MANNY PACQUIAO was already Ring Magazine?s ?People?s Featherweight Champion? but with the courage and ferocity he displayed last month against Mexico?s Erik Morales, the Filipino ring gladiator earned greater respect and more fans from around the globe.
Fighting with just one eye from the fifth round onwards after a bloody exchange with Morales, Pacquiao was even more fired up, as he mixed it up with the prince of Tijuana, Mexico, to the delight of more than 14,000 fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The scorecards in the end revealed that Pacquiao lost via a unanimous decision, but Pacquiao?s spirit remained unbowed as he graciously accepted his defeat.
?That?s the way it is. In sports, your hand won?t always be raised in triumph after every match. But I accepted my defeat because that?s how a good sport should be,? Pacquiao said shortly after making a courtesy visit to No Fear Apparel?s Philippine office in Pasig City.
The Hardcore Boxing.com writer John Chavez was all praise for Pacquiao after showing to everyone he?s a ?world-class warrior.?
?Pacquiao definitely showed his heart and soul in the fight as well and a rematch would be another one for the ages . . . Boxing is a sport that is unmatched by no other, not the Super Bowl, the World Series, or the NBA Finals can captivate an audience like Morales and Pacquiao did,? observed Chavez.
Saddoboxing.com?s Jim Cawkwell wrote: ?I will say that Pacquiao, even in losing, appeared to fight his heart out. Another fighter, upon sustaining a cut of the seriousness that Pacquiao did may have walked away; the doctor took ample time with him, but Pacquiao wanted to fight and that is not the action of someone unprepared to give his all to win.?
Pacquiao said the preparation was not easy. He had to follow a strict training regimen in Los Angeles under the guidance of the American trainer Freddie Roach, sparred for about a 160 rounds and studied Morales? moves.
?I didn?t want to lose, but losing happens. We?ll have to charge it to experience,? said the No Fear man, who is ranked by Ring Magazine as the seventh-best boxer pound-for-pound in the world today.
Consistent to the No Fear slogan ?Face Your Fears, Live Your Dreams,? Pacquiao threw everything he got in his arsenal, despite a bloodied right eyebrow. The unfortunate cut didn?t dampen the Filipino gladiator?s spirit, but all the more got him fired up to get back at Morales.
?I wasn?t discouraged when I got hit; I got mad instead. A lot of people in the arena were shouting for me to quit, but I forced myself to think that I didn?t want to quit even if I was cut,? he added.
It may have been difficult to accept defeat, but Pacquiao remains a national treasure, especially since in the hearts of 86-million Filipinos, the 26-year-old General Santos native is a winner.
Pacquiao is set to return to action in July in a scheduled fight with a still-to-be determined opponent.
?To every Filipino, Manny Pacquiao remains an inspiring hero to his people for always fighting with all his strength, courage and determination to achieve a better life for himself and his family,? the No Fear management said in a statement.
?His example shows us all that public respect and admiration are not simply gained by always being triumphant at the end of every baffle but more so by the heart with which one fights,? continued the statement.
