LAS VEGAS – After making a brief appearance at the Lure restaurant inside the Wynn Resort where a party was held in his honor, Manny Pacquiao, cordoned by a bevy of handlers, slowly weaved his way out of the bedlam.
It was 1:35 a.m., but when he curved around towards the exit, heavy human traffic stopped PacMan in his tracks. I happened to be right next to the man of the hour, and though a waist-high wall divided us, I was able to lean towards him and whispered by congratulations.
PacMan gave a warm, appreciative smile, nodding his head eagerly. But when I offered to shake the hands that just shook the entire boxing world, Manny’s face morphed quickly into a frown. He then raised both his hands and shook his head violently.
I was petrified with what I saw. Manny’s hands were awfully swollen. They were so puffy it looked like he was still wearing gloves.
Then this thought occurred to me. If Manny’s hands looked this bad, can you imagine what damage Erik Morales must be suffering from now?
You see, on the way to his smashing 10th round TKO triumph, Manny hit Erik with 195-of-795 punches. He also nailed the Mexican with 171-of-537 power punches.
Losing his clout in the super-featherweight division is the least of El Terrible’s concern in the days ahead. The Tijuana native is currently in a Las Vegas hospital being checked to make sure if his right orbital bone and left cheek bone are just fractured, not broken.
If Marco Antonio Barrera watched that pay-per-view fight as he promised, somebody ought to tell him that this may not be a good time to re-acquaint with Pacquiao, who made mincemeat out of Barrera in Texas in November 2003.
And while Morales was almost beaten to a pulp, Manny took his lumps, too. Manny absorbed 184-of-644 Morales punches. He also took 107 of 321 power blows, and he got rocked by 77 of 323 jabs.
I followed Manny from the Lure to his spacious abode at the 51st floor of Wynn’s Suite Towers. The security up there was as heavy as the cigarette smoke that hung in the casino floors below.
But I was whisked inside anyway, leaving a throng of jealous fans in my wake.
Manny’s room, suite 5107 is so huge I thought I was back at the Thomas and Mack Center. With the drapes of the giant window opened, the famous Las Vegas Strip glowed beneath Manny’s feet, while the stars flickered in the horizon.
Manny was slumped to a chair when I got to suite 5107. There were swells and little cuts around both his eyes and his hands remained puffy as hell. He ate just bread, dipping it into a cup of milk. Beside him sat Gov. Chavit Singson.
I sneaked from behind Manny and asked, “Were you hurt?”
“He punched hard,” Manny replied, “but I wasn’t seriously hurt. I did get stunned in the first round when his right straight hit my chin.”
I wanted to probe Manny some more, but I smartly decided against it. While I never suggested that I take a hike, I thought he needed space. His eyes were squinting, presumably from the weariness, and his body ached.
I did show Manny a picture of him and me taken in June 2002, when I covered his fight in the undercard of the Lewis-Tyson mega match. He marveled at how skinny he was then, and he marveled even more about how the years have quickly passed.
He also looked at the picture I took of him and his opponent that weekend. “Si Julio Elicier Jorge ito. Parang tatlong suntok ko lang yata siyang tinapos ah (I took him out with just three punches),” the champ said playfully. And those huddled around him broke into a hearty laugh.
So what does the future hold for the king of 126 and 130 pounders?
Manny doesn’t know yet. And he doesn’t want to think about it either.
Right now, he just wants to go home. Be with his kids, with Jinkee and enjoy the good life that his fists provided for him. “Maybe on Jan. 23.”
Darn right, Manny. Don’t worry about your next move. Let the rest of boxing worry about you.
Have fun. Live. Laugh. Gamble. You’ve earned it.
But do it at home. Where a grateful nation awaits.
