It seems fitting that Manny Pacquiao would mention “Cinderella Man” as one of his favorite boxing movies.
“Naghirap siya, tapos lumaban siya at nagsikap na magtagumpay,” the Filipino boxing icon said as he explained what he liked about Jim Braddock, the American prizefighter whose life inspired the critically acclaimed film starring Russell Crowe.
He definitely could relate to Braddock’s real struggles, after all, Manny Pacquiao is the definitive Filipino Cinderella Man.
From selling cigarettes on the streets in Manila to earning more than $2 million this weekend in Las Vegas, Pacquiao is living a fairytale dream come true.
He will face off with Mexican ring rival Erik “El Terrible” Morales this Saturday in a rematch billed as “The Battle”. The two will compete for a 12-round WBC International super featherweight title. HBO Pay-Per-View will broadcast it from the city’s Thomas & Mack Center.
But not one to take good things that come his way in stride, Pacman, as his multitude of fans call him, pushes himself to be the best just as hard as he did back when nobody knew his name.
Last Thursday, at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles where his trainer Freddie Roach has whipped his mind and body into a lean and mean fighting machine, Pacquiao, 27, showed off to a full house of press people in his first public workout his fast jabs and lightning-quick footwork.
The crowd was sufficiently wowed.
“He’s more focused,” said correspondent Peter Palmiere of Boxing Inside TV and KOTV England. Alongside reporters from Filipino and Mexican news outlets, Palmiere is just one of many mainstream media members who has been diligently covering Pacquiao’s fight since the Filipino boxer first started showing his might against the ropes.
Palmiere added that Pacquiao’s stock rose once more when he defeated Hector Velasquez last September on the same night that Morales’ star dimmed when he was unexpectedly trounced by Zahir Raheem.
“Manny Pacquiao will win by unanimous decision. It’s going to be a very close fight, but Manny will win,” Palmiere predicted.
Because he was a heavy favorite the first time he faced (and eventually lost to) Morales, early hosannas like this may seem like d?j? vu to Pacquiao, but he wisely avoids buying into his own hype this time around, and doesn’t want to delve into any excuses why he lost the first fight.
But yes, he is happy that will be using his gloves of choice this time, and he also won’t have to worry about anything else except his opponent as his management team has promised.
Roach also made some adjustments on Pacquiao’s fighting style.
“(Pacquiao) counted on his left hand before and Morales had a good defense for that. We’re gonna be smarter this time, set it up a little better,” Roach said before adding that the biggest change that he saw was in Pacman’s much-improved mental preparation for this fight.
“Medyo nagpabaya kami noon. Pero kinorek na namin lahat ng pagkakamali namin,” he said.
The latest news about those Las Vegas oddsmakers who chose the Filipino boxer as the early favorite only to make him the underdog recently might not have a big impact on him because Pacquiao has shielded himself from those very things as evidenced by his take on oddsmakers in general.
“Hindi ko na pinapansin ngayon kung anong sinasabi ng iba. Basta ako, gagawin ko lang lahat ng makakaya ko. Nag-train talaga ako ng sobra para preparado ako,” he said.
In less than a year, Pacquiao has made a lot of professional and personal changes in his life that has greatly improved his focus, many observers have said. A lot of those modifications were public, like his management change.
But the one thing that never changed is that despite rumors to the contrary, Pacquiao remains his own boss.
Street-smart and resolute, General Santos City’s native son is described by friends as kind and generous, but also strict.
“Pag may mali kang ginawa, hindi ka n’ya papahiyain, pero pagsasabihan ka niya talaga,” his childhood friend and trainer Buboy Fernandez said when interviewed during a screening of Pacquiao’s movie last year.
At a recent interview for TV at his apartment in Los Angeles, the boxer asked his friends not to show themselves too much on camera lest people back in the Philippines misunderstand and once again talk about one of his alleged distractions – having too many friends living with him.
“Minsan isinusulat lang nila kung anong maisip nila,” Pacquiao said about some Philippine media people who report untrue things about him. “Hindi naman ako galit. Inaamin ko naman paminsan-minsan totoo ang sinasabi nila, pero minsan malayo talaga sa totoo.”
Yet, true to character, he stops short of saying anything bad about anyone.
In fact, less than a week before a big match, he has yet to indulge in trash talking, a favorite off-ring activity of a lot of boxers.
“Pareho lang kaming naghahanda ni Morales. Depende na lang kung sinong su-swertihin at pagpapalain ng Panginoon na manalo sa Sabado,” he said.
If he wins, a much-awaited rematch with WBO champion Marco Antonio Barrera whom he defeated in 2000 might materialize. If he loses, he still won’t have trouble getting other fights, his camp says. Although, Pacquiao insists that he is not thinking of anything else beyond Saturday’s fight.
At 27, Pacquiao can afford to do just that because he is in his prime and has many famous fights left in him. He promises that he will fight for as long as he can as hard as he can.
In “Cinderella Man”, Braddock said that milk was the reason why he was fighting. For himself, Pacquiao offered the literal answer. He said that he’s fighting to be able to save enough money to give his family a good future.
Although he’s not poor anymore, the boxer still fights the only way he knows how – like his and his family’s life depends on it.
“Ayokong maging boksingero ang mga anak ko. Gusto ko mag-aral sila. Mahirap ang buhay ng boksingero. Sinwerte lang ako,” he said.
Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee have two boys, 5-year-old Emmanuel Jr. and Michael Stephen, 4.
In the far future when he retires, Pacquiao said he aims to continue his businesses in the Philippines, and to one day manage boxers who might have the potential but were not getting their chances.
Being its onetime beneficiary, Pacquiao is the first to praise the life-changing power of chance.
“Kung hindi ako naging boksingero, baka palaboy lang ako ngayon sa atin,” he said. “Nagpapasalamat ako talaga sa Panginoon. Si Lord ang may gawa nito. Kaya araw-araw akong nagdadasal dahil hindi ko dapat makalimutan ‘yon.”
