If one analysis is correct, then Manny Pacquiao should truly avoid being caught in the corners, much as he should punctuate the bout with streaks of punches early on to win. Or if another analysis is correct, Pacman can "score a competitive but decisive unanimous decision," especially if the fragile scar tissue of David Diaz bleeds and "leads to a TKO stoppage." Still, if another analysis is able to hit the nail hard, Pacquiao might just be able to seal the deal since he practically owns the speed advantage even when under a pressing slugfest that is expected to become of his duel with yet another Mexican boxer.
And still more. There's that irony of sorts doing its rounds among sports enthusiasts. Some people say "Diaz is an underdog as a champion" precisely because he is expected to stand at the losing and receiving end of Pacquiao's punches. Boxing promoter Bob Arum offers a preview of what could be the result of the glove mayhem by emphasizing the lack of "hand and foot speed" of Diaz which he needs in order to compete and be at par with Manny Pacquiao in the early rounds. But in any case, I do hope, and think, that the Pacman can turn the favor to his side. As for the analysis part, I leave that to the scores of analysts who know more about the boxing world than I do. Suffice it to say that this fight sure has taken the headlines anew. What can I say? Manny is a newsmaker as much as the rising prices of rice and gas do, notwithstanding the natural disasters and mishaps that are thrown against our way when we least expect it. And worse when we expect it the most.
I reckon the same thing can be said about boxers. It's not good to be literally thrown in the way of the punches of the enemy when you least expect it. And still, it's worse, if not the worst, to be thrown into the barrage of knuckles coming forth when you already expect those punches to harpoon their way to your face or jaws. And in boxing, it really makes sense to say that it is better to give than to receive.
Punches, that is.
I am not much of a big fan of the Pinoy slugger from General Santos, although I would have to say Manny Pacquiao has given us many reasons, most of which are his monumental victories against the fiercest warriors in the boxing arena, to be truly proud of him and of this country at the least. But there, too, are some reasons which, for all we know, haven't really amused some of us in grander terms.
I recall the time when Manny Pacquiao eyed a Congressional seat a few years back. True enough, some of us had the gut instinct to thrive in at the moment and scold the boxer for steering towards uncharted territories. Scold in an unphysical sense, of course. What with all those flexed and muscular arms of our Pinoy fighter. He could easily dismember the anemic and anorexic limbs of most of us in no more than two minutes. Or so I am led to think, given that some boxers are known to trying to rip your ear off your head with their teeth.
But those things aside, for Manny to venture into the catacombs of politics, one can say it smacks of politicking mounted no less than by politicking hands and minds working their cogs behind. Given the surge of popularity that Pacquiao has amassed during those times, it wasn't a distant possibility that certain political forces would try to push him to run towards the furnace of the House of Representatives. In the end, he lost. Which is ironic because this nation has made it close to a habit of electing popular figures into infamous political positions, made infamous by no less than those who once, or twice, or even thrice settled and glued their asses on those Congressional seats.
I for one have nothing against the man, especially when he opted to run, although somewhere in the back of my mind I thought he would be knocked out in an arena that was quite new to him. I thought, let's give him the chance. Let him run, simply put. We're electing dynasties and gambling lords into those seats, why not a boxer who has given more glory to this country than most of our Representatives, whose absences in the legislature truly make us wonder why in the world we elected them in the first place? Or assuming that we've really grown tired of shoving into power the bigots and peddlers of everything that has grown synonymous to vice and the opposite of virtue, why not somebody who could actually unite this fragmented country even for a short twelve rounds or less? Sort of makes you think why he never won the elections even with these things in mind. But you know what they say, that's Philippine politics for you, or us.
A few years or months back—I can't recall for certain as time has a way of ageing my memory even at such a young, or a not-so-young age—I recall hearing one news about the Pacman. That time it had something to do with his other wife, or mistress. That time, I suppose, it also had something to do with his closeness with a sexy actress. I don't really know if it was news or just plain gossip as sometimes news in this country tends to become gossip in less than a day. And that gossip, too, in this country transforms into news in the single fluster of the mouth. But in any case, having a mistress, or another wife, or being caught in a mesh with a sexy actress while owning up to a marital relationship certainly would errode his name overnight, even if it was just tabloid news, better known to others as, well, gossip.
