MANILA, Philippines – Pinoy?s pride, Manny Pacquiao, took to the ring once again Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Up against Shane Mosley, a fighter who has been knocked down only twice in his career, Pacquiao kept his WBO Welterweight Champion title, knocking Mosley down one more time and getting a unanimous decision.
Despite some of the ?boos? that occurred in the 12,000-strong crowd due to the lack of excitement as Mosley seemingly failed to aggressively engage with the Filipino, there was certainly a world-wide audience cheering Pacquiao on.
Singaporean, Wang Chung, tweeted his astonishment: ?Manny Pacquiao is a Superman. He escaped a car accident unhurt and knocked down Shane Mosley so effortless.?
From Thailand, former US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney hailed Pacman an ?unbeatable champ!?
And in America, admiration for Manny occurred in the most high-profile way, with socialite Paris Hilton declaring that she is very excited about an impending visit to the Philippines, and that she plans to visit Manny and his wife Jinkee whilst there.
Watching the fight in a public space on Sunday, I was surrounded by a truly international audience. Americans, South Africans, Australians, Irish and English all gathered around the TV, all unanimously supporting Team Pacquiao.
As Manny slammed Mosley with a left hook in the third round, a plethora of accents shouted his name in celebration and admiration. It seems that the sense of pride here for Manny is undeniably infectious, and as a foreigner, I felt lucky to be able to share in the excitement and the feeling of unity that a Pacquiao victory manufactures, no matter how ?lopsided? that victory may be.
As the traffic around Metro Manila slowed in preparation for the fight, in Las Vegas, Manny was returning from Mass to the MGM Arena when his vehicle was hit from behind by one of his own security vans. Luckily only shaken up, the incident did not stop the boxer from keeping his title from the American on his home turf.
After being forced to drop out of high school due to extreme poverty, the plight of his poverty-ridden countrymen is a matter very close to his heart.
Yesterday, he donned bright yellow boxing gloves in a stand against poverty, and one that undoubtedly everybody watching the fight would have noticed.
Manny wanted to express that fighting poverty is the biggest fight of his life. Pacquiao encouraged fans watching the match to also wear the color yellow to express their unity with the Philippines in the fight against poverty.
Pacquiao has partnered with the Gawad Kalinga Foundation, a group which focuses on building houses for the poor. As the world?s highest paid sportsman, there are high hopes that his actions will spark a powerful stand against global poverty.
Not many mothers have to deal with the prospect of their sons engaging in an international boxing match on Mother?s Day but Pacquiao?s own mother had to. Dionisia attended a mass where she prayed for the success and well-being of her son. At 32 years of age, she wants him to retire as she cannot stand seeing him hit in the ring.
With her birthday approaching, Mommy Dionisia is preparing for a celebratory party in the boxing gym which Manny had built in the city of his childhood, General Santos. Hopefully, there she will receive the Hermes bag she wished for as a present from her son.
With the champion scheduled to return to his homeland on the 14th of May, there is hope that the world will respond to his call for the end of poverty, and that everyone here in the Philippines may face a slightly brighter future all because of the national hero, Manny Pacquiao.
