LAS VEGAS — We?ve all seen Manny Pacquiao at his fiercest best. He never fails to transport intensity into the dazzled boxing ring, win or lose.
Well, in case you?ve missed it, Pacquiao could also turn a simple interview into an unforgettable performance, a knockout affair.
He did exactly that after his final workout at the Wild Card gym in Hollywood on Saturday.
In an exclusive one-on-one with GMA-7, Pacquiao tried to knock out his own growing myth of invincibility.
?Erik Morales is not an enemy (Hindi siya kaaway),? Pacquiao declared. ?I respect him both as a man and boxer.?
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He had already said that before.
But the statement, made at a point when the Pacquiao-Morales ring feud has hit an explosive phase, had a jarring effect.
You see, Pacquiao may not jumble words in the amusing manner of his famous and accomplished trainer.
But, at the same time, the hard-punching world boxing celebrity cannot be ranked a smooth speaker.
Pacquiao could, indeed, deliver his message in English, but often after sending the language down to the floor.
Anyway, on Saturday out there at the half-lit gym, after a brisk rub, Pacquiao performed a mantra while allowing himself to be interviewed.
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?We are all equal (Pare-pareho lamang kami),? he explained softly. ?I?m not better than Morales.?
Pacquiao added: ?I don’t believe I?m greater than anybody (Kahit minsan, ?di ko iniisip sikat ako).?
He begged not to be treated like the Manny Pacquiao in the hearts and minds of his fans. He?s not that big, Pacquiao said.
If he has ever succeeded, Pacquiao explained, it?s all due to big sacrifices and extreme hard work.
And, of course, because of his God! (Lahat galing sa Paginoong Diyos!)
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He obviously did not realize it, but Pacquiao, in that interview, had started to work at being invisible.
He was bravely refusing to be pinned down by importance and heavy personal history.
He was working at a different kind of nimbleness.
In fact, he went as far as toy with his own myth of courage: ?I?m a nervous sort of fellow (Sa aking puso, me takot din ako).?
Well, he could be trying to pull a fast one, but Pacquiao sounded and looked serious and very sincere.
?I pray for Morales, I pray for both of us, that nothing bad happens to us in the fight,? Pacquiao said.
That?s a little vague.
But if Pacquiao is able to put up better defense and transmits this new-found nimbleness into the ring on Saturday (Sunday morning in Manila), something bad might happen to his adversary.
