PEOPLE, especially our grizzled pundits that I love to be with mostly all these years (Rene Jose of RMN 558 is one of them of course), have started comparing Manny Pacquiao with Gabriel “Flash” Elorde. Pancho Villa, too.
I have seen glimpses of Elorde, the poor, shoeshine kid from Bogo, Cebu, who became world junior champion (130 lb) in 1960. Alas, not Villa, the flyweight dreamer from Iloilo, who became world flyweight champion (112 lb) long before World War II broke out.
The few film clips I saw about Elorde, umm, he was good.
The loads of stories I heard about Villa, umm, he was good, too.
Elorde reigned for nearly a decade as the world junior lightweight champion — from 1960 to 1967. That’s not to be sneezed at. Boxing is so cruel a sport that for one to be The Top, the Numero Uno, that long is something you salute till eternity.
Villa took America by storm near the era of the so-called Roaring Twenties. His name was Francisco Guilledo, a spunky kid out of Iloilo, who was re-christened Pancho Villa because of his big punch, big heart and big dreams.
Villa became America’s darling because of his speed and power. He was on his way to full stardom when tragedy struck him in the so-called land of milk and honey: he died after fighting a guy named Jimmy McLarnin in California.
No, not because he got knocked out by McLarnin.
No, not because he was beaten black and blue by McLarnin in their 10-round fight that saw Villa lose on points in a non-title, overweight bout. Villa was the world champion then in the 112-lb division. Unfortunately, due to loose rules or something, he was ordered to fight an overweight McLarnin, who climbed the ring a bloated 120 lb. According to my buddy Ed Picson of the Bulletin and dzSR, McLarnin would proceed to become the world welterweight (147 lbs) champion.
Tragically, Villa died just days after that loss to McLarnin because of blood poisoning due to an infection. An abscessed tooth prior to the fight was the culprit. Villa ignored doctor’s advice not to fight McLarnin. That cost him his life. With Villa’s death, his throne was declared vacant.
While Elorde was composed, reserved and quiet as a cemetery, Villa was flamboyant, gaudy and loud as a rock concert.
Pacquiao would as much resemble Villa, both in fighting style and lifestyle.
Villa, when he came home from a big fight in America, would demand a ticker tape parade around Manila on board the most expensive, flashy car — dressed gaudily like a certified ramp model superstar.
Didn’t Pacquiao buy a Porsche Cayenne, definitely a ride fit only for the wealthy, days before he fought Erik Morales?
If that’s not being flamboyant enough, what is?
But then, give it to Pacquiao. Every hero, celebrity, deserves more than the ordinary. Extraordinariness is a first cousin of success.
Now as to who is better, if not the best, among the three atop the ring — punching power and all — I say it’s Pacquiao.
As I keep saying here, no boxer will remain standing once he gets hit by a Pacquiao punch. The good thing about Pacquiao is, whether it’s his left or his right connecting, it can send anyone to dreamland. He’s that strong in both hands and I’ve never seen any boxer in his class, Filipino or not, that can match his punching power. Not Elorde. Not Villa.
OK, some say Elorde was a classic and Villa was complete.
In classic, we mean Elorde fights almost methodically, if not scientifically, all the time. No brawl, just mostly boxing.
In complete, we mean Villa fights almost scientifically, if not methodically, all the time. All brawl, all boxing.
In the case of Pacquiao, he has yet to have the classic trait of Elorde — but he is almost there as seen in his classic 10-round destruction of Erik Morales on January 22 in Las Vegas. He was mostly Mr. Brawl, until Freddie Roach came along and taught him the rudiments of pure, unadulterated boxing tinged with body banging and crisp head-hunting. That was extremely evident in Pacquiao’s last fight seen all over the world via pay per view.
Definitely, though, the three are now our greatest boxers ever. But Pacquiao is set to become the greatest ever of the three. At 27, Pacquiao is still due for more big wins that can make him truly our finest boxer of all time.
Again, as I always love to say here, discipline would be the key. That’s the aspect in Pacquiao’s arsenal that I’m worried most as he is known to have a weakness for BBC — B as in beer, B as in billiards and C as in cockfights.
Not bad for Pacquiao to have his BBC. Let Pacquiao enjoy all three. But if he also intends to enjoy his fame and wealth — and surely he’ll gain more of those — he must handle his BBC with moderation.
Elorde had discipline and stayed seven years at the top.
Villa had no discipline, was stubborn, and paid dearly for it.
Pacquiao should learn from the two.
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