MANILA, Philippines ? Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao addressed an unnamed critic who has been purportedly asking the public to shun his next fights.
This was in light of his supposedly poor choice of opponents including former world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley, who the Filipino boxer will face this coming May.
“Madali raw ang laban na ito kaya ‘basura’ raw, ani ng isang maimpluwensiyang writer na sa tingin ko ay hindi pa nakaranas ng totoong away o di kaya ay magsuot ng gloves o maglagay ng benda sa kamay (One popular writer had claimed the Mosley fight will be an easy one. I suppose this writer hasn’t even been in an actual fight himself),” he wrote in his Philboxing.com column,”Kumbinasyon.”
“There is never an easy fight. Every time I step into the ring, I risk my life and my future,” the 8-division champion added.
Pacquiao said he had put much effort against every “bigger and taller” boxer he had crossed paths with, claiming he was not one to play god.
“To say that every fighter I face in the ring does not deserve attention talks about ignorance. How can a fight be easy when I have been working my hardest efforts every single time?” he said.
“I am no [S]uperman. When I get hit, I pretend I did not get hurt so as to frustrate my opponent. That’s part of the sacrifice! Funny, these same writers who ask for a boycott almost always cover my fights, anyway,” he added.
The Fighter of the Decade has been on a roll, winning back-to-back against bigger opponents Oscar dela Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito in the recent years. He is scheduled next to defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt against the 39-year-old Mosley in Las Vegas, Nevada over the summer.
However, critics have noted the supposedly age and skill disparities between the 2, saying that Pacquiao has picked an easy foe out of Mosley.
‘Mosley more difficult than Margarito’
For his upcoming fight, the Sarangani congressman said he will not underestimate Mosley, a 5-time champion. He even compared the American boxer to his most recent foe, Margarito, who he admitted to be one of the strongest boxers he had faced.
“[M]as mahirap sa aking pananaw ang laban na ito dahil may taglay na bilis at talino sa ring si Shane (In my opinion, Shane is a more difficult foe than Margarito. Mosley has the speed and he definitely knows his way in the ring),” he said.
“At dahil nakataya pa rin ang aking pagiging No. 1 pound-for-pound, sigurado akong maghahanda ng lubusan ang sinumang makakalaban ko para pabaksakin ako sa trono (I will train hard because my current No. 1 pound-for-pound title is at stake here),” he added.
Pacquiao also defended Mosley’s worthiness as an opponent, saying he had betted on the American boxer against a younger Margarito in 2009. In the event, Mosley toppled the Mexican via technical knockout (TKO) in the 9th round.
“Noong nagkaharap si Margarito at Mosley, marami ang tumawa sa akin nang sabihin kong kayang tatalunin ni Mosley si Margarito. Si Mosley ang pinili ko at ako ang nanalo at tumatawa sa huli (I had the last laugh when I picked Mosley over Margarito when they fought each other back then),” he said.
“Now I say, Shane Mosley is still very much more dangerous,” he added.
Before his May 7 fight, Pacquiao is reported to train in Baguio City, a spot once labeled by mentor Freddie Roach as the “worst training camp.”
Meanwhile, apart from the match, the congressman said he is gearing up for his several projects in his district including building a public hospital.
