FIRST off, the boxers. And of course, you don?t do a review of Philippine boxing without starting off with the most prolific of them all- the Pacman himself, Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao had a stellar 2014 and it seems like he has recovered nicely from that knockout loss at the hands of arch-rival Juan Manuel Marquez back in 2012.
There have been fighters who never actually recover from devastating one-punch knockouts, and as far as perfect comeback plan go, it seems like Manny has already patented it.
Manny started off 2014 with a huge victory in his rematch against Timothy Bradley.
That win righted a lot of wrongs, and Bradley himself admitted this time around that he lost fair and square to a superior fighter.
Next, he squared off against Chris Algieri in Macau and dominated the latter in a one-sided fight. Algieri?s claim to fame was a decision win over Ruslan Provodnikov, but Manny showed he was a better warrior than the Russian banger as he knocked down Algieri 6 times, even though the latter did more running that fighting.
This year, the landscape appears to be finally clearing for that much awaited mega fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Fingers crossed, we may finally see them duking it out sometime this May.
Judging from the Bradley and Algieri fights, Manny is clearly not the force of nature he once was 5 years ago. But this version of Manny is still good enough to beat the best that that the division has to offer.
He also has the mental edge coming into this potential Mayweather bout. Of course, Mayweather has his version of the events, but the general consensus among fans is that he is the one preventing the fight from happening and is mortified of finally squaring off against Manny in the ring.
I get the feeling that Floyd has backed himself into position that he cannot weasel his way out of anymore. Helped in part by Manny?s impressive showing the past year, the fans will not take so kindly to Floyd?s partiality towards certain promoters and television networks as stumbling blocks for the fight.
They want this fight to happen and Floyd better want it too, otherwise his fistic legacy will be ruined forever. In that case, that makes Floyd an unwilling, reluctant combatant.
And because Floyd is being dragged into a fight he is disinclined to accept, Manny has already won the decisive mental game with his eagerness and open enthusiasm.
Next up is Nonito Donaire. He will always be one of my personal favorites, but the ?Filipino Flash? had a very difficult 2014.
In his first fight, he won via TD against Simpiwe Vetyeka but was unfairly criticized by some who alleged that it was Donaire who called for the stoppage after he got cut by a headbutt.
Next was a tough knockout loss to Nicholas Walters, the first one in his career.
Though he did manage to wobble and stagger Walters in the second round, Donaire eventually succumbed to the former?s power and was stopped in the 6th.
I thought the fight was close up until the knockout, but afterwards Donaire himself said that Walters overwhelmed him with his size.
This writer only partially agrees with him. Yes, his opponent was big and strong, but he had the tools to defeat him and the left hook he landed in the 2nd round was concussive evidence.
The difference was that Donaire ditched his excellent boxing skills after he got hurt in round 3 and opted to brawl with Walters. In contrast, Pacquiao managed to get things done against leviathans like Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto, by not relying solely on brute strength, but on speed and technique.
Donaire seems to be considering a move down to super-bantamweight where an old nemesis, Guillermo Rigondeax awaits. My take on this matter is that he has a better chance in a rematch against Walters than against Rigo.
The shifty Cuban has an awkward, defensive style that makes opponents look bad, and Donaire will succumb again to this approach, especially now that he is more of a brawler than a boxer.
We will see what move he finally takes, but one thing is clear- Nonito Donaire has a lot of hard, tough decisions to make this year.
(This Sunday, Donnie Nietes and Johnrheil Casimero)
LAST ROUNDS. Are on Atty. Marvin Miralles and lovely wife Rhea and their greatest treasure and blessing, little cherub Jasmine. Cheers!