But that's the amusing, or amazing, part of it. To this day we never stopped supporting the Pacman, or at least as much as I would like to think. You make bad news of him, it never really matters much in the end. You rout him in the elections and yet people root for him like a modern hero, or close to being one. That's especially so in times like these when the unspoken desire for having a beacon of hope, a shining symbol that tells you there's one reason left for us to hope for, is as swollen as an untended brain tumor. You weave gossips about the guy for financially profitable reasons in hindsight, it won't weigh him down. It won't weigh us down and compel us to cease to chant his name while we see him brawling over with a boxer of another flesh and skin through the television screens, or hear him doing so over our radio sets.
His fight is our fight, too, if taken metaphorically in some sense.
Which also makes me think: will this country stop loving, supporting, and betting for this man in the years ahead? Worse, if it is a likely event to happen, the more relevant question is when. When will this country stop loving him? I can't tell, but I can sense it may have something to do with charisma fading over time. When will this country stop supporting him? I can't also tell, but it's reasonable to say the when part would be when he's already grey and old and has become a speck of dust in human memory. As for when will this country stop betting on him, well, I suspect it'll be the time when he's no more a bankable option. Or the time when people no longer have the money to bet, which is increasingly becoming the trend in a nation of people under poverty. But that's quite a different, or another, narrative.
I don't know. I don't hold the answers to these questions. I just might hold more questions to any answer that may come at the end of it all. Or maybe I shouldn't even have posed the questions in the first place since it is based on the assumpion that this country does love the guy in various reasons, perhaps bizarre and perverse. Or that this country supports he man. I do know that thousands of people bet on his every fight. As for the first two, I don't exactly know.
What I do know is that boxing analysts have already given their share of the odds, of what may either be the end of Pacquiao's winning streak or the beginning of another conquest for the Pacman. He might go on to win, which I hope he does, thus rubbing more salt on the wounds of fallen Mexican fighters, that Manny simply stands as the thorn in all the roses that Mexicans have been able to produce. Or he might go on to lose, which I hope he does not, thereby adding another premise to the saying that all good things do come to an end, with David Diaz putting a fabled exclamation mark to that saying with a punch or two.
The good fighter punches at the right place and at the right time. The better fighter wins at the least expected place and time. The best fighter simply conquers in all places and times. I think David Diaz is a good fighter, and Manny Pacquiao is perhaps the best. If Diaz wins, he is the better fighter among the two. But let's leave things on mere hunch and opinion for now.
In the meantime, you know what Michael Buffer says. Let's get ready to rumble!
And still more. There's that irony of sorts doing its rounds among sports enthusiasts. Some people say "Diaz is an underdog as a champion" precisely because he is expected to stand at the losing and receiving end of Pacquiao's punches. Boxing promoter Bob Arum offers a preview of what could be the result of the glove mayhem by emphasizing the lack of "hand and foot speed" of Diaz which he needs in order to compete and be at par with Manny Pacquiao in the early rounds. But in any case, I do hope, and think, that the Pacman can turn the favor to his side. As for the analysis part, I leave that to the scores of analysts who know more about the boxing world than I do. Suffice it to say that this fight sure has taken the headlines anew. What can I say? Manny is a newsmaker as much as the rising prices of rice and gas do, notwithstanding the natural disasters and mishaps that are thrown against our way when we least expect it. And worse when we expect it the most.
I reckon the same thing can be said about boxers. It's not good to be literally thrown in the way of the punches of the enemy when you least expect it. And still, it's worse, if not the worst, to be thrown into the barrage of knuckles coming forth when you already expect those punches to harpoon their way to your face or jaws. And in boxing, it really makes sense to say that it is better to give than to receive.
Punches, that is.
I am not much of a big fan of the Pinoy slugger from General Santos, although I would have to say Manny Pacquiao has given us many reasons, most of which are his monumental victories against the fiercest warriors in the boxing arena, to be truly proud of him and of this country at the least. But there, too, are some reasons which, for all we know, haven't really amused some of us in grander terms.
I recall the time when Manny Pacquiao eyed a Congressional seat a few years back. True enough, some of us had the gut instinct to thrive in at the moment and scold the boxer for steering towards uncharted territories. Scold in an unphysical sense, of course. What with all those flexed and muscular arms of our Pinoy fighter. He could easily dismember the anemic and anorexic limbs of most of us in no more than two minutes. Or so I am led to think, given that some boxers are known to trying to rip your ear off your head with their teeth.
