READER Ruben Quezada (QuezaRu@ voughtaircraft.com) vehemently disagrees with my assessment that “..beating a name opponent like Soto will go a long way to proving that his wins over world-rated fighters Kevin Kelley and Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez were no flukes.” (Redemption for blow blow Bobby, 6/9/07) According to Ruben: “You must be kidding Bobby’s win over Famoso Hernandez is tainted, he clearly LOST. You are either blind or Filipino to think he won that fight. Humberto Soto is younger and stronger than Famoso. Contact me later when Bobby gets his because I don’t want to say I told you so.
Every time I read the Manila Bulletin or the Sun.Star Cebu you guys make the Pacquiao family seem as if they walk on water take your blinders off. As journalist you should be unbiased nobody that works at those newspapers seems to understand that.”
Well, Ruben, first of all, I am quite happy to inform you that although my vision blurs whenever I have one too many last rounds of my favorite brew and often mistake an ashtray for a plate of salted peanuts, thank God I am not yet blind. And, yes, I am a Filipino, and damn proud of it if I may add.
You would also be surprised to know that I think Bobby should have lost the decision against Hernandez. That is precisely why I mentioned that his win was perceived as a fluke. Had you asked me first what I thought of the verdict, I would have told you.
And in you case you failed to notice, the Last Round is a column, not a news item, ergo it contains the opinion of this columnist. And as an opinion writer, I necessarily have my own biases in the same manner that you do.
Lastly, I never made the Pacquiao family seem to “walk on water” as you put it, whatever that means. Would I refer to Bobby Pacquiao as “blow blow Bobby” if I thought he was Jesus Christ? No Sir.
For the record, I predicted Manny Pacquiao would lose his first two bouts against Erik Morales. I was right the first time, wrong on the second. But that’s beside the point.
I still think Manny Pacquiao is one of the best boxers pound for pound in the world today, and I would be remiss in my duties if I failed to remind you that we Filipinos are not alone in that belief. He is The Ring magazine’s 2006 Fighter of the Year and just last week was feted as the Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Bobby did put up a good fight but he definitely got “his” as you put it, but wait until Humberto Soto gets “hit” by Manny. Thanks for your email.
GERRY TRIES AGAIN. This writer is ecstatic that Gerry Penalosa has been given another opportunity to fight for a world crown. If you recall, he had his sights set on current World Cup opponent and WBO bantamweight champ Johnny Gonzales long before he fought Daniel Ponce de Leon last March.
Gonzales is an even more formidable opponent than de Leon as he has victories over world-class fighters like Irene Pacheco, Fernando Montiel and Mark Johnson. He is also fairly tall (5’ 7 1/2) and will thus possess several advantages over the smaller, shorter and older Gerry.
But to me, Gerry is the most polished Filipino boxer we have today—a crafty lefty with dynamite power in both hands. He handled de Leon quite well, and his confidence is at an all-time high. He will be one of the stalwarts of our World Cup boxing team.
THE LAST ROUND. The last round goes out to Oscar “Oca” Pebenito of Banco de Oro who never hesitates to share pearls of wisdom to our younger Latagaw brods. Cheers!
