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Philippines, 24 Apr 2024 |
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PACMAN IN AMERICA – PART SIX Pacnatics in Canada By Bob Cruz PhilBoxing.com Tue, 19 Jun 2007  In a land known for its long cold winters where ice hockey is permanently ingrained into the Canadian culture, the name Manny Pacquiao is recognized by boxing fans here but not a household name to your average Canadian. This is the land of hockey icons such as Don Cherry, Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky, as similar to how Manny shares the same icon status them in our homeland and regarded as a national hero. Canada is a huge country that covers thousands of miles across from Vancouver to St. John and having traveled it from end to end, I can confirm to you that a good number of Filipinos reside across this great country cheer for Manny Pacquiao. Canada is a friendly country known for having a rich and diverse multicultural population. Filipinos are certainly in the top 7 visible ethnic groups here which is an excellent starting point of reference to measure Manny’s fan base. Canada has had it’s moments of glory in boxing and although hockey is like a religion here and the UFC events fills the local sport bars, Canada has previously made a mark in the boxing ring. Some of our recently renowned boxers are Lennox Lewis, a former Canadian Resident from Guelph, Ontario, Monteal Native Arturo Gatti, David Defiagbon of Halifax, and Shawn O'Sullivan of Toronto to name a few. The Pacman storm across the Pacific hit here in full force during the second installation of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales Trilogy. That moment in time is a significant one here as I recall friends and acquaintances asking me “where will you be watching the fight?” because we were all highly anticipating this rematch. Victory was due and a great Filipino boxing icon would make history on that day. My father in law Mateo Carcamo who visited us from the Philippines was certainly a positive influence to me in getting to know Filipino boxers names and rising stars including Pacquiao. Having met him for the first time, I discovered that our love for the sweet science was a common ground for us to get to know each other and compare notes. Filipinos like him who know what is going on with boxing in the Philippines have been instrumental in spreading the good news that our country has been positively put on the map right because of our world class boxers emerging. Names such as Pacquiao, Boom2x Bautista, Z Gorres, Jaca, Banal who all have recently fought in various pay per view events have demonstrated that the future is now and it holds a lot of promise for Filipino Boxers. We embrace their emergence here with open arms and also proudly cheer for them in Canada. 
Erik Morales (foreground) is down on the canvas as Pacquiao looks on during the 2nd fight of their trilogy. Top photo: Pacman to Canadians. Artwork by Jonathan Cipre/Lithmakuh from a PhilBoxing photo. On fight night, Mr. Carcamo and my immediate family members joined me to watch Manny defeat Erik Morales and we celebrated like many other Filipinos who were watching the fight whether it was at home, at a sports bar or at a local Filipino establishment. Pacquiao winning that night against Erik Morales was a special feeling of euphoric liberation and victory for many Filipinos and fans here. I recall having the same feelings and expressions when our Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series and the locals probably felt the same when the Toronto Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup which has not happened for over 40 years. Pacquiao is certainly a frequent conversation piece with the local Filipinos and boxing fans in Canada who are indeed very proud of him. When Manny is fighting, there is an occasion to get together and celebrate as we share the same enthusiasm and excitement with our homeland. Our cheers with such events here are certainly being heard by the locals and no matter how big or how small it maybe, we are making positive noise as we cheer Manny Pacquiao on. With non Filipino boxing fans in Canada, especially where I live in the Greater Toronto Region, Manny Pacquiao is known for his high octane knock out performance in the ring. There have been different occasions when a stranger has stopped me during my travels in the city and want to talk about Manny Pacquiao because they recognize the bloodied image with raised fists on my T-Shirt. I have been surprised many times when this has occurred and how many other fans from different walks of life cheer for him. The locals here that know of him want to get to know more about him inside and outside the ring. To the average Canadian Citizen who does not follow boxing, the chances are they probably have not heard of the greatness Manny Pacquiao as a boxer unless they follow international news where Manny has made waves running for the Philippine government. I find that boxing has become a niche sport here that is overshadowed by the National Hockey League or anything hockey, even curling gets more coverage than boxing in Canada because of its tradition and culture. Our primary Sports Channel, TSN has started showing his fights the week after the pay per view event. Manny has been a favorite topic of conversation over the last year or so in the show dedicated to boxing called “In this Corner” on TSN. There are now talks and rumors that Manny’s next fight could be in Vancouver and surely, many boxing fans here would be delighted and excited to see that. As a Filipino Canadian, I share the same popular opinion and I would love to see Manny fight in Vancouver. It’s about time to bring the glory days of boxing back in Canada once more. Manny has the fighting style to bring out the very best in boxing. For this fight fan, it would be without any hype, Canada awaits… Bob Cruz is a long time Pacland member who goes by the handle Swingman. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Bob Cruz.  |
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