I had only one question for returning hero Manny Pacquiao during the press conference held in his honor by GMA Network last week.
I asked Manny what his answer was when Mexican boxer David Diaz, from whom he wrested the WBC lightweight title, asked him if he was human.
Diaz, who earlier picked Golden Boy Oscar de la Hoya to win in The Dream Match, had called to congratulate Manny for his unexpected victory.
?You?re unbelievable! You?re so fast. Are you human?? he asked Manny on the phone.
?How did you react to that?? I asked Manny.
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?Why, I told him I was human. What else could I be? I told David that whatever strength and power I have, I get them from God. I am only human. I attribute my victory to God,? Manny said.
All throughout the press conference, I observed that Manny talked like a preacher, spreading the word of God.
I also noted that he was more at home with the entertainment writers than those from the sports beat. There were only two sportswriters there ? Mike Lee of the newspaper Bandera and myself.
The entertainment press listened spellbound as Manny recounted his conversation with God in a dream. It was exactly the same story he told me over a year ago.
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At Tuesday?s exclusive press conference hosted by Makisig Network at Annabel?s Restaurant in Quezon City, I found myself asking Diaz the same question I had asked Manny.
Diaz had a different answer: ?Manny said he just got lucky.?
One of the Mexican boxers invited by Manny to grace his 30th birthday bash in General Santos City this Wednesday, Diaz had arrived in Manila on Tuesday and will fly to General Santos this Wednesday morning.
His birthday gift to the Pacman? A jersey of NBA rookie Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls.
?Manny loves basketball, doesn?t he? Rose?s jersey number is most appropriate for Manny, because it?s No. l. Manny is No. l.
Diaz is based in Chicago and is married to a very athletic Puerto Rican who, according to him, beats him in boxing and basketball. They have two sons and another on the way.
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?At first, I was a little wary of long-distance flights, since I had never flown this long before. But the12-hour flight was so smooth, I slept for eight hours. It was a breeze.?
David said Manny had booked him business class in a Philippine Airlines flight. ?He is the perfect host. He will shoulder everything?plane fare, food.
According to David, he went shopping as soon as he arrived in Manila.
?We went to this place where there was a flea market,? he said, pulling out a cellphone from his pocket. ?And I bought this! I couldn?t use the phone I brought from the United States.?
David said his sister-in-law had told him not to return to Chicago if he didn?t bring back ripe Philippine mangoes.
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David thinks he?s good for at least one or two years more in the ring. Given the choice, ?I?d love to get in the ring with Marquez,? he said.
He asked me, ?Who do you think Manny will fight next??
I told him that from what I heard, it could be Briton Ricky Hatton or former welterweight titlist Floyd Mayweather.
Hatton, he said, should not be reckless and come in with his hands down as the Briton often does.
?You don?t show your face to Manny, man! Still, Hatton and Mayweather could give Manny a good fight,? said the loquacious Diaz.
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Then somebody raised the question that had nagged many boxing afficionado?s minds.
?Do you think it?s possible that De la Hoya took a dive?? one of the scribes asked.
Diaz said some people just couldn?t believe that Pacquiao could beat the Golden Boy. The word is ENVY, he said.
?Sometimes a boxer gets into the ring, not knowing exactly what to expect. Then he tries everything to get in control but nothing works. He then gets demoralized and is unable to recover. I think that?s what happened to Oscar.?
