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Philippines, 19 May 2024 |
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FILIPINO BOXING FANS BECOMING A WORLDWIDE INFLUENCE By Ken Smith, ABA PhilBoxing.com Mon, 07 Sep 2009  All of us who are involved in Filipino boxing understand what the great fighter Manny Paquiao's incredible success has done for Filipino boxers. Everytime Manny fought the career of every Filipino fighter hung on the outcome. The rule was if Manny won then the Filipino boxing wave would get bigger. Well, Manny did win, then he won again and again, and he is still winning causing a tidal wave that Filipino boxers from all over the country have been riding for the last several years. But this year 2009 has been undisputably the year of the Filipino fighter. At no time in the great Philippine boxing history have more Filipinos been given opportunities and become world champions than today. Even during the times of legendary fighter Pancho Villa the boxing imagination of the Filipino could not have seen this coming. The great Paquiao is certainly the pied piper of filipino boxers. Where Manny has gone other Filipino fighters have now followed. The only thing as explosive as the insurgence of Filipino fighters onto the world stage is thier countrymen's support of them. All around the world, with the USA no exception, Filipino fight fans have been showing up by the busload, the plane load, the car load, to watch and cheer there kababayans to victory. It's not only in Las Vegas for Manny Paqiuao fights that these world citizens are showing up to fill up seats at boxing venues, it's everywhere when a Filipino fights home or abroad. Just last week, a boxing show featuring some hometown Filipino fighters in Polomolok just outside of PacMans hometown of General Santos, reportedly drew an estimated 6,000 fans (even a free show, regardless a very impressive draw). The influence of the Filipino boxing fans is even dictating the make up of fight cards. It is a well known fact that Filipino fighters are being sought out to fight around the US to attract these fanatical Filipino boxing fans. The latest of many examples was last Friday night in Ontario, Canada when newly crowned Filipino world boxing champion Marvin Sonsona was cheered on by what has been described as a crowd of approximately 7,000 half of whom were estimated to be Filipinos. I can tell you from being at the Pinoy power 2 in Las Vegas for Donarie vs Concepcion, the crowd was over 50% Filipino. This rabid fan base has made every promoter who puts on a fight card from California to NewYork almost required to have a Filipino fighter on the card. Boxing has always been a nationalist sport with racial competetition. This often offends middle class Americans who are threatened by racial issues. The Philippines' ascent to the top of the boxing world is a challenge to other boxing nations, and a statement that the Philippines is no longer 3rd world, but 1st in the boxing world. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ken Smith, ABA.  |
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