Manny “The Pacman” Pacquiao – put all doubting Thomases to pasture – as to who is the best boxer in the world today (pound for pound) last Sunday. Before millions of awe-struck fans all over the globe, The Pacman from General Santos City masterfully crafted an assassin’s blueprint to a bloody execution of yet another Mexican-American (former Olympian) 135-pound king David Diaz – to wrest his crown.
Pacquiao’s voluntary “jail term inside the gym” for the duration of the fight training – and his fascinating conversion from a slugger to a boxer proved The Gensan Bomber is better than even the retired Floyd Mayweather, pound for pound.
He was weaving and bobbing like a ballroom dancer, threw dynamite right jabs and crushing left combinations. Pacman detonated 800 punches (200 of them mega-bombs) into the hapless body and bloodied face of Diaz. Pacquiao’s defense was impregnable and his wide variety of offensive attacks were simply poetry in motion – prodding legendary coach Freddie Roach to honor him with an A-1 mark. It is a grade the stingy coach doesn’t concede to anyone – and he has made many world champions.
By the ninth round, a blinding left cross to the jaw that we didn’t even catch fully (until the replay) floored the sturdy Diaz – tumbling like a newly-cut log – face down to the canvas. “It was clobbering time,” as the Incredible “Hulk” Pacquiao fulfilled the prophecy of his own coach to the exact round.
Pacman gobbled up another US$3 million in pay check (about P135 million) and we reckoned that with three more fights – he will have earned a billion pesos just by throwing haymakers against the world’s best in his divisions. Plus the pay-per-view share and millions of product endorsements after.
Annexing the WBC (World Boxing Council) lightweight crown, the 29-year old ring matador becomes the first Asian to win four boxing titles in his lifetime. Or maybe a fifth – if the long range plans of challenging super hunk junior welterweight champion (140-pound) British Bulldog Ricky Hatton come to fruition.
The former farm and bakery hand in Mindanao first won the WBC flyweight crown in 1998, the IBF super-bantamweight title in 2001, the TBF super-bantamweight crown in 1999 and the WBC super-featherweight diadem in 2005. Now the Pacman is set to battle unbeaten Venezuelan ring sensation Edwin Valero who has won all his 24 fights via knockout. What a fight that would be.
With that record today, Pacquiao has more than an even chance to be voted into the most prestigious ring arbiter’s elite circle – the International Boxing Hall of Fame. It is the best honor any boxer can hope to attain.
Already The Pacman is considered the greatest fighters of all time -without the loudmouth and bad manners of a Muhammed “The Lip” Ali, the long-time heavyweight champion.
Is Manny Pacquiao the best Filipino boxer of all times?
Only two Filipino boxers can contest that crown, namely: Pancho Villa, the world flyweight champion (1927) and Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, junior lightweight champion (1960). All two are already inside the elite circle of boxers – the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Villa (real name: Francisco Guilledo) fought 105 fights (when boxing bouts would reach 15 rounds), standing only 5’1″ and winning his world crown before 20,000 screaming fans in New York City in July of 1927. Earlier he won the American flyweight belt from Jhonny Buff in 1922.
Because of his outstanding record fight of 105, Pancho Villa is often named (unofficially) as the “greatest Asian boxer in history.” Does that still stand today – after Pacman snared four world titles and gunning for his possible fifth?
On the other hand, “The Flash” knocked out American Harold Gomes at the Araneta Coliseum in 1960 to win the world junior flyweight title – which he defended in an awe-inspiring record of ten times. It is an unequaled record for any Asia Pacific boxer in one division. He won 88 of his over 100 fights as well, like Villa who fought more than a hundred bouts as well.
Flash Elorde failed where Pacman succeeded. He lost two fights in a bid to snare a higher weight title (like Pacman) versus Puerto Rican Carlos Ortiz. The difference is Elorde went for it while his boxing ability was fading; Pacquiao at the peak of his illustrious career.
There are similarities and differences among the three great Filipino boxing icons: all are from the South, speaking variations of the Visayan language: Pancho Villa (Iloilo), Flash Elorde (Bogo, Cebu) and Manny Pacquiao (General Santos, Cotabato).
Villa died at a young age of 24, with a fatal tooth infection he chose to ignore; Elorde at age 72 due to lung cancer (being a chain-smoker). Will Pacman’s lifestyle off the ring tell off on him someday? Or will his billion(s) save him from medical complications in the latter stage of life?
But meantime the Filipino – worldwide – is grinning with all white front teeth these days after The Pacman’s sensational devastation of David Diaz.
Before the last May 2007 elections, the Chronicle editiorialized thus in reference to the Congressional fight between (petite reelectionist congressperson Darlene Antonino and the ambitious Pacman), that if the people in GenSan truly loved Pacquiao, they should vote for Darlene.
They loved Pacman so much, they voted Darlene back to Congress and kept (the election loser) The Pacman where the Filipino in him can best shine – inside the boxing ring.
Barring other distractions, our editorial question above – Who is the Best Filipino Boxer? – will soon be answered.
