one with Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao in DC. It was far more important a meeting than you think.

About two years ago, when he was just thinking about politics and a run for Congress, I called the boxer Manny Pacquiao the Philippines’ Obama.

At the time, Obama was in campaign mode, attracting large  crowds world-wide. He was like a rock-star representing hope and change. But I’ve seen them both in action, and Pacquiao was all that in boxing trunks.

I didn’t exactly call him the Great Brown Hope, but I sure wasn’t joking when I called him the Philippines’ Obama.
There’s just something about Pacquiao that suggests his ultimate reach will be far beyond the ring.

My assessment had less to do with Pacquiao as Obama’s intellectual equal (I don’t know how many rounds Pacquiao could last at Harvard Law School, for example), and everything to do with the sheer charismatic leadership prowess of the Pac-man.

Is there any doubt that Pacquiao could go toe to toe with anyone on that score?

So when the two men—Pacquiao and Obama—finally met this week in the White House’s Oval Office, I thought it was far more significant than any meeting Obama has had with a Philippine leader during his administration. (You don’t think that red-dress photo op with Arroyo a few years back was worth a darn, do you?)

That makes it both funny and sad, that in these times, the current president of the Philippines would barely make a headline were he to drop in on Obama. But the pound-for-for-pound champ? He caused a traffic accident just crossing Pennsylvania Ave.

Obama even had a few gifts and a promise for the Pac-Man this week, reportedly giving Pacquiao  three grocery bags full of light blue M&M’s with the presidential seal (breakfast of champions?), a watch with the same august logo,  and a promise of visiting the Philippines in the future.

Why not? When Obama goes to Oahu, he’s just a relative short hop to Manila.

Would he do that for PNoy just to say hello?

Doubt it.

But the Philippine president shouldn’t feel bad. I doubt Obama would make a trip to Manila for anyone but Pacquiao.

That’s why this shouldn’t be dismissed as a mere cute meet just to promote an upcoming fight. This is how relationships are forged. And in politics, relationships are everything. Those who focus on wonky policy matters and dismiss Pacquiao as a mere bobbing-head-jock-figure are missing the potential of Pacquiao’s real political potential. You can always surround yourself with the right policy folks, which will be a critical thing for Pacquiao.

Far more important is leadership, and that has nothing to do with policy nor ideology. It’s  all about charisma and the people.

If Egypt had a Pacquiao, that uprising would have been over in a week. But when all the opposition could do was trot out an ElBaradei?  Come on.

Leadership and charisma count for a lot more than you think.

You might have noticed it last year when PNoy trounced a relatively lackluster field, and even Joseph Estrada got votes. When you have the people abdicating to the political class, the oligarchs start recycling themselves and wearing yellow T-shirts.

That leaves the future wide open for new politico to excite the public.  And who among them has as legitimate claim to being man of the people besides the people’s champ himself?

Pacquiao still has sometime before a run for the presidency. He’s doing his time in the woodshed but it shouldn’t be for long. In the meantime, he’s going to have to stop fighting, period, no matter how good the money. He’s got a whole country riding on his shoulders.

Just keep in mind, if all you see is a guy in boxing trunks, you don’t understand the real power of  Manny Pacquiao.

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Manny Pacquiao needs an exit strategy, so here’s one: The Manny come home, farewell fight and karaoke fest in the RP

His face was “bruised and plump.” He needed help to get on his feet. His fingers were swollen so badly he couldn’t sign autographs.

That was a Philippine newspaper reporter’s description of Manny Pacquiao, the day after he won.

You should have seen the loser.

Antonio Margarito was in the hospital, his face swollen with welts the size of Texas, his right eye shut and barely in place in his broken eye-socket bone.

This is why Manny Pacquiao needs to stop now.

On Saturday, the PPP (pound-per-pound) King of Boxing, won his 8th title in 8 weight divisions. What more is there to do?

He can wait for the winner of this weekend’s Martinez/Williams fight and go after the middleweight crown. Hey, 9 titles in 9 weight classes!  But then why not 10, or 12?

That’s the problem. Manny is so good, it’s not a fair fight unless he handicaps himself so severely. Like a thoroughbred forced to carry more weight, Manny has to do something that’s not as obvious as tying his left hand behind his back.  It’s necessary because he is so good he would destroy others his size or smaller. The only challenge is to keep fighting what I call “up-hill.” Fight bigger,stronger, but not necessarily better boxers.

Margarito was 17 pounds heavier and 5-6 inches taller than Pacquiao.  That’s not Mount Everest, but even Pacquiao admitted after the fight that Margarito had enough mass to absorb all of the Pacman’s punches.

Fighting bigger guys means knockouts will be fewer, fights will be longer, and the war of attrition will ultimately prevail.

Pacquiao’s speed enabled him to punch Margarito 411 times. The battering should have been obvious to the referee and to Margarito’s trainer who let the punishment go on.

And since this is boxing, Pacquiao got his share, 135 punches came from the stronger Margarito.

Punches start adding up and take their toll.  Inside and outside the ring.

By stopping now,  the Pacman saves his energies for his day job in the Philippine Congress, and his real passion in life—leadership.

Notice I said leadership, which is not politics, necessarily. Yes, congress is all about politics, but Manny’s gift goes beyond that. He’s got the most important trait for a leader: Charisma. People follow and listen. This is something that can be developed, hopefully, for positive purposes. But it is Manny’s true gift. His fists may have brought him fame, but his real gift is public service.

