TO WHOM WILL “PACMAN” PASS THE TORCH?
19 September, 2006 by Reylan Loberternos
PACQUIAO IS AT THE “TOP” OF FOOD CHAIN!
Tagbilaran City, RP-Filipino boxing icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s (42-3-2, 33 KOs) ring (as well as off-the-ring) exploits are hard to match, much less surpass. He was the lineal champion at flyweight and super-bantamweight. In principle, he was already a three-time world champion after he dismantled future Hall-of-Famer Marco Antonio Barrera (63-4-0, 42 KOs), in 11 rounds of their featherweight bout in November of 2003. If that wasn’t enough, had Burt Clements correctly scored (10-6, instead of 10-7) the first round of Pacman’s championship encounter with Juan Manuel Marquez (45-3-1, 34 KOs), barely six months later, he would have eked out a split decision victory over the sturdy Mexican and became a legitimate world champion in three different weight classes, rarely seen in boxing.
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLY DEBATABLE
Manny Pacquiao has never shunned the top possible opponents available. His record speaks for itself. He fought and defeated the best, impressively and convincingly. Many boxing scholars consider Pacquiao’s demolition of Erik “El Terrible” Morales (48-4-0, 34 KOs), another shoe-in for Canastota, as his greatest achievement so far in his already illustrious career. Others say that it was his victory against the “Baby-Faced Assassin,” while some others believe that it was his draw against Marquez, a fighter whom both Morales and Barrera have successfully avoided. It is indeed a very good subject for debate, but to sum it all up, it is the entirety of his boxing profession, with which I would consider as Manny Pacquiao’s greatest achievement.
MANNY PACQUIAO OFF-THE-RING
The “Storm Across the Pacific” is vastly famous in the Philippine islands. As the great HBO Godfather Larry Merchant would suggest, he is Muhammad Ali, Elvis Presley, and Bruce Lee, all rolled into one. His enormous fame accorded him numerous commercial endorsements unprecedented in the history of the Philippines. He also plays basketball and billiards, and even records albums. One of his favorite pastimes is “sabong,” the local term for cockfighting. As a matter of fact, he owns a farm of fighting cocks, many acres in size.
PACMAN, A FEW MORE FIGHTS & THEN POLITICS?
In one of the numerous interviews that he graced, Pacquiao hinted at retirement as a very big possibility in 2007. This particular statement created humongous uproars in Pacland, a very popular boxing forum, made possible by Filipino journalist, IT practitioner, and businessman Dong Secuya. He established that site even before Manny shocked the boxing world by stopping the great Marco Antonio Barrera. Pacquiao is still in his prime, at age 27, and definitely not yet fit for retirement, which eventually generated a lot of fuss among his fans. The majority blamed politics as the main culprit for this sudden twist, owing to reports that the Pacman is going to run for office as the Vice Mayor of Metro Manila. Metro Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, however, denied rumors that he convinced Pacquiao to be his running mate for the 2007 local elections.
TO WHOM WILL MANNY PASS THE TORCH?
If this talk about retirement materializes, Manny Pacquiao will definitely leave a large hole to fill for his would-be successors… an even greater loss to the sport as a whole. Philippine boxing is caught in a situation where it needs to produce someone who could at least bridge the gap and carry the torch for the Filipino boxing fans if and when Pacquiao decides to hang up his gloves. One intriguing question therefore remains. To whom will the “PacMan” pass the torch?
This article is the first of three installments. In the two ensuing parts, we will discuss the possible bearers of the torch.
PACQUIAO IS AT THE “TOP” OF FOOD CHAIN!
Tagbilaran City, RP-Filipino boxing icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s (42-3-2, 33 KOs) ring (as well as off-the-ring) exploits are hard to match, much less surpass. He was the lineal champion at flyweight and super-bantamweight. In principle, he was already a three-time world champion after he dismantled future Hall-of-Famer Marco Antonio Barrera (63-4-0, 42 KOs), in 11 rounds of their featherweight bout in November of 2003. If that wasn’t enough, had Burt Clements correctly scored (10-6, instead of 10-7) the first round of Pacman’s championship encounter with Juan Manuel Marquez (45-3-1, 34 KOs), barely six months later, he would have eked out a split decision victory over the sturdy Mexican and became a legitimate world champion in three different weight classes, rarely seen in boxing.
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLY DEBATABLE
Manny Pacquiao has never shunned the top possible opponents available. His record speaks for itself. He fought and defeated the best, impressively and convincingly. Many boxing scholars consider Pacquiao’s demolition of Erik “El Terrible” Morales (48-4-0, 34 KOs), another shoe-in for Canastota, as his greatest achievement so far in his already illustrious career. Others say that it was his victory against the “Baby-Faced Assassin,” while some others believe that it was his draw against Marquez, a fighter whom both Morales and Barrera have successfully avoided. It is indeed a very good subject for debate, but to sum it all up, it is the entirety of his boxing profession, with which I would consider as Manny Pacquiao’s greatest achievement.
MANNY PACQUIAO OFF-THE-RING
The “Storm Across the Pacific” is vastly famous in the Philippine islands. As the great HBO Godfather Larry Merchant would suggest, he is Muhammad Ali, Elvis Presley, and Bruce Lee, all rolled into one. His enormous fame accorded him numerous commercial endorsements unprecedented in the history of the Philippines. He also plays basketball and billiards, and even records albums. One of his favorite pastimes is “sabong,” the local term for cockfighting. As a matter of fact, he owns a farm of fighting cocks, many acres in size.
PACMAN, A FEW MORE FIGHTS & THEN POLITICS?
In one of the numerous interviews that he graced, Pacquiao hinted at retirement as a very big possibility in 2007. This particular statement created humongous uproars in Pacland, a very popular boxing forum, made possible by Filipino journalist, IT practitioner, and businessman Dong Secuya. He established that site even before Manny shocked the boxing world by stopping the great Marco Antonio Barrera. Pacquiao is still in his prime, at age 27, and definitely not yet fit for retirement, which eventually generated a lot of fuss among his fans. The majority blamed politics as the main culprit for this sudden twist, owing to reports that the Pacman is going to run for office as the Vice Mayor of Metro Manila. Metro Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, however, denied rumors that he convinced Pacquiao to be his running mate for the 2007 local elections.
TO WHOM WILL MANNY PASS THE TORCH?
If this talk about retirement materializes, Manny Pacquiao will definitely leave a large hole to fill for his would-be successors… an even greater loss to the sport as a whole. Philippine boxing is caught in a situation where it needs to produce someone who could at least bridge the gap and carry the torch for the Filipino boxing fans if and when Pacquiao decides to hang up his gloves. One intriguing question therefore remains. To whom will the “PacMan” pass the torch?
This article is the first of three installments. In the two ensuing parts, we will discuss the possible bearers of the torch.
posted by Reylan | 11:55 AM
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