I knew the face and I knew the name, but it wasn’t till today that I saw Manny Pacquiao in action.
Unfortunately it wasn’t in person, but courtesy of an online video that nonetheless captured the speed, skill and agility of the 31-year-old Filipino boxer who is the first person in history to win seven world titles in seven weight divisions, from “flyweight” to “welterweight.”
In the last decade, he’s beaten such terrifying competitors as ?rik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and six-division world champion, Oscar De La Hoya. His career statistics are 51 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses.
Watching him is equally spellbinding. His weight is little over 100 pounds of muscle squeezed into a 1.69m frame, so compact that you anticipate a dancer darting around the ring as he teases his opponents into submission.
This, of course, is boxing and not ballet and, as such, what you have instead is Pacquiao pummeling away with clean, mechanical and robot-like precision. No fancy moves and no elaborate showoff stunts. Just pure, trained and harnessed hooks, left jabs and knockdowns, one after the other.
Now, the “Pac Man” has a new fight on his hands as he does battle in the political ring. Last week, he added the title of “congressman” to his increasingly heavy belt after winning by a landslide the May 10 elections for a seat in the Philippine House of Representatives.
Already, you can see the transformation.
At the swearing-in ceremony, gone were the animated scowls boxing fans are so used to, the spiked-up hair and the bloodied face. In its place was a silk, cream shirt buttoned up to the top, gelled-down hair and a face powdered and made-up for television.
Politics is of course entertainment, especially in the Philippines where the last three decades have seen larger-than-life characters dominate the national stage.
Who can forget Ferdinand Marcos when he fled into exile in Hawaii with gold bricks concealed in diaper bags? Or his replacement, Cory Aquino, whose attempts to restore democracy was plagued by inexperience and media reports of her daughter’s private life?
The irony is that the same election that saw Pacquiao’s entry into congress also saw the return of Marcos’ shoe-loving widow, Imelda, as well as the election to the presidency of Aquino’s son and political heir, Noynoy.
I have no doubt that Pacquiao will thrive during his three-year term, propped up by the popular hero status that sealed his candidacy in the first place and consolidated by the smart decision not to give up his boxing career entirely.
As long as he keeps winning bout after bout and keeps being seen with world figures like former US President Bill Clinton who visited him at his house before the election, he will secure the power base necessary to succeed in a country where perceived popularity is almost as important as popularity it-self.
Meanwhile, his pledge to use his profile to help his home district of Sarangani prosper may sound slightly na?ve, yet, when you hear him say it, sounds en-dearingly sincere.
Pacquiao is not the first boxer to turn politician. Two years ago, Alexis Arguello hung up his gloves when he was voted in as mayor of Managua, the Nicaraguan capital. But, in the English-speaking world, the transformation from sportsman to politician is almost unheard of.
The Philippines is unique in that political success stories are as much rags-to-riches fairytales as they are well established dynasties where power is handed down from one generation to the other.
After all, the essence of Pacquiao’s appeal is that he defied his modest upbringing, living for a time in a cardboard box and selling iced water from a street stall, to be confirmed by Forbes magazine as the world’s sixth highest paid athlete. At 31, my guess is that the grit and grind that has brought him this far will propel him even further to a shot at the presidency maybe within a decade.
Finally, if he jabs at his opponents in congress, as well as he did those inside the ring, Pacquiao will continue to inspire millions of children who are first hand witnesses to his journey of fortune and fame, to crown its next king.
It’s the stuff of dreams.
And he’s busy living it.
The author is a CCTV News presenter and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador. viewpoint@ globaltimes.com.cn
