“Pray as if everything depended on God; fight as if everything depended on you.”
This seemed to epitomize Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, the quintessential Filipino boxing great, who Sunday afternoon (RP time), demolished like a bulldozer the ersthwhile Maxican legendary, indestructible boxing icon Erik “El Terrible” Morales.
The spectacular 10th round technical knockout of the Mexican pugilist Morales who has never been decked in his over 50 fights proved that Filipino southpaw Manny Pacquiao is bound for Boxing Hall of Fame glory.
The raging bull Pacquiao, trained under world famous Freddie Roach, pulverized the game Mexican boxing idol – rearranged Morales’ facial anatomy and proved beyond doubt that the General Santos native is truly the People’s Champion.
The handsome Latino suffered a broken nose, bruised cheekbones and a battered rib cage. Morales went straight to the hospital after the savage fight between two brave warriors. So beaten was Morales – physically and psychologically – that he decided to take a long vacation from boxing and somehow put the third rematch with the Pacman in jeopardy.
That could open the gates for a crack at the super featherweight crown (of the World Boxing Council) held by another gutsy, brawling Mexican named Marco Antonio Barrera, who Manny had stopped in a ring carnage back in 2003.
The Pacman’s gallant effort and spectacular erasure of the Mexican toughie earned for him US$2-Million plus share of the pay-per-view television rights and P5-Million for the endorsement of products printed on his boxing pants. That is the highest monetary reward for any Asian professional athlete.
How did the former bakery and construction worker of Mindanao develop the skills and ability to wallop Morales to the canvass twice – hurt and humiliated beyond measure?
Obviously, Pacman is a very religious person who has not been shy to show his prayerful dependence on Divine Providence even in a sport as savage and brutal as boxing can be.
He heard Mass inside his exquisitely tasteful suite in the Las Vegas hotel and had his trunks and shoes blessed with Holy Water. He fell down in his corner in prayerful surrender before the fight and in sublime thanksgiving after he wrote boxing history in stopping “El Terrible” Morales in a classic, unforgettable boxing war of attrition that will certainly be the Fight of the Year.
In between rounds, he made the sign of the cross and prayed to the Lord for protection and guidance as he strode back into the center ring like a leopard ready to seize the prey. Manny even prayed that Morales not be hurt in the fight as to threaten the Mexican’s health and profession. In all post-fight interviews, never did The Pacman fail to acknowledge with thanks his answered prayers from the Lord.
Yet, prayed like a rabbi as he did, Pacquiao also did his homework.
He went to a punishing training regimen that sometimes exceeded the limits of human endurance. Pacquiao gave up celebrating Christmas, New Year, and his wife’s birthdays in order to push himself to the hilt in the cold of a faraway land in America. He was lights off at eight o’clock in the evening and gave up unhealthy food and drinks he relished for a higher good. Pacquiao would walk out of any room if there is too much smoke even if there is a party
Pacquaio took on much heavier sparring mates and followed to the letter Roach’s strategy to go for the weakening body, then topple the head. He developed the Manila Ice right hand and a defense that was both classy and scientific. He left no stone unturned to turn himself into a human dynamo – totally prepared for the fight of his life – physically, spiritually and emotionally.
The Pacman absorbed all the lessons the science of boxing could teach and summoned all his brute force could muster and unleashed them all on the vanquished Mexican who got crushed by the cracking combinations to his body and head. At the end of a gory tale, Morales was as much stunned as hurt how this Asian mop head with slightly wayward eyes could have dethroned him – the Mexican God.
The whole nation stopped breathing it seemed for three hours – as it patiently awaited “The Battle” as if the game was to signal his own liberation from the throes of poverty and powerlessness.
In one brief moment, the Filipino was King. Eighty million Filipinos basked in the glory of victory of a National Treasure. What a feeling!
