IT was around the fifth round when the rains started pouring. For many superstitious, it was a good sign. The rains coming in during any occasion is welcomed as a blessing from the heavens. It was also what Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao needed as he faced the most anticipated fight in his career and most awaited by all boxing fans the world over after five years in the making.
In the first round, the two fighters were clearly still feeling each other out. I gave that round to Mayweather. In the second round, there was little excitement and I still gave that round to Mayweather. The next two rounds were debatable. But on the sixth round, I already felt Mayweather was going to clinch it. He is a dirty fighter, I agree. But Mayweather is sleek and quick to recover. He is a smart fighter. He has mastered the science of boxing. Manny on the other hand, was tentative in most instances playing it safe and lacking in follow-throughs in instances where he could have punched out Mayweather. It seemed like he had lost his fighter instinct and quest to win. After all, there is a guaranteed purse of eighty million dollars should he lose. I am not saying this fight had come to be a fight for the purse but it seemed to be like that, especially for Mayweather?s Money team.
The twelfth and final round could have turned the tide had Manny pursued Mayweather more aggressively but in the end, there could only be one winner and the judges unanimously called it for Mayweather Junior. Did it help Mayweather that he is from Las Vegas? Maybe it did but in his interview, Mayweather described Manny as a tough competitor but also called him as a true winner at heart. In a fight like this, however, it takes more than heart but skill of mind which Mayweather had. Many had advised Manny that he should take down Mayweather within the first six rounds. Otherwise, Mayweather would take control of the match. True enough! So we congratulate Mayweather for proving that he is still the undisputed champion in the welterweight division. In six weeks in September he goes back to the ring for his final fight before he hangs up his gloves as a fighter with him almost forty years of age. Good thinking!
For Manny, we advise him to do the same although it is not a good way to end a boxing career as a loser. But who cares? To Filipinos all over the world, he has already proven many times over that he is the icon of a Filipino champion. His battles did not only begin when he entered the boxing arena. His battles began the moment he was born to a poor family struggling just to have food on the table. Today, he is the richest congressman on record and the highest paying taxpayer. He has landed on the cover in many sports magazines winning accolades from all over and making a nation proud. Not bad, huh! Not bad at all from someone who started with nothing! Manny continues to be an inspiration to many who have nothing in life to become something with persistence and perseverance and most of all through the Lord?s guidance. When the dust finally settles, Manny will still come out a winner successfully carving out a niche in the pantheon of Great Filipino Fighters.
The rains came not as a blessing. They were actually tears for Manny losing the fight against Mayweather. We should have taken the cue. So what is ahead for Manny? Probably the biggest fight of them all should he pursue his fight for the presidency come 2022. And he?s got six years to prepare for it.
