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Philippines, 14 May 2008 |
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BEWARE OF THE HUNGRY PACMAN By Ed Picson PhilBoxing.com Fri, 09 May 2008  In his latest newspaper column “Kumbinasyon”, Manny Pacquiao waxed sentimental and recalled his early days in the pugilistic profession. He remembers the days when he was a gaunt and wiry 16-year old whose only thoughts in the ring were to rain punches on his opponent and hope that the other guy would either wilt from the onslaught or get tired from all the running to avoid getting hit. All too soon, he beefed up and had to jump two weight divisions from flyweight to Super Bantamweight and then to Featherweight and super-Featherweight along the way snagging a couple more world championships. But his maniacal drive to win did not wane. Many however, have expressed concern about his last three performances, noting that the fire and urgency which popularized the Pacman seem to be slowly dwindling into embers especially in his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez where he eked out a split decision. In a phone interview I had with him before the Marquez fight, he acknowledged that he too, noticed that he had become a bit complacent and too engrossed with all the technical stuff that he may have forgotten how it was to want something so badly it hurt inside. Which was why he said he was trying to psyche himself to feel the hunger he had when he was a newbie in the sport. That is no mean feat as he presumably has satiated the hunger many times over, not only in terms of financial stability, but also with the success he has reaped professionally. So to revert to that time and state of want probably needs some time and effort. But the pangs of hunger he went through were real and recent enough for him to be able to recall it and find the necessary motivation for him to stoke the fire in his belly once again. For it is no secret that the intensity and devil-may-care attitude he displays in the ring is what made him the much-respected figure he is now. Never mind that many so-called experts belittle his technical skills, because these experts are also the first to admit that there is no one who excites and thrills in the ring as Manny Pacquiao. In his coming encounter with Lightweight champion David Diaz, it is obvious that Diaz has more motivation to succeed because he has not even sniffed the kind of monetary rewards and accolades Pacquiao has been raking in since he started victimizing several Mexican icons 4 or 5 years ago. Diaz himself and trainer Jim Strickland have been drawing parallelisms between the two protagonists saying they are “cut from the same mold.” I beg to differ. Diaz may be a durable and hard hitter, but he lacks the pizzazz, derring-do and power that a totally focused Manny Pacquiao can bring to a fight. It is this single-mindedness that he recalled in his column that he needs to affect in this fight if he plans to prolong his reign of terror. With a slew of startled victims in his wake, Pacquiao has struck fear in the hearts of many opponents, not so much before stepping into the ring, but when he starts giving them a dose of his relentless attacks in a fight. Many of his foes don’t even know what hit them so that after the bout, they believe they could have taken Manny out if only they didn’t get waylaid by the bravura and determination that sucked them into a seeming desperate effort to just survive the carnage. If Manny is successful in psyching himself back into the attack zone he put himself into in the early years and gears up for the battle ahead with the same old enthusiasm, then I am afraid Diaz’s chances will go from slim to none. A hungry and singly-determined Pacman will devour him like a full plate of steaming white rice and tinola after a “puasa”. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed Picson. Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles: |
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