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Philippines, 20 Apr 2024 |
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Manny Pacquiao is the Greatest Asian Boxer According to Japanese Sports Journalist By Teodoro Medina Reynoso PhilBoxing.com Wed, 25 Aug 2021  After more than three decades, Manny Pacquiao is at another, and perhaps the last crucial crossroads of his now epic career as a professional Boxer. In the aftermath of his recent defeat to Yordenis Ugas in a gallant but losing attempt to regain his WBA world welterweight super title, calls are being aired mostly for his retirement from the sport. There have been a few urging for him to continue for even just one bout, a rematch with Ugas. Whatever course the fighting Senator takes in the coming days, for Japanese roving sports journalist Soichi Hayashi, Manny Pacquiao is definitely the greatest Asian Boxer ever. Mr Hayashi, who said he was even at the T Mobile Arena to cover and witness the Pacquiao-Ugas fight, emailed this writer to say that despite meeting and defeating just one Japanese fighter in his storied career--flyweight Shin Terao whom he knocked out early in his heydays--Japanese boxing fans only have deep respects and admiration for the fighting pride of Sarangani. Hayashi said: "In my opinion, Pacquiao is the man, the great champion. During his early career in the USA, Bob Arum was not paying attention to him. Arum scheduled tough opponents, no tune up fights. But Pacman beat anybody, and continued to win. Oscar De La hoya was protected by Arum, and fought easy opponents sometimes. Pacman always proved his ability. That's the key. Asians face discrimination in the US (but) Pacquiao accomplished himself in the ring and showed huge impact in the US society." Indeed, no other Asian in any sports, have transcended the game and affected the lives of people almost everywhere like Manny. Japan and the Philippines are the fiercest rivals in boxing. Despite being antedated by the Philippines in producing the region's first world boxing champions (Pancho Villa, Ceferino Garcia, Small Montana and Little Dado), Japan in the post war became the boxing capital of Asia holding multiple boxing bouts nearly daily to this day with the exception of the pandemic caused suspension in April to June 2020. It was already after the war in 1952 that Yoshio Shirai won the world flyweight crown, becoming the first Japanese world champion. Since then, Japan has produced 84 world champions to date. Japan ranks third worldwide between countries with most boxing world champions. Meanwhile, Renato Lirio, the noted encyclopedia of boxing on the air before the pandemic, said that Pacquiao in 2004 after beating Marco Antonio Barrera, triggered the race for the first Asian to win more than two world Boxing titles. Lirio, proprietor of a travel agency with connections to Japan who started amassing facts and figures on boxing long before Pacquiao was born, said that Manny was not the only first to win three but even went on to leave behind the Japanese and other Asian oppositions, in fact the whole globe, by becoming the first and only eight division world boxing champion. That in itself makes him undoubtedly the best ever fighter Asia has produced Currently Japan has Kazuto Ioka as its first four weight division world champion who has even made it to the top ten pound for pound boxers in the world in the company of the very popular Naoya Inoue who has three division world championships under his belt. But Ioka is not seen to progress beyond his current weight class, the super flyweight which he is the WBO world champion. On the other hand, Naoya is predicted to win at least two more--- at super bantamweight and the featherweight--- before he is through with his career, marking him as the best Japanese bet to win more than four. However, Mr Hayashi is excited about the prospects of two Japanese boxing brothers, Yudai and Ginjiro Shigeoka, especially the younger Ginjiro who has been featured in the Ring Magazine as a face to watch. Mr Hayashi emailed this writer for assistance in securing for Ginjiro a suitable Filipino minimumweight opponent from a bevy of world rated Filipino fighters in the division for his tune up prior to launching a determined campaign for a world title in the division. Initially, I cited Lito Dante who previously won the OPBF crown by upset knockout of the highly regarded Tsoubasa Koura but Hayashi said Yudai has beaten Dante in 2019 before the pandemic struck. I mentioned that two Filipinos now hold world titles at the division, Vic Saludar and Rene Cuarto, WBA regular and IBF world champion, respectively. Mentioned also are ex IBF titlist Pedro Taduran and seasoned world rated fighters as Melvin Jerusalem, Ar Ar Andales, Mark Anthony Barriga, Samuel Salva, Robert Paradero, John Mark Rementizo and Clyde Azarcon. Mr Hayashi said he will inform me who the Shigeoka camp chooses from among these names as target foes for the two brothers. I told him that it would be better for them to touch base with the Philippine Games and Amusement Board or GAB chaired by its affable and hardworking hands-on Chairman Abraham Khalil Mitra on this concern. The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.  |
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