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Philippines, 19 Apr 2024 |
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What now, Pacquiao? By Ed Picson PhilBoxing.com Tue, 18 Mar 2008 The arguments for or against the split decision in the latest episode of the saga that is Manny Pacquiao threaten to last for a very long time. That the result was a split decision naturally brought about diverse reactions, but the shocking thing was that many of negative ones came from Pacquiao?s own people who were supposed to go gaga over him no matter what. A quick perusal into the possible causes behind the unusual rumblings on his paper-thin victory revealed several amazing possibilities. For instance, it is said some of his fans actually felt that a loss by Pacquiao was richly deserved to bring him back to terra firma. The proliferation of so many reports about his care-free ways (apocryphal or otherwise) have turned some people off and gave them the impression that Manny didn?t care much about the responsibilities that came with the fame and fortune he had earned. There was disappointment about the company he kept, the lifestyle he embraced and the way he cold-shouldered well-meaning advice from people who genuinely cared. These quarters thought that it was time Pacquiao realized the folly of his ways. And when the close decision was announced, they were all over it, saying it was a farce and that he was simply lucky to have gotten it. There were those who were plainly disappointed at not being given the usual exhilaration of a Manny Pacquiao conquest, a la movielandia. It was okay to be beaten to the punch so long as in the end, Manny would hew to the script of redeeming himself by obliterating the opposition. That it didn't happen that way was considered a let-down. This was totally unfair. As I have stated in a number of post-fight interviews, a close fight will produce as many different appreciations of the event as the number of people who watched it. If Juan Manuel Marquez had been given the decision, it would have given off the same intense protestations, if not even more so. After all, it was he whose derri?re bounced off the canvass, both feet simultaneously freed from the forces of gravity by the sheer force of a Pacquiao punch. It was he who had to hold on to the ropes to stay relatively vertical at the end of the same round. He was again knocked silly in the 10th round and had to muster all of his strength to weather the ravages of Manny?s onslaught. Admittedly, the Mexican connected with more shots and had the slicker moves. But the damage he did could not compare to the devastation wreaked by the Pacman. Still, it was a great fight and Marquez could refer to it as one of the best he had ever been in, and there would be no embarrassment to the claim. But I still say, the split decision in favor of Pacquiao is more than acceptable. A draw may have also been called, but it would have given off more howls, this time from either side. What concerns me now really is where is the Manny Pacquiao that he said he wanted to revive? Before the fight, he said he was trying to put himself in the shoes of the Pacquiao of old, who sacrificed everything just to be able to prove something to the world. He who had to convince the bigwigs of international boxing who considered him an audacious upstart whose name did not even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Barrera?s or Morales?? Now that he has felled the two Mexican icons and the best in 3 different weight classes, and now that he has earned the admiration of the entire boxing community, has his raison d?etre as a ring gladiator been diminished? Have the finer things in life dulled his fighting instincts and lulled him into the complacency of those born on easy street? If indeed the hunger is no longer there, then Pacquiao must take stock and stop living a lie. While it is commendable that he says he is willing to give his life for his country, it would be foolhardy to toy with it in a game as deadly as boxing. After all, it is still just a game albeit one that demands unwavering focus lest one unwittingly makes the supreme sacrifice. Based on his performance in his last three fights which I undoubtedly think he all won, I feel Manny Pacquiao would be wise to look deep inside him if this is still the kind of a living he wants to make. Never mind what other people think; never mind what the nation asks of him. It's his life. Let him decide where he wants it to go. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed Picson.  |
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