Tomorrow, Sunday (Saturday in Las Vegas), the Philippines will come to a dead stop yet once again. The single greatest, if temporary, unifier of Filipinos, Manny Pacquiao, will climb the ring against the great Oscar de la Hoya in what will be his biggest fight so far.
Everything that needs to be said about the fight has already been said. Neither expert opinion nor plain fanatic musing can alter the lines that have already been drawn between the two protagonists.
There are those who say Pacquiao will win and there are those who say it will be de la Hoya who would. Both sides think they are right, convinced to the limits of their ability to believe, by the degree with which their expertise or fanaticism allows them.
Actually, the fight can go either way, in a victory that will conform precisely to what the experts and the fanatics have already laid out in analysis. All that remains is the actual fight and how, all things considered, the chips will eventually fall.
So who will win? We believe it should be Pacquiao. Our belief is not rooted in blind patriotism, nor does it spring from expert assessment, for we subscribe to neither. And most certainly we did not stumble upon it from groping along in blind passion.
We believe Pacquiao should win because, all things being equal, it is now his time to strut on the world stage of boxing. De la Hoya has had his time lording it over several weight divisions. Greatness is so because of its ability to spread itself among others in turn.
We believe the world of boxing has more to gain from a Pacquiao win than from a de la Hoya victory. They say de la Hoya needs this as a ticket to retirement. We disagree. The ticket was with Floyd Mayweather, who beat him to the bus. Now he has missed his ride to the sunset.
On the other hand, Pacquiao is still on the rise. Think of the endless possibilities if he wins. The waiting Ricky Hatton is in for a more exciting fight against Pacquiao than de la Hoya. And Mayweather could come out of retirement for Pacquiao, but not anymore for de la Hoya.
Life marches on. If fate is a factor in determining destinies, then weight, height, age, skills or power cannot stop it when it decides it is time for boxing to turn another page. If we’re wrong and Pacquiao loses, then maybe it is not time to turn the page on de la Hoya.
