IT WOULD be interesting to find out if frustration over Manny Pacquiao?s performance in his bout against Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas last Sunday would tear the blanket of tolerance people cover over their ?Pambansang Kamao.?
Pacquiao is also congressman of Sarangani province and, despite his multi-tasking ability, logic dictates that one of the two jobs or both jobs will suffer in the end.
Being a lawmaker is no ordinary job, and so too being a boxer, especially if one is considered pound-for-pound best.
At least one boxing scribe, Scoop Malinowski of boxinginsider.com, has made the call already in his article, ?Manny Pacquiao Needs to Commit to Boxing 100% Again.?
Malinowski is author of ?Heavyweight Armageddon: The Tyson-Lewis Heavyweight Battle.?
In arguing for his case, Malinowski quoted boxer Max Schmeling from his autobiography written by George Van der Lippe:
??From the very start of my career, it was clear to me that achievement was built on discipline. Accomplishment in sports demands the commitment of one?s entire self?morally, intellectually, and spiritually.?
The article, however, was heavily tilted to boxing, but the opposite can also be true. If Pacquiao wants to serve his constituents well, then he must commit himself 100 percent to being a public servant.
But as long as Pacquiao remains a boxing idol to his constituents or showers them with projects, some of which come from his earnings in boxing, they can be tolerant of being left hanging for the three months that their congressman trains for a bout.
That could change once he begins losing fights or, as in the case last Sunday, frustrates his fans. How he prepares for his fights will be questioned and possible distractions, including being a politician, pinpointed. The dissection could make people view him differently.
Asking Pacquiao to let go of either boxing or his congressional job is easier said than done at this stage, of course. His term in Congress ends in 2013 yet, and while he is the biggest draw in boxing, he is 32 years old and has only a few fights remaining in his career. He could not give up boxing when he is on top of the heap.
Still, Pacquiao should realize that some people are beginning to question his commitment to either boxing or to his congressional job. He should work doubly hard not to frustrate his fans and his constituents. That requires extraordinary focus.
