Former United States President Bill Clinton personally made an effort to wish him luck. WWE Superstar Batista is carrying one of his belts and escorting him to the ring for his ring entrance. Batman and Sabretooth (Batman star Christian Bale and Liev Schreiber, who plays Wolverine’s arch-enemy Sabretooth in the movie Wolverine: Origins) are rooting for him to win his fight. The defending NBA Champion Boston Celtics, led by Kevin Garnett, are his self-proclaimed biggest fans. Every time he lands a punchs, recording superstar Usher screams like the same teenage girls who watch him live in concert. MMA’s best fighter, Anderson “Spider” Silva, came all the way to LA to train with him. Oh, not to mention, he has demolished just about every Hall-of-Fame boxer that ever stood in his way. If Manny Pacquiao isn’t the face of boxing yet, then what more proof do his skeptics really need?
I guess, for one, Pacquiao can further silence his critics by defeating Ricky Hatton tonight in their mega-fight dubbed “The Battle of East vs. West.”
Whether you agree or not, the little man from Manila, Philippines is nothing short of a phenomenon. His exploits are the stuff of legend. You can call it LeBron, D-Wade, Chauncey Billups and even the Bulls-Celtics series altogether. At this time of the year, that’s what the Pacquiao hysteria is all about. As the NBA Playoffs slogan says, “It’s Amazing!”
During these times, Manny Pacquiao is not only the face of boxing, but he’s also the poster boy of the American Dream. To try and grasp the lengths of his accomplishments is a feat that only those who have followed his steps from day one could somehow comprehend. I, for one, am one of them.
I can’t believe that the first time I saw this little kid more than ten years ago in Mandaluyong City fighting in a local boxing card, he’d reach heights this high. He was definitely a crowd-pleasing and talented boxer, but to be the world’s number one pound-for-pound fighter and compared to Ali’s popularity?get out of here! Even Mike Tyson wanted to help him out during his training camp. If you told me these things back then, I would have straight up told you to lay off whatever you were smoking.
I guess that’s why Pacquiao’s mystique is so extraordinary. Even Hollywood writers would get the boot for writing such an unbelievable story. Pacquiao’s exploits make Rocky seem ordinary. We’re talking about a kid who started his career having to carry steel in his pockets during weigh-ins just to make the minimum weight to fight. That same kid became the sport’s biggest superstar. I know we always hear stories about fighters using boxing as their tool out of poverty, but Manny’s is on a totally different level. And yet, despite accomplishing so much and making even more financially, he still has that same genuine smile and humility he displayed the first time any one of us saw him.
Pacquiao may very well have saved the sport of boxing. Imagine what the sport would be now without him? Oscar De la Hoya?gone! The Heavyweight division…well, it’s just sad. Love him or hate him, Pacquiao has resuscitated a sport that’s struggling due to the economy and competition from mixed martial arts.
The challenge now is to stay on top. And today, May 2nd, Pacquiao aims to do just that as he tries to win his 6th division title against Manchester’s Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton. Can the Pac Man do it once again? Bet your bottom dollar he sure as hell can, but we’ll see whether he really does or whether May 2 will be the day his doubters finally celebrate. One thing’s for sure though, I am just glad to be able to witness the face of boxing step up in the ring once again to show the world why he indeed is considered the best.
