HE STARTED out slow, missing a series of punches to the head while getting tagged in return. Manny Pacquiao did not look sharp and fiery as he yielded the opening round of his crucial match against Mexico’s Hector Velazquez.
But that’s the only weak, doubtful part of yesterday’s All-Filipino boxing fiesta in Los Angeles, California, that had the country proudly carving out a glorious 3-1-6 masterpiece on top of the ring at the world-famous Staples Center.
Pacquiao finally came to life in the third, breathed fire in the fourth, made the Sign of the Cross as he went for the kill in the fifth, before landing a big, blazing blow to the stomach close to the end of the sixth round that made the opponent’s eyes pop out.
That well-placed, well-timed bomb to the midsection took the breath out of Velazquez who next sagged into the neutral corner where he got massacred with over a dozen unanswered shots before sinking to the floor for good.
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The general contention, concurred by his handlers who changed plans on the eve of the fight by calling for an early stoppage, was that Pacquiao, who had to cram for the fight, could’ve fagged out in the finishing rounds.
Velazquez should’ve opted to stay out and waltzed in the early rounds.
He, however, came in as labeled, refusing to take a single step back as he had bragged, and thus became a willing party to a national campaign that went perfect not only for Pacquiao but for the whole Philippines as well.
Pacquiao’s sixth-round KO victory was a fitting punctuation to a nationwide boxing celebration that saw two other Filipinos, tiny Brian Viloria and bantamweight Rey Bautista, scoring monumental wins of their own.
Bautista, tagged as the next big thing in Philippine boxing, set off the fireworks by finishing off his Colombian foe, Felix Flores Murillo, in the third round.
Viloria, who prides himself in being a Filipino although now based in Hawaii, came away with a first-round devastation of Mexico’s Eric Ortiz to clinch the WBC light flyweight crown, thereby setting up Pacquiao for the third and final act of the Philippine masterpiece.
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So when was the last time something this grand and glorious ever happened for the country in international boxing?
There should’ve been dancing in the streets like when Marcos the Dictator was knocked out of Malaca?ang.
You can bet all three winners would next be hosted in Malaca?ang by the current Chief Executive who, although herself feeling triumphant, continues to ward off knockout attempts by the opposition and various sectors of the displeased society.
Everything indeed went script-perfect for the country with that 3-1-6 knockout masterpiece.
It was just too bad that the Pinoy feat came on the anniversary of the 9-11 Holocaust.
It was just too bad that the celebrated Erik Morales had to put up a tentative, lethargic stand to go out in defeat in a bout that had also been set up as a prelude to a rematch with Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, who missed a shot at immortality last March when he lost a bloody, thrilling bout to Morales, was all smiles as Zahir Raheem continued to score big in the closing rounds.
Either Morales did not train sufficiently, or he was not too convenient fighting at 135 lb.
Of course, the Morales defeat should not fully dampen the rare Philippine celebration.
Pacquiao fans could indeed blame Morales for spoiling a script that was originally written for a blockbuster rematch between the two ring warriors in Las Vegas next January.
So let them rewrite that old script.
With Pacquiao back in the mainstream, the next thing that could truly send Filipinos dancing in the streets is a revenge win over the Mexican ring icon.
Meanwhile, three cheers for the Philippines. Ready. 3-1-6!
