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A Prayer For Manny By Atty. Dan Neri Lim PhilBoxing.com Sun, 07 Dec 2008 Today, I make my personal and official appeal for our people to unite in praying for the pride of the Philippines, our very own Manny Pacquiao. In a few hours, he will fight the biggest fight of his career against Oscar ?Golden Boy? de la Hoya. He fights a worthy opponent, a dangerous one if I may add. De la Hoya is a superstar in his own right, one of the most successful fighters of all time. Indeed, a ?golden boy? who is more than a match to Manny as far as many experts are concerned. To many people, what comes to mind is the money that Manny stands to receive in this fight. To say it should not be part of the equation is to like denying that people go to Las Vegas to gamble. And yet, there is more to money in this fight. First of all, Manny has become a symbol not just of our nation but more importantly a symbol of hope in a country where there is little hope left. He was born to impoverished parents and naturally was deprived of education which could have been his way out of his poverty. And yet, Manny refused to take no for an answer and set out in search of his destiny the only way he knew how. He let his fists do the talking. As the tired clich? goes, the rest is history. Manny?s victory is not only his personal victory. It is not only a triumph of a nation. It will also be a triumph for persistence in the face of adversity, of hope in the face of insurmountable odds, of faith even when there is little reason to do so. Manny knows how to make it again. He had faced far more daunting challenges in the past. He has been there. He knows how to do it. He will come out of it in the manner that we expect him to be: triumphant and great. Many experts say Manny has met his match in de la Hoya. De la Hoya?s size and weight advantage make it easy to believe that. De la Hoya?s experience in fighting in heavier divisions makes it even easier to believe that. And yet, fights are not always won on size and weight. They are not always won experience. In boxing as in life, there are intangibles, factors that cannot be measured by human instruments. This is one of those fights. As a Filipino, as a close friend, as a fan, and as a believer in hope, I know Manny will make it. There is no doubt in my mind that Manny?s hands will be raised after they have done their part. Nevertheless, I urged every Filipino to utter a brief prayer for Manny. Let us pray that both Manny and de la Hoya will not suffer serious injuries in this fight. Whatever happens, Manny?s place in Philippine history is secure. He will always be remembered for raising the hopes of our people in a time such as this. Winning this fight is merely icing on the cake. Mabuhay ka Manny! Click here to view a list of other articles written by Atty. Dan Neri Lim. |
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