Manny Paquiao?s fight against Mexican Antonio Margarito today is historic for three reasons.
First, it is Pacquaio?s attempt to bag his eight boxing title.
Second, Margarito, who is bigger and meaner with a history of pulling off dirty tricks in the ring, could be Pacquiao?s most dangerous opponent to date.
The third?and overlooked?reason is that the Pacquiao-Margarito fight is the acid test if the Filipino ring icon has grown gigantic enough to succeed in straddling the worlds of boxing and politics.
Pacquiao is not the first world champion boxer to enter politics. The late Alexis Arguello, who won titles in three weight classes, entered politics after his career in boxing. He was elected mayor of Managua, Nicaragua, in 2008 a year before his untimely death. But Pacquiao is the very first boxer to assume public office while still actively defending his titles.
The training, schedule and discipline that championship boxing demands and the preparation, brainwork, study of key issues and keeping constituents happy that being a good-enough (and not a lousy) lawmaker demands are both so rigorous. They are in fact mutually exclusive.
The alarm expressed by many fans and supporters of Pacquiao over the distractions he indulged in while training for his fight against Margarito is not baseless. In professional boxing, it is rule of thumb that a fighter must focus his undivided attention on training. This is a rule Pacquiao has tried to override because of his work in Congress and his new role as an elected politician. As a member of the House of Representatives these past three months, he has tried and succeeded in not being a nincompoop like those congressmen famous for their stupidity, absences and dereliction of their duties. (There ought to be a law treating congressional absenteeism and dereliction of duties in the committees and the plenary session as punishable criminal acts.)
Speed is Pacquiao?s unequalled talent as a boxer. The assumption that the Pacquiao-Margarito fight is a battle of speed versus power is actually a misnomer because speed translates to power. From a fighter?s perspective, the faster the punch the harder it hits. A boxer who can punch faster can generate the same if not greater amount of hitting power than a bigger but slower opponent. The only factor that makes a difference between the damage that a piece of lead could cause thrown by hand or fired from a gun is speed.
So long as Pacquiao can play his game of speed he?ll continue his winning streak and reign. Top Rank?s Bob Arum described Pacquiao?s ability as something never ever seen in boxing before. ?I?ve seen fast guys but I?ve never seen a fighter that ?disappears? the way he does,? he said, pertaining to the Filipino?s uncanny ability to get out of his opponent?s striking range like a phantom.