Like Obama did in 2008, there’s something about Pacquiao that inspires hope.

Perhaps it’s the back story that creates the foundation for a mythic life. The hardscrabble upbringing, the tale of a street kid who turns to boxing to help feed his family.  Boxing discovered and nurtured him  to the point where he is the most intriguing fighter in the sport.

So why stop there?

Because there’s  life after boxing, and to preserve it, there’s no better way than to end his pugilistic phase at the top.

Pacquiao has established his boxing legacy firmly. His championship track is like watching one of those charts of the evolution of man. Eight weight classes? The only one who could repeat what he’s done is another flyweight with the same expansive heart and spirit. And that’s not likely to happen—ever.

Margarito wasn’t even the best challenger. But he was bigger, by a lot. And if there were any doubters left about Pacquiao, seeing the champ destroy a bigger man was enough to etch the legend in stone.

But boxing is as much about greed as it is about legacy.  Manny’s problem here is coming up with a suitable exit strategy for all.

People keep mentioning Floyd Mayweather, as if that’s the ultimate. It is not. But how do you top that match up?

A Pacquiao farewell in the Philippines.

One big blowout. The “Thrilla In Manila” with a real Filipino champ eight times over, and it doesn’t matter anymore if it’s a lesser fighter. It’s the last-pay-day. The Finale. People would pay to see a finale.  Train for real in Baguio, then take a week to travel and train in different parts of the country, ending in one big blow out in the big city.

Think of what it would do for tourism. And balikbayans would go for balikboxing.

It’s the “Manny go home, farewell tour and karaoke.” The Datu goes out on top.

All you have to see is an image of an addled Muhammad Ali in a wheelchair to know it’s the right thing to

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Win then go home: Manny Pacquiao’s greatest gift may not be in the ring

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As much as I love Manny Pacquiao,  I hope he finally comes to his senses and ends it all this Saturday night with yet another title fight, this time  against Antonio Margarito.

After all, the Pacman has to save his energies for his day job in the Philippine Congress, and his real passion in life—leadership.

Note I said leadership, which is not politics, necessarily.

Yes, congress is all about politics, but Manny’s gift goes beyond that. He’s got the most important trait for a leader: charisma. People follow and listen. This is something that can be developed, hopefully, for positive purposes. But it is Manny’s true gift. His fists may have brought him fame, but his real talent goes beyond the ring.

Like Obama did in 2008, there’s something about Pacquiao that inspires hope.

Perhaps it’s the back story that creates such a foundation for a mythic life.  You know, the hardscrabble upbringing, the tale of a street kid in Manila who turns to boxing to help feed his family.  Boxing discovered and nurtured his talent to the point where he is now the PPP (pound for pound) champion , and the most intriguing fighter in boxing.

Why stop there?

Because there is a life after boxing, and to preserve it, there’s no better way than to end the pugilistic phase at the top.

The Margarito fight is not going to be easy.  No Palooka, he’s bigger, maybe stronger, than Pacquaio.

On his HBO reality show, Pacquiao keeps smiling and says his speed will win out over Margarito.  And manager Freddie Roach says they’ll be making sure Margarito doesn’t cheat as he has in the past when Margarito’swraps had what I call  “punch enhancers.”

But then what do they do about the simple fact that Margarito seems to want this one more.  He’s on a comeback.  He’s looking for redemption. Hunger? Margarito has it.

For Pacquiao, being hungry and staying motivated does seem to have been a problem during his training sessions.

Reports from his camp showed that the regimen was not as rigorous nor as hard as it was for Pacquiao’s previous title fights.

Even Pacquiao’s manager Freddie Roach was expressing disappointment in news stories about how things were going in the Pacman’s training camp in Baguio and then in Los Angeles.

Once in the U.S., there were more distractions. As a Philippine Congressman, the champ was sought by no less a figure than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada to help with Reid’s excruciating battle against Tea Party upstart Sharon Angle.

Pacquiao actually broke camp to go to Vegas to rally Filipinos and other Asian Americans and minorities for the embattled democratic leader Reid.

And here is where Pacquiao’s value soared. The champ visiting Vegas in the final days before the midterm election helped Reid solidify his Asian American support.  According to CNN exit polls, Asian Americans, just 4 percent of the overall electorate, gave Reid 79 percent of their vote. Angle got just 19 percent.

The 79 percent from the Asian Americans was larger than the black vote for Reid (78 percent), and the Latino vote for Reid (68percent). Together it was enough to assure Reid’s job in the Democrat’s midterm nightmare.

Manny magic?  It definitely helped. When Reid was in trouble, Manny was called. He delivered.

On Saturday, he could deliver again.

An 8th crown in 8 weight divisions. ( I think he’ll outpoint but not knockout Margarito).

But if Pacquiao dominates, soon the talk will be whether he goes up to Middleweight and fights the winner of next week’s Sergio Martinez/Paul Williams fight.  (Forget about Mayweather, race baiter and poseur).  Are you ready for nine crowns in nine divisions?

But is that where Pacquiao’s  charisma and leadership are best suited?

All you have to see is an image of an addled Muhammad Ali in a wheelchair to know you can’t leave boxing too soon. Nor should you keep doing it, just for the money.

We shall see on Saturday if Manny’s heart is still in the game.