All through the past 40 years or more, we have looked up to few men if at all, in the same manner that we look up to the eminent lawyer and remarkable friend to just about everybody, Rudy Salud.
In many respects, he has been a mentor of incredible dimensions and a sportsman whose wisdom is uncanny. The lessons we learn from him grow on a daily basis because he possesses a God-given gift of seeing what many of us fail to see and others simply refuse to see. It is no exaggeration to state that, especially among the sports media, there is no single individual who is looked up to with such respect and genuine affection as Salud and when the man speaks, people listen intently.
To us, the most touching aspect of Salud is his love for country. He has the capacity to appreciate the achievements of every individual and the value of each event in terms of its inherent benefit to our country and people. He never puts people down. Indeed, even among the worst of men, he sees the best in them and we have, because of his own example and his constant and consistent advice, been able to see people in a new and far better light than initially and can look at men and events with a substantially balanced perspective.
There are some respected friends who have, in a sense, committed themselves to seeing nothing but perceived wrongdoing in the actuations of international promoter Murad Muhammad and Manny Pacquiao?s business manager Rod Nazario without knowing the facts and realizing what the business of boxing is all about, how difficult it is to accomplish things in the fiercely competitive arena of the United States and appreciating what these men have been able to do for Pacquiao in recent years.
There is also a coterie of whisperers who constantly try to poison the mind of Pacquiao hoping they could somehow step in and get a share of the action. It simply doesn?t work that way and the sooner they realize it, the better for all concerned, especially Pacquiao.
In a real sense, Salud has brought the wisdom of his years and the value of his friendship to bear on those who may look at Muhammad and Nazario, Pacquiao himself and the upcoming Dec. 11 fight titled ?Yanig sa Taguig? in a negative light.
Salud?s regard for Muhammad goes back to the time he managed former world super flyweight champion Gerry Pe?alosa. Pe?alosa was contracted to fight Ramon Hurtado over 10 rounds in Biloxi, Mississippi for $10,000. Right after the fight, he was handed an envelope containing Pe?alosa?s purse, by Muhammad who was the promoter and who was, at that time, handling Roy Jones Jr.
When Salud returned to his room with his lawyer-son Chito Salud and counted the money, lo and behold, there was $25,000. Salud sought out Muhammad and the following morning went to his suite and told the promoter that he had overpaid him and was returning the excess $15,000. To his surprise, Muhammad told Salud the extra $15,000 was a ?bonus? for Pe?alosa?s excellent performance in the ring. At the same time, he embraced Salud and told him: ?You are an honorable man, my friend.?
Looking back at that incident, we see honor, respect and appreciation on both sides and that is what sets boxing apart and makes it the sport that it is. Warriors in the ring respect each other and the men who handle the business aspect of fighters, act with a sense of decency and integrity. It doesn?t always happen for sure, but it?s supposed to. In a way, this places some pressure, if not responsibility, on those of us in media to listen to the words of wisdom of consummate gentlemen like Salud and to learn from him.
We have maintained that in a tune-up fight prior to his Feb. 27 rematch with the dangerous World Boxing Association/International Boxing Federation featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao needs a good workout to remove whatever ring rust there is from his seven-month layoff. But he doesn?t need to battle an opponent who has a good chance of giving him a real hard time or even beating him, because that would ruin everything.
Fahsang 3K Battery has, no matter how you denigrate his over 20 Filipino victims, never been knocked out and just like Pacquiao when he devastated Lelohono Ledwaba to win the IBF title against all odds, is hoping he could do the same thing. Because Muhammad and Nazario haven?t picked a certified tough opponent, the fight against Fahsang is being branded by some critics as a mismatch.
But Salud brings good-sense to bear, saying that if Pacquiao doesn?t fight Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera or Erik Morales, it would be a mismatch on paper or even after the fight because Pacquiao is a ?super Filipino athlete.? Salud adds, ?it?s not because the opponent lacks the credentials or he is not capable. It?s because we have a Manny Pacquiao who is a super athlete. We should be proud about that. I am proud of Manny because he has brought honor and glory to our country and everybody should support Pacquiao and be proud of him. As for the fight against Fahsang 3K Battery, I am elated that it is being staged in our country.?
To those who assail Muhammad and Nazario for the $300,000 or P17 million purse, it would be worth remembering that if it?s a so-called mismatch, as they claim, then Pacquiao is being grossly overpaid. If the purse is too small, then Fahsang can?t be a patsy. You simply cannot have it both ways!
