?Hide the women and the children.?
That?s what HBO TV analyst Larry Merchant said at the sound of the opening bell when Manny Pacquiao faced Oscar De la Hoya last December.
Indeed, Pacquiao fights are not intended for the weak hearted. The Philippine Inquirer back in December 2008 reported three deaths related to heart conditions from watching Pacquiao demolish Oscar De la Hoya. I don?t want to dwell too much on the deaths as incidents like those are sad indeed. I extend my condolences to everyone affected by the said unfortunate circumstances. With that said, let this serve as a warning: Manny Pacquiao fights do generate such excitement and intensity that can have even the healthiest men gasping for breath. Trust me, I know. And if you don?t believe me just watch a replay of Manny Pacquiao?s most recent KO over Ricky Hatton and watch Max Payne (Mark Wahlberg) lose his mind screaming like a little girl while jumping up and down after he witnessed the sensation Pacquiao one-punch knockout of Hatton in the second round. (click here for the Wahlberg link)
The intensity generated by Pacquiao?s fists is also mirrored by his overzealous and die-hard fans. And when it comes to internet fan forums, it doesn?t get any more rabid than Manny Pacquiao?s fan site called PACLAND. If you?re not prepared to be called a ?nuthugger? or a ?hater?, I advise you not to tread in these waters. Because they will definitely jump at you for the slightest subjective opinion you decide to share. Writers and columnists that manage to have their articles posted on PACLANDS?s news ticker have been subjected to verbal murder and tirades for writing anything that may trigger the wrath of PACLANDERS. On the flip side (pardon the pun) however, they also shower you with compliments if they agree with what you have to say. Personally I?ve been called a ?genius writer? and an ?idiot balls sniffer? as well as a ?Pacquiao-hater? and ?Pacnut? all in the same article. But just like what my fellow boxing writer Brad Cooney told me, you just have to take everything with a grain of salt and just be honest with what you write. And as far as I?m concerned, I?ve never short-changed any of my readers when it came to the honestly and sincerity of my articles. Love it or hate it, I’ll tell it how I see it. I was more than happy when I started writing with just an audience of 2-3 people, so 10,000 people calling me a “hugger” wouldn’t bother me the least bit because people won’t be hating on you if you haven’t done anything good.
So I stumbled upon an article by highly respected and accomplished Phillipine-based writer Ronnie Nathanielsz today that BoxingScene.com published last week. In the article, Nathanielsz was defending Rey ?Boom-Boom? Bautista who have been on a slump since his KO loss to Daniel Ponce De Leon in 2007 and was critical about a Filipino boxing forum and it?s administrators saying,
?What truly amazes and saddens us is that a boxing website whose mission must surely be to grow the sport, encourage our boxers, appreciate the burdens of these young fighters go through the sacrifices they make and allow only objective, fair, analytical comments by individuals who know whereof they speak, tolerates men who have no respect for our Filipino fighters and only gather around to share in the reflected glory of winners and damn those who lose with a vengeance.?
Talk about writing with a vengeance. I guess Nathanielsz did not appreciate forum posters who called ?Boom Boom? a ?bum bum?. As much as I can empathize with Mr. Nathanielsz and I say this with all due respect and admiration for his concern over boxers (I do not want to single-out Filipino boxers as I have equal respect for any athlete from anywhere that devotes himself to the pursuit of excellence) and the efforts they have put in, I must say that I respectfully disagree with his statement. Martial Law was buried in the 70?s and Freedom of Speech is in like a black man residing in The White House as the US president.
I agree that some posters on these websites can go out of line sometimes but that?s how it is in real life anyway. You can?t take 10% of something and categorize the whole based on a minority. There? a lot of intellect hidden underneath the brash exteriors of these threads. Real recognize real and at the end of the day, an obnoxious poster will get dismissed by the majority of rational thinkers that also abound in such forums if they truly do not make sense.
So what if a few people call this or that boxer a bum? It happens all the time. It is after all the fans that fuel the sport and in a sport as brutal as boxing, sensitive types will not last long anyway. I’ve been called a dumb idiot before, but so what? If you are confident of yourself, why would insults make you lose any sleep? If Boom Boom can’t handle criticism and negative words like those will dishearten him like Nathanielsz implies, then he has no business being a fighter. Just like how Pacquiao brushes off negative comments by other boxers about him; so what right? So call me a dummy or an idiot all you want, see if it bothers me. I’ll even thank you for the hits. Live and let live my friends, when all is said and done, your actions will do the talking.
And if it?s not your cup of tea, there are plenty of other web sites and forums that implement stricter guidelines that you can opt to go to. That is the beauty of the ?Freedom of Choice? and I say this because I can- thanks to my ?Freedom of Speech?.
