Last Sunday was a day of jubilation for many Filipinos. Many postponed their participation in the Sunday Mass and watched TV instead to see their idol Manny Pacquiao demolish the WBC lightweight title holder David Diaz and win his fourth boxing title via KO in the ninth round. Paeans were sung to the Filipino champion. It was said that he lifted up the spirit of the Filipino people who were struggling and suffering difficult times. President Arroyo was reported to have exclaimed, ?What a masterpiece!? when she saw Pacquiao win the match so decisively. No doubt Pacquiao had a rousing welcome when he came back yesterday. No doubt, too, that there will be more acclaims, and he will continue to be hailed a hero for a long time to come.
I have nothing against Pacquiao, the man. I even admire his boxing skills, I do not begrudge him his fantastic earnings, and I admire his generosity to the needy. But I cannot share in all this rejoicing and heap hallelujas on the boxing champion. Don?t get me wrong. I did not lose any bet in last Sunday?s match. In fact, I deliberately refrained from watching it. It is professional boxing I object to.
Professional boxing is not a sport for human beings. It is a brutal and brutalizing affair. It is inhuman. It is immoral, and should not be approved of or promoted. We should get rid of this so-called sport. It is a pity that we should glory in having a champion in a sport that debases human persons.
Why is professional boxing immoral? Here are the reasons: Primarily, in professional boxing, each boxer seeks to directly harm his opponent. The intention of each boxer is to inflict harm on the other, and if possible, to score a knockout or technical knockout. When boxers train, they prepare themselves to inflict more harm on the opponents than the opponent will inflict on them. And when they are in the ring, they are prodded by the crowd to slug it out. The picture of Diaz during the bout last Sunday and after he was knocked out was not a pretty picture of a human being. Though Manny was a gentleman enough to help pick up his fallen opponent, the fact is, it was he himself who hurt him and knocked him out, and he rejoiced in having done so. It is hardly human to rejoice in having hurt a fellow human being. I cannot see that as being in conformity with the commandment, ?Love your neighbor as yourself.?
Another reason why boxing is immoral is that it provokes the baser instincts not only of the protagonists but of the viewers. The audience wants to get its money?s or time?s worth. It cannot stand a lackadaisical boxing match. People hoot at the boxers when they do not slug it out, and roar in approval when the fighters do so. They too rejoice when they see the opponent of their man being beaten to a pulp. That is not human or humanizing either.
A third reason why pro boxing is immoral is that it is used by gamblers to promote gambling?not the petty kind but big-time gambling.
There was a time when people were entertained by watching gladiators fight to death in the arenas. Thank God, those times are past, and we would be crazy to want their return, except in the movies. But pro boxing is just a notch below gladiatorial fights. In boxing, we put two people inside a boxing ring and entertain ourselves watching them batter each other. I hope the time will come when people look back and wonder how come people of our times sought entertainment in such brutality.
This brutality exacts its price on the boxers. Not a few of them die from injuries suffered in the ring. Others are able to fight on and suffer the consequences in their later years, like Muhammad Ali, who was once dubbed ?The Greatest? but is now a pitiful sight when you see him walking.
But is the boxing skill of Manny Pacquiao not admirable? Yes, he is a swift boxer, and talented in the ring besides. But when he uses his skills and talent to bruise, beat and knock out a human being, I do not admire his action.
My attitude is similar to this. I may admire a person for his skill in shooting a gun. I will applaud him for his accuracy in hitting the bulls eye in shooting competitions and winning championships. But I will not approve his use of his shooting skill to hurt or kill opponents in gun duels.
I hope that the time will come when we recognize the immorality of professional boxing and take it off the list of legitimate sports and entertainment. For now I may be a voice in the wilderness. But the future will vindicate my stand, I hope.
