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Pacman: Epitome of a selfless warrior? By Aquiles Z. Zonio PhilBoxing.com Sun, 18 May 2014  EVEN amidst indescribable pain and fatigue shortly after the fight, boxing icon Manny Pacquiao unveiled what kind of stuff he?s made of ? selfless. Despite a deep cut on his left eyebrow, Pacquiao was unmindful of himself and his suffering, instead, he was concerned about how his adoring fans felt after watching the fight. This writer confirmed this ? firsthand - when Pacquiao showed up after the routine post-fight medical check-up inside his dressing room at the MGM Grand Garden arena. I was the lone journalist allowed inside his dressing room by the Team Pacquiao. Wearing only a bath towel wrapped around his waist, he was heading towards the shower when he saw me. He smiled and tapped my shoulder, saying ?Did you enjoy the fight? I hope, you?re happy with my performance tonight. I failed to knock him out as he shifted to a survival mode after my 10-punch combo.? His words tugged at the heartstrings. How great this man is! Humble, fearless and selfless ? an enviable hallmarks of a legendary fighter. Wounded and tired from absorbing violent blows inflicted by an equally tough ring gladiator, he owed no one an iota of explanation. Cultural phenomenon? Pacquiao?s charisma has transcended the realm of boxing. He has truly become a cultural phenomenon whose appeal crosses over geographical and racial boundaries. Fans all over the world adore him primarily because of his pleasing and exciting fighting style. But there?s more to Manny Pacquiao than his being an exciting prize fighter. Derik Howard, 10, an avid Pacquiao fan, put it curtly saying ?He?s an epitome of a great boxer.? Derik, along with his mom and two younger brothers, traveled all the way from Boston just to meet Pacquiao at the Wild Card Boxing Gym. Before starting his afternoon training session, the Pinoy ring icon posed with Derik, Devin (9) and Donovan (6) for photo souvenirs. 
?He has an amazing speed and power. But what I like most about him is he?s nice, humble and accommodating,? Derik said. Ordinary fans and celebrities come in droves just to meet or catch a glimpse of Pacquiao either at the Wild Card Boxing Gym during afternoon training session or at the Griffith Park during early morning uphill run. Sean Amanzadeh, 16, and his dad traveled for about five hours from, Miami, Florida just to personally meet Pacquiao. Amanzadeh, an Iranian national, claimed that meeting Pacquiao face-to-face had been his fondest wish. But, he thought, it was next to impossible, first; due to financial constraint, and second; due to lack of idea how to make it happen. Finally on April 5, through the help of Make-A-Wish Foundation, Sean got the chance to meet his ring idol. Touching lives? Wherever he goes, his constant reminder to the members of Team Pacquiao is ?Never ever offend, turn down or shoo away any of my fans. Without them I would not be where I am today.? He loves being swarmed by a horde of fans. ?We are nothing but a mere caricature. Everything ? glamor, fame, success and even life, itself ? is just ephemeral. My mother taught me to remain humble,? Pacquiao said. 
No wonder despite his hectic training schedule, he makes sure he has time to sign autographs and grant requests for photo ops by the fans. Luchie King-Daso, a Pinay cancer survivor from Riverside, California, was profuse with thanks when her birthday wish was granted by the Pinoy boxing legend. It was her first time to meet Pacquiao up-close. ?Seeing Manny Pacquiao in person had been my fondest dream. This is my happiest birthday ever,? an overjoyed breast cancer survivor said. Luchie, accompanied by her husband and three other kin, arrived at Pacquiao residence late afternoon on April 1. Pacquiao was still training at the Wild Card Gym then. He went home past 6:00 p.m. then took a light meal before entertaining his fans and visitors. Pacman, upon learning of the cancer survivor?s wish, never wasted a moment. He called up Luchie and her group, spent a little time bantering with them then signed the boxing gloves they brought along as souvenirs. 
