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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Seeking boxing and political immortality

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"Wherever he finds himself in his journey in politics, Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao is already an institution."

 

On Saturday evening. August  21, 2021 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada,   Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will have his rendezvous with boxing destiny.

The fearless Filipino boxer will dispute with the reigning and undefeated welterweight champion of the world, Errol Spence, Jr., for the unified WBA and IBF welterweight titles.                      

The world’s boxing aficionados do not understand why  Pacquiao, with his already established legacy as one of the greatest boxers of all time, would still  climb the ring at age 42 to fight an opponent 12 years younger than he is.  As far as they are concerned, Pacman doesn’t have to prove his greatness anymore.  He is already there with Mohamad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson  in the roster of the  world’s greatest boxers of all time.

He is the first and only boxer who has won championships in eight weight categories, beating 29 world champions. 

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He dominated the world boxing scene for four decades, from the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, beating the best  Mexican fighters for which he was dubbed “the Mexicutioner.”

Pacman established  milestones  in his boxing career.  With the odds at three to one against him, he beat the golden boy of boxing, Oscar dela Hoya, who retired from the sport after his inglorious defeat.  

“Pacquiao is the greatest boxer I ever faced,” he said.

In his fight against Marco Antonio Barrera, Pacman was again the underdog with few giving him the chance to win.  Again, he defeated Barrera to the consternation of the oddsmakers.

In his last fight against Keith Thurman, then the undefeated welterweight champion, the odds were again heavily in favour of his opponent.  Again, he knocked down Thurman in the first round and fought with him toe to toe to win by a unanimous decision.

All the most widely-read sports publications repeatedly wrote cover stories on  Pacquiao’s glorious boxing career, citing him as the best pound-for-pound  boxer.   TIME Magazine placed him on its cover and cited him as one of  the most influential persons in the world in 2009.

His country awarded him the Legion of Honor and the Order of Sikatuna.   He was dubbed as  Pambasang Kamao; a national treasure to his fellow Filipinos.   

Whatever the outcome of his fight with Spence, Pacquiao will always be revered by the Filipino nation.   

But to his handlers, particularly his trainer, Freddie Roach, the much-ballyhooed Texas  tornado is pure media hype.  They are confident that the Filipino pugilist will wrest the unified welterweight title from Spence. Spence’s being undefeated does not bother the Filipno boxing icon. Thurman had been undefeated when Pacquiao put him down.

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao is climbing the ring once again to prove that he is still the best welterweight around.

Pacman wants  to gain immortality in his boxing profession.  

Floyd Mayweather described it simply: “Pacquiao is heading for  the hall of fame.”

The match is billed as a mega fight. Pacman faces Spence as a clear underdog. The odds are 30 to 70 in favor of the American boxer.  One has to bet $240 on Spence to wi  $100.  A $100 bet on Pacquiao will win $180.                             

But Spence will come face to face with a vintage Pacquiao.

What the 42-year-old Pacman now has is a repertoire of deadly boxing techniques and tactics which make his opponents stunned and confused.    

Pacman’s lighting speed, excellent footwork, powerful left hooks, stunning right jabs, intricate angling and positioning stance,   blinding  punching combinations and limitless endurance  constitute his arsenal of weapons with which he demolishes opponents taller, younger and heavier than himself.  

The Pacman is  so mentally gifted that he can play around with his opponent while exchanging blows.  He is wily, shrewd, tricky, smart,  and focused — the most lethal  qualities anyone must possess when engaged in a deadly contact  sport.   

A boxing expert  cited how Pacquiao confuses and misleads his opponent with instant shifts in his punch combinations and targets while his powerful fist is already in motion.

If Manny Pacquiao wins  his assignment with Spence,  he would have achieved  his quest for immortality in the annals of the boxing world. 

**

Once he is back from Las Vegas, Pacquiao will remain in the spotlight, the focus of public attention, and in the center of  a controversy, this time inside the political arena in his own country.   

He will have to defend his position as president of PDP-Laban and secure  the  recognition of his group as the legitimate and legal party which can participate in the coming general elections.  If the faction headed by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi  and led by the president himself as titular head of the administration party gets the Comelec’s or court recognition, the senator will have to declare his group as another PDP-Laban wing or join another party with which he will pursue his political ambition.  

It is already public knowledge that Pacquiao is seeking the presidency or the vice presidency.  He will most probably seek an alliance with the Liberal Party, the National Unity Party or with the 1Sambayan movement led by Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.  

If Sara Duterte insists on running for president, President Duterte might not run for the vice presidency since a  father-daughter team will be a big gamble. The electorate could consider it as a politically incestuous proposition.  

If Sara withdraws from the presidential race, the president might endorse Senator Bong Go, Bongbong Marcos, or Isko Moreno and run as running mate of his choice for a successor.

Pacquiao may not also run for president and instead go for the second-highest position in a battle with his now political tormentor.  He may team up with Isko Moreno or with Leni Robredo.

Keen political observers believe it was a mistake for the president to have placed his erstwhile friend and ally in an adversarial position.

The senator is not an inconsequential  but a formidable political adversary. He had been a national icon before becoming senator.   The honor and prestige he has brought to our country as an extraordinary and gifted boxer are unquantifiable. Pacman has undergone so many trials and arduous training to excel in his chosen sport. His victory over 29 other champions across eight different divisions is a legendary triumph. 

Senator Pacquiao brings into his political career the  same intense concentration, determination and endurance  he employed in his boxing career.                                                               

It will be a mistake for his political enemies to underestimate the Senator’s acumen, diligence, tenacity, and  unwavering  self-confidence.  He has obviously endeavoured to educate himself  In a video interview, he cited his modest legislative accomplishments, projects for the poor and downtrodden, and his pragmatic solutions to some of the country’s pestering and pervasive problems.  

His grasp of  our country’s predicaments are astonishing.  He claims he has concrete solutions for them. He insists that what is needed is simply hard work and common sense.  

He may not have the credentials and sophistication of  some of his colleagues in the Senate but his sincerity to help the less fortunate and neglected families is consistent and untiring.   

The senator’s concern for the poor is sincere and deep. He was once a hungry boy who slept on the sidewalk. His family once survived on leftovers.

President Duterte’s new political enemy is no pushover.  Unlike most of our leaders, he entered politics not to seek fame, power and fortune.   He was already famous and very rich.  What he is seeking now is recognition and the influence he needs to be of great service to the Filipino people who prayed for his victory in his epic fights in boxing.    

Wherever he finds himself in his journey in politics, Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao is already an institution.  His legacy as a legendary boxer will remain lasting and indelible. 

Now, how far can the senator go in his rendezvous with his destiny in politics?   

Mr. Ernesto G. Banawis is a  student of politics, history and government. His email address is egbanawis@gmail.com.

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