But those things aside, for Manny to venture into the catacombs of politics, one can say it smacks of politicking mounted no less than by politicking hands and minds working their cogs behind. Given the surge of popularity that Pacquiao has amassed during those times, it wasn't a distant possibility that certain political forces would try to push him to run towards the furnace of the House of Representatives. In the end, he lost. Which is ironic because this nation has made it close to a habit of electing popular figures into infamous political positions, made infamous by no less than those who once, or twice, or even thrice settled and glued their asses on those Congressional seats.
I for one have nothing against the man, especially when he opted to run, although somewhere in the back of my mind I thought he would be knocked out in an arena that was quite new to him. I thought, let's give him the chance. Let him run, simply put. We're electing dynasties and gambling lords into those seats, why not a boxer who has given more glory to this country than most of our Representatives, whose absences in the legislature truly make us wonder why in the world we elected them in the first place? Or assuming that we've really grown tired of shoving into power the bigots and peddlers of everything that has grown synonymous to vice and the opposite of virtue, why not somebody who could actually unite this fragmented country even for a short twelve rounds or less? Sort of makes you think why he never won the elections even with these things in mind. But you know what they say, that's Philippine politics for you, or us.
A few years or months back—I can't recall for certain as time has a way of ageing my memory even at such a young, or a not-so-young age—I recall hearing one news about the Pacman. That time it had something to do with his other wife, or mistress. That time, I suppose, it also had something to do with his closeness with a sexy actress. I don't really know if it was news or just plain gossip as sometimes news in this country tends to become gossip in less than a day. And that gossip, too, in this country transforms into news in the single fluster of the mouth. But in any case, having a mistress, or another wife, or being caught in a mesh with a sexy actress while owning up to a marital relationship certainly would errode his name overnight, even if it was just tabloid news, better known to others as, well, gossip.
But that's the amusing, or amazing, part of it. To this day we never stopped supporting the Pacman, or at least as much as I would like to think. You make bad news of him, it never really matters much in the end. You rout him in the elections and yet people root for him like a modern hero, or close to being one. That's especially so in times like these when the unspoken desire for having a beacon of hope, a shining symbol that tells you there's one reason left for us to hope for, is as swollen as an untended brain tumor. You weave gossips about the guy for financially profitable reasons in hindsight, it won't weigh him down. It won't weigh us down and compel us to cease to chant his name while we see him brawling over with a boxer of another flesh and skin through the television screens, or hear him doing so over our radio sets.
His fight is our fight, too, if taken metaphorically in some sense.
Which also makes me think: will this country stop loving, supporting, and betting for this man in the years ahead? Worse, if it is a likely event to happen, the more relevant question is when. When will this country stop loving him? I can't tell, but I can sense it may have something to do with charisma fading over time. When will this country stop supporting him? I can't also tell, but it's reasonable to say the when part would be when he's already grey and old and has become a speck of dust in human memory. As for when will this country stop betting on him, well, I suspect it'll be the time when he's no more a bankable option. Or the time when people no longer have the money to bet, which is increasingly becoming the trend in a nation of people under poverty. But that's quite a different, or another, narrative.
I don't know. I don't hold the answers to these questions. I just might hold more questions to any answer that may come at the end of it all. Or maybe I shouldn't even have posed the questions in the first place since it is based on the assumpion that this country does love the guy in various reasons, perhaps bizarre and perverse. Or that this country supports he man. I do know that thousands of people bet on his every fight. As for the first two, I don't exactly know.
What I do know is that boxing analysts have already given their share of the odds, of what may either be the end of Pacquiao's winning streak or the beginning of another conquest for the Pacman. He might go on to win, which I hope he does, thus rubbing more salt on the wounds of fallen Mexican fighters, that Manny simply stands as the thorn in all the roses that Mexicans have been able to produce. Or he might go on to lose, which I hope he does not, thereby adding another premise to the saying that all good things do come to an end, with David Diaz putting a fabled exclamation mark to that saying with a punch or two.
The good fighter punches at the right place and at the right time. The better fighter wins at the least expected place and time. The best fighter simply conquers in all places and times. I think David Diaz is a good fighter, and Manny Pacquiao is perhaps the best. If Diaz wins, he is the better fighter among the two. But let's leave things on mere hunch and opinion for now.
In the meantime, you know what Michael Buffer says. Let's get ready to rumble!
|