I WON’t condemn Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez for lobbying to stop Manny Pacquiao?s Dec. 6 date with Oscar de la Hoya. He could be really concerned with Pacman?s physical well-being considering that the Golden Boy is much bigger and taller than the Pinoy ring icon. But then again Rufus is a politician, and you know politicians.
His concern for Pacquiao may actually have been outweighed by his political intention. His critics theorize he wants to be senator, which could be true.
After all, what politician does not want to be a player in the national political scene? But whether his recent move is out of concern for Pacquiao or is a political stunt, I don?t agree with him.
To be fair with Games and Amusement Board (GAB) chairman Eric Buhain, he may have been taken by Rodriguez for the ride, that is, if it is true that statements he did not make came from the solon?s office. He may be concerned with Pacman?s health, but I doubt if he moved to stop the fight as reported. He knows the bout will be held in the US.
Pacquiao is no longer an ordinary boxer because his fame has transcended boxing?or he is not called Pambansang Kamao for nothing. (Days ago, my son forced me to go the rounds of some school supplies stores to buy a chart that lists our national symbols, i.e. Pambansang Sayaw, etc. No Pambansang Kamao there yet, though.)
Since he is a national treasure, figuratively and literally (consider the millions of dollars he is earning per fight), we all should be concerned, too. But that concern should not be brought to the extreme and should not spark unnecessary worries, like what Rufus is spreading. It?s as if Pacquiao is headed for the firing squad and into a certain death.
While boxing is a brutal sport, much has been done by sports bodies to protect the many amateur and professional boxers worldwide. I have been so avid a fan of boxing to know that deaths in boxing are a result of poorly supervised bouts. I doubt if one can call one of the US? premier sports bodies, the Nevada Athletic Commission, poor supervisor.
The last we heard, tickets for the Pacquiao-de la Hoya bout have been sold out, which means that 16,000 tickets to the MGM Grand have been taken.
Millions of people will be watching on pay-per-view. Both boxers have seconds and trainers. Well-paid medics will be on standby. Finally, a referee watches the fighters? moves on the ring.
Besides, two lines of thought are playing out in this bout: one says Pacquiao is too small he will end up either losing or being battered by the bigger de la Hoya while the other insists Pacquiao is in his prime and is too fast and powerful to either have a decent chance of winning against de la Hoya or even knock him out. Rufus sided with the first.
The problem with the two lines is that these are but on the realm of theory.
Both sides can make a compelling argument (for every Julio Cesar Chavez who says Pacquiao can only win against de la Hoya if de la Hoya does not use his hands, there?s a Pernell Whitaker who calls the Golden Boy a ?dinosaur?).
But they can?t be so sure of the result.
That?s why the fight has to be made. The only way the debate can be resolved is to let Pacman and the Golden Boy slug it out on Dec. 6 and find out which of the lines hew closely to reality. Rep. Rodriguez himself should watch the fight, preferably with Buhain, to find out if he will be vindicated (though I think he won’t be).