Before bidding goodbye, Pacman placed his hands on top of Luchie?s head to pray her over. Luchie vowed not to take a bath for three days, believing that Pacquiao could rub his Divine gift and healing ability off her. ?Pacquiao is gifted. And I do believe on the power and miracle of a prayer,? Luchie said. Both in the Philippines and US, Pacman is known for being a one-man social welfare agency. Unlike several of his fellow lawmakers who got embroiled in the controversial pork barrel scam, Pacquiao, in his impoverished district in Sarangani, is feeding the hungry and giving land to the landless using his own money. In Los Angeles, he provides a living to the so-called ?LA Boys,? a coterie of jobless Filipino immigrants who left their home country hoping, yet failed, to find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They are like phantoms of the Pinoy boxing icon in LA. They follow him wherever he goes. Pacquiao justifies his generosity by quoting Luke 12:33, which says ?Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.? ?We don?t always get the chance to help others and I thank God for giving me the opportunity. Our mother inculcated in us the value of sharing the blessings to others,? Pacquiao said. Noblest victory? Pacquiao grew up in Barangay (village) Labangal, a crowded community here, where he used to sell donuts and other foodstuffs to help his mother provide the basic needs of the family. It was there where his mental and physical toughness, including his fighting instinct, was first honed by the harsh environment. In the early part of his life, he figured in several street fights against much bigger kids who bullied him and his younger brother Bobby while vending foodstuffs in the neighborhood. Much had been said and written about how he rose above poverty and emerged as the world?s lone eight-division boxing champion. His life on top, as in the past, remains replete with trials and challenges. 
In the end, however, he showed to us his heroism by conquering his own self. After his third fight with Marquez, he went home a different man. Pacquiao?s profound love for God, Country and his family prompted him to change. He started holding daily prayer meeting with his family, friends and supporters inside his mansion. He stopped squandering his boxing earnings to late nights gambling, womanizing, cockfighting and drinking spree. Those who are truly concerned about his future and career rejoiced and I was one of them. He proves to all and sundry that he?s a fearless warrior both inside and outside the ring. ?For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories,? Pacman stressed quoting Plato, a famous Greek Philosopher. In one of his sermons during a Bible sharing in his hotel room in Las Vegas, he said that with his newfound faith he?s no longer worried about the future. ?As long as God is with me, I?m no longer scared of going back to the life of oblivion. I want to make sure I?m prepared anytime to face my Creator,? he said. Beholding history unfurl? It never came across even in my wildest dream that I would be part of the unfolding history featuring Manny Pacquiao. It was in December last year during the height of his tax woes when he personally extended the invitation to cover the final stage of his training in the US. A man like him comes just once in a lifetime. He is the only fighter in the history of boxing who earned titles in eight different weight classes. He is the only boxer in history who becomes a member of a national legislature. Who am I to decline such a rare chance to rendezvous with history? The trip gave me a chance to know him much better. It made me appreciate his sacrifices and travails as a boxer. I have never seen an athlete who trains as hard as him. I have never seen an athlete with such mind-boggling tolerance to pain. Never did I hear him grumbling even in the throes of intense training. I saw him grimacing in pain, sometimes, while doing the excruciating abdominal exercises. Most of the time, however, he was a portrait of a man in high spirits. Hall of Fame coach and trainer Freddie Roach described the last training camp ?The happiest ever.? Compared to the previous training camps, there were less distractions and he managed to keep the temptations at bay. Thanks to pastors Keno Natividad and Antonio Torres whose presence provided him invaluable spiritual depth and succor. Some viewed Keno and Tony as mere nuisance but their presence was a desideratum in helping protect Pacman from evils lurking around him. His daily training routine included a four-mile uphill run in the morning followed by more than a thousand abdominals. Afternoon session was doubly hard and intense. It featured several rounds of shadow boxing; sparring or punch mitts; hitting the heavy bag, speed bag and double-end bag; then capped again by more than a thousand abdominals. He always ended his training session with a short prayer. Foreseeing defeat? His stunning 6th-round knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012 didn?t come as a surprise. ?I dreamed of my impending defeat. But I didn?t figure out the exact meaning of that dream until I got knocked out,? he said. According to him, a week before his fourth encounter with Marquez, he dreamed of a horseman who fell off a deep ravine while traveling with his favorite stallion. He revealed that the man and his horse landed flat on the ground. After several seconds, however, the man and his horse got up then sped away to continue the journey. ?I felt sad that I failed the expectation of my fans during that time. But I was confident of bouncing back from defeat because of what I saw in my dream,? he said. He admitted he cried inside his dressing room after the fight, ?Not because I lost rather because I let my fans down. Seeing them cried while I was on my way out simply ripped my heart apart.? Click here to view a list of other articles written by Aquiles Z. Zonio.  |
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