CONFUSION is slowly developing in boxing after Manny Pacquiao scored an emphatic win in his lightweight debut last weekend.
Every eager Pacman fan you will encounter any place in this world will insist Pacquiao deserves to be called a five-time champion counting his Ring Featherweight belt.
For the record, the southpaw fireball from General Santos City won the World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight crown in 1998, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight belt in 2001, the WBC super featherweight strap March of this year and most recently the WBC lightweight tiara. Four crowns from boxing organizations.
At the moment the consensus among major promoters in the United States is that there are four major organizations they consider as legit namely the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO.
These four groups in so many ways recognize each other by acceding to unification bouts among their champions in the same division.
The Ring meanwhile has their own champions and rankings and never concedes to championship bouts from any alphabet organizations for as long as these fights do not conform with their principle.
The Ring crowns a fighter their true champion if that boxer beats the paper?s defending champion. In case of a vacancy The Ring will only recognize the top two fighters, based on their rankings, as the rightful contestants to an unoccupied throne.
So simply put, it?s The Ring vs. The Rest of the World?s boxing bodies.
If you believe in The Ring, then Pacquiao is just a two-division champion after beating the magazine?s lineal featherweight ruler Barrera in 2003 and super featherweight king Juan Manuel Marquez last March.
David Diaz, Pacquiao?s latest victim, is NOT The Ring?s lightweight champion as the Chicagoan, before he got beat by the Filipino sensation, was rated #2 behind the magazine?s recognized lightweight champion Joel Casamayor.
OK, OK. You screw WBC for not sanctioning the Pacquiao-Barrera 2003 bout a title fight. But, you revere Pacquiao’s WBC 135 belt and three other alphabet crowns he previously won?
Eh?
If you chose to believe the sanctioning organizations then the Filipino champion is a four-time world champion counting his WBC flyweight, IBF superbantamweight, WBC superfeatherweight and WBC lightweight.
Guess this is just a case of simple logic, right?
*****
Pacman now ?The King?, could be ?The Great? soon
WITH a newly found potent right hand, Manny Pacquiao won?t go wrong in his bid for boxing immortality.
What? A Manny Pacquiao bidding for more when he has almost everything a fighter can dream of?
Yes Virginia! The Filipino boxing sensation had just started a new ?chapter? of his career that has few but momentous opportunities which will truly cement his greatness so great that people will continue to talk about him for as long as there are people in this world.
How is that again?
Compare Pacquiao, a true blue, or shall we say true green Boston Celtics fan, to the first comeback of Michael Jordan who after announcing his return won three more NBA titles.
The Pacman is just like His Airness minus the retirement angle of the well loved American?s basketball career.
Now on to chapter two of Manny Pacquiao, the world lightweight champion and pound-for-pound king.
Hardcore Pacman fans believe their hero is already immortal with the recent annihilation of the durable David Diaz to become Asia?s first ever four division world champion.
Clearly Pacquiao?s accomplishment is Asia?s first so it?s not quite hard to rate or understand that.
When people talk about boxing greats Muhammad Ali, Marvin Hagler, Julio Cesar Chavez et al, the simple mentioning of their names make every boxing fan pay homage.
No need to say Ali is Muslim?s first, Hagler?s America?s first or Chavez Mexico?s first.
So how can Pacquiao earn the distinction of being talked about without needing further introduction?
There is only one simple answer: Ricky Hatton.
Before the Pacquiao fought Diaz, the Filipino fireball surprisingly mentioned his plan to battle Hatton, making experts bite their lips wondering how Pacquiao can, at the very least, compete with the 140-lb celebrity.
Pacquiao, in proving that he is still a feared heavy-fisted fighter even for a debuting lightweight, gave critics the answer Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas that they are now drooling at the possibility of a Hatton-Pacquiao megamatch.
Not just because of the way Pacquiao bludgeoned Diaz with 230 blows to the head and body in a span of eight and a half rounds but with how the Filipino world champion demonstrated a much improved right hand, something his American trainer Freddie Roach had been longing to see since their trilogy with Mexican great Erik Morales.
?He was able to concentrate on developing the right hand. That right hook, that was just brilliant. That looked like the best punch in his arsenal,? said fight promoter Bob Arum in an interview with broadcaster/columnist Ed Picson in his weekly radio show.
?Fantastic!? was what revered ALA Boxing Gym creator Tony Aldeguer instantly said when asked about Pacquiao?s right hand.
Though Arum said a fight with Hatton is impossible this year as the British superstar is contractually obligated to fight American Paul Malignaggi in November, bottomline is Pacquiao has already shown a complete set of armaments to rumble competitively with the man called Hitman ?anytime, anywhere?, as the favorite phrase of the Pacman goes.
Broadcaster/columnist Ronnie Nathanielsz once said in an interview that Pacquiao?s November foe Edwin Valero will just be a piece of cake for Pacquiao. Then that would be a fitting birthday present for the Pacman who will be celebrating his 30th birthday this December.
Do we hear Pacmaniacs shouting ?Pacquiao vs. Hatton? Bring it on!
