BIGGER THAN AN ICON, MANNY IS ?SUPERMAN!?
There is nothing quite like the position World featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao is in currently. At home, in the Philippine islands, Manny is bigger than Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Barry Bonds (minus Steroids), and Alex Rodriguez combined! If I were to affix the tag of ?Icon? to him, even that wouldn?t be enough, or come close to explaining Manny?s fanatical popularity. Simply put, Pacquiao carries the weight of his entire country both squarely and proudly on his shoulders.
DOES THE ?PAC-MAN? RUN HOT & COLD?
The only knock on Pacquiao as a professional fighter is a small one, and that is he can lose focus during a match. Against Agapito Sanchez in San Francisco a couple of years ago, Manny looked at times confused as his opponent, probably the dirtiest fighter in recent memory, took him to the school of fistic fouling! Low blows, head butts, elbows, cuts that were caused by such, needless to say it wasn?t pretty! But in the end, Manny got a Draw after Referee Marty Denkin had seen enough and pulled the plug
UNDERDOG WITH BARRERA GIVEN ?LITTLE? CHANCE!
When Pacquiao was scheduled to meet then featherweight king Marco Antonio Barrera in November of 2003, he was an ascending 122 lb. titleholder looking to strike gold at 126 lbs. A 2 ? to 1 underdog, Pacquiao opened up in typical fashion and before long, Barrera was hurt and in such trouble, that he would never recover from the early knockdown, etc. Manny, sensing blood like man-eating shark, the Filipino never allowed Marco back in the fight that was stopped finally in round 11.
OPENED UP ?TYPICAL? MANNY AGAINST MARQUEZ!
In February of last year, Pacquiao signed to meet IBF belt bearer Juan Manuel Marquez in May. Bringing with him the instinct of a mass murderer, Manny went to work on Marquez soon after the opening bell. The net result was three, count ?em, three knockdowns of the previously never before dropped Mexican National. But, that?s where things began to unravel a bit, as Manny would eventually get a Draw with Marquez 12 heats later.
LIVING THE LIFE OF AN ICON, NOT A FIGHTER?
After the knockout of Barrera, Pacquiao returned home to throngs of fans, parties, festivals, TV appearances, and oh yeah, Manny also found time to make a movie. Needless to say, the 126 lb. champion had gained a few pounds. As a result, Pacquiao was losing weight instead of concentrating on training for Marquez and the May fight. And the end result saw him losing most of the rounds that took place after that three knockdown opener! In December, Pacquiao had a work fight, and drilled a Thai fighter who has numerous names in the fourth of a 12-rounder held in the Philippines.
RELAXED CHAMPION MOVING UP A DIVISION!
Having achieved recognition as the World lineal featherweight champion, Pacquiao will move up to the super featherweight division and the 130 lb. limit for his March 19, HBO PPV appearance against Erik Morales. Having watched him work, I can tell you the hard work ethic is there, and the attitude is right! With Manny, Trainer Freddie Roach, Manager Shelly Finkel, and Promoter Murad Muhammad, with all of them on the same page, Pacquiao has his ducks in a row. Last week, I went one on one with ?King Manny? in Los Angeles prior to his training at the Wildcard Gym.
RT-So, how?s training going thus far? MANNY-Everything is going great. And I?m in good condition, proper condition.
RT-Is there a lot of pressure on him going into this fight with Erik Morales? Is there more pressure on him now then there has been in any fight before? MANNY-Not really, I?m training at the same level I was for the Barrera fight.
RT-Is he surprised Barrera was able to come back after being knocked out by Manny? Was he surprised that Barrera was able to come back to the level he?s at? MANNY-I am not surprised because Barrera is a good boxer. He has a lot of boxing talent. No doubt he is the World champion (130 lbs.) right now.
RT-How?s life in the Philippines? Are you the icon, the number one star in the Philippines? MANNY-It?s good, it?s fine with me. That everybody recognizes me, young people and old.
RT-Do you realize that you are setting a role model for many, mostly the youth in the Philippines? MANNY-Yeah, I understand that.
RT-What does Erik Morales bring to the dance March 19? What does he do best? MANNY-It is an honor for me to fight Erik Morales. He?s a warrior, one of the most popular boxers, not just in the America and Mexico, but all over the world.
RT-A prediction? MANNY-I will defeat Erik Morales. I want all my Filipino fans to know that my condition is great, that you should come to the fight in Las Vegas.
