PACQUIAO SWITCHES BOTH FOE & LOCATION
San Francisco, CA – There never seems to be any low point or down time when it comes to the life and career of Manny Pacquiao. The ‘pound for pound’ star is one of few, whose hands are involved in lawsuits, sports, entertainment, and now politics. It has been an eventful time in Pacland and none if it has to do with boxing. Speaking of boxing, Pacquiao’s main source of income, he has a fight in just a little over two months against an unknown opponent, Jorge Solis, 32-0-2 (23 KOs) which tells us In Ju Chi, the WBC 126 lb. champ and the Pacman will NOT happen.
MANNY CAN’T DRAW LIKE “VEGAS” IN TEXAS
Several weeks ago, a list was complied of five cities where Manny Pacquiao should fight next. Absent from that was the city of San Antonio, Texas. Many remember that city as the host of Pacquiao’s dominant upset of reigning featherweight kingpin, Marco Antonio Barrera. However, with the exception of very few, no one believed that Pacquiao would escape Texas with a win. It was virtually Barrera’s hometown, who wanted to kick start the then new Golden Boy Promotions in grand fashion. Revisiting the fight, after Manny’s third round knockdown of Barrera, the only thing you can hear at the Alamodome were Pacquiao’s thudding straight lefts and body shots.
TEXAS IS HOSTILE TERRITORY FOR PACMAN
In Pacquiao’s last fight, a third round knockout of Erik Morales, the Thomas and Mack arena was roughly split down the middle, though on television it sounded like all 18,000 were Pacquiao fans. Those being the case, there are no denying the power and support of the large population of Mexican and Mexican-American fight fans in cities that border Mexico. Even though Pacquiao was a favorite against Morales and will likely be a huge favorite to win against Solis, you can bet that the unknown fighter from Guadalajara will have the majority of fan support in San Antonio (add to that the popular super flyweight (115) Jorge Arce, fighting on the undercard). In the end, the overwhelming crowd support potentially for Solis should not deter Pacquiao from coming away with the expected victory. But don’t say that to Luisito Espinosa back in 1999, when he suffered a controversial decision loss in El Paso.
FIGHT BUMPED UP TO RUN FOR CONGRESS
The fight against Jorge Solis seems to be an afterthought to the news that Pacquiao will attempt to run for congress in upcoming elections in the Philippines this May. This is not a shocker to many who have seen all popular Filipino prizefighters in recent times wooed by politics. In the U.S, Jessie Ventura, former WWE wrestler, became governor of Minnesota. Currently in California, action star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is in his second term as Governor. Former president Ronald Reagan was an actor so Pacquiao running for office is not a shock. However, politics in the Philippines has had a long reputation as being a corrupt system. The belief is that those who become politicians do it more for the money, fame, and power of the position rather than being a public servant to the needs of their countrymen.
IT’S NOT MANNY, IT’S ALL THE OTHERS
The large group of Pacquiao fans, who are strongly against him running, are of the belief Manny will eventually become the same people they disrespect. Pacquiao’s superstar icon status in the Philippines was not solely because of his accomplishments in boxing, but his personality outside the ring. He is one of few fighters who has an open gym policy and would spend close to four hours in his hotel room signing autographs to dozens of fans. Paclanders look at Manny as the representation of what is great about the Philippines. And what makes him so popular is that he’s not a corrupt politician, who takes office to become a celebrity rather than helping people.
NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS SOON FORGOTTEN
Since 2001, Manny Pacquiao and political office have been linked and it will not end this spring. There is always SOMETHING going on in the Pacman world and fans should not take those events too personally. That’s because this April Pacquiao will likely walk through another opponent, leading to a big fight in September. Winning or losing in his bid for office (can you imagine a politician running only a three month campaign?) will not define Pacquiao’s career. Neither will Jorge Solis because when Pacquiao’s hall of fame career in the ring ends, one thing is certain: a victory of Jorge Solis won’t be bookmarked as a memorable moment in Pacquiao’s career.
