The ethical question would persist. Were we disappointed Brian did not beat his opponent to a pulp? Is boxing any way for modern man to make a living? The idea is to hurt and hurt so badly enough to make the foe sleep, at times, permanently.
Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria, from the Ilocos and Honolulu, was quoted to have said that it would be over in four rounds. If he did say that, well, the hype just did not work. He has no one to blame if most of us felt underwhelmed in the end.
His foe from Tabasco, Mejico, Jose Antonio ‘EI Jaguar’ Aguirre, had too much heart and savvy to keel over and die. Indeed, to the end, he did not back down. He absorbed a lot of punishment. At times, he would sting our hero who looked timorous, over-cautious and tentative. The challenger was tough and earned the respect of everyone.
But, a win is a win. It was convincing enough. Brian did rearrange his foe’s face in a manner that Dr. Vicky Belo would not endorse. The ethical question would persist. Were we disappointed Brian did not beat his opponent to a pulp? Is boxing any way for modern man to make a living? The idea is to hurt and hurt so badly enough to make the foe sleep, at times, permanently. The more bloodied Aguirre could have been, the more our people would cheer. There is truly something wrong in the picture when we rave at the sight of blood of a fellow human being made to flow by another human being.
But, this time, at least, no politics intruded into the Picture, mirabile dict!l Maybe Brian’s celebrity is not good enough for politicos to exploit. Not yet anyway. I don’t know of any long-distance calls or plans for a motorcade. Brian is Fil-Am but Sounds like a pure-breed Kano when speaking he should learn to speak in Ilocano and/or Tagalog, or Cebuano, for that matter.
Manny Pacquiao is not as articulate but he keeps improving his command of English all the time. Way to go. But, he was prudent enough to annotate the bout in Tagalog, the language most of us understand even while we lament the deteriorating command we have of English. He called the outcome virtually on the nose.
One of these days Manny may yet acknowledge the help given him by President Erap long before he rose to fame. But, like bosom friend FPJ, Erap went around helping, unadvertised, by and large, when Rod Nazario was very much in the picture. It was not as if only Mike Arroyo, Lito Atienza and Boss Danding have helped Manny rise. But, this may not be a politically correct time.
Can you imagine Manny and Rod, just like in the old days, visiting Erap in Tanay the way Manny Villar and Cardinal Vidal did.
But, the bottom line is, Brian, like Manny, won fair and square. Congrats, Brian, and next time be more like Manny.
Go out and keep smokin’, even if we remain conflicted about the manly art of modified murder.
Tito Guingona just did of late?
I was pleased to read in the Inquirer Magazine last Sunday about Ric Tierro giving Ernie Baron a break in his younger days. How well I remember the Ric Tierro of baseball and broadcasting fame, when the voice alone of the sportscaster was so pleasing. That was one of the joys of my stay in the United States, listening to the major league broadcasters on radio. Cool.
And there was Willie Hernandez hereabouts long, long ago. Today, we may now be a terminal society in decay. A million of us left last year, contributing to inward remittances.
A win is a win? Not all the time. But, as the Leo Durochers or Vince Lombardis would say, show me a good loser and you show me a loser. Hence, our culture of lying, cheating and stealing, anything it takes to win.
But, the bottom line is, Brian, like Manny, won fair and square. Congrats, Brian, and next time be more like Manny.
Go out and keep smokin’, even if we remain conflicted about the manly art of modified murder.
