So usually when having a boxing conversation with people unfamiliar to the sport, I tend to cut it short. Just for the fact that I have no patience to explain weight classes, origin, names, and basically anything these people don’t already know. Sure I was shocked when Cuba Gooding Jr.’s body guard didn’t know who Bernard Hopkins was. Yes I don’t expect people to know who say… Glen Johnson or Antwun Echols are.
I remember this one time asking this Puerto Rican girl who Felix Trinidad was. Being that she was born and raised for the majority of her life in PR, I assumed she would know who Tito was. Instead, she gave me a blank stare in return and I was completely disillusioned as to the popularity of boxers. Maybe I’m racist but I usually assume that people are completely enamored from boxers from their respective countries. Kind of like how Ricardo Lois is infatuated with Joel Casamayor.
This is why it was with great surprise and amusement that I experienced first hand the popularity of Manny Pacquiao from some Filipinos from the mainland. These weren’t just any Filipino citizens, these were two seven year-old and nine year-old brothers. As I assisted my neighbor, Nino Lazaro, with moving some furniture he introduced me to his much younger step-brothers Jacob and Jerome.
Nino said, “They just got off the plane from the Philippines man.”
I figure, hmm let’s see how popular Manny Pacquiao really is. I ask them both, “Hey JJ’s, how’s Manny Pacquiao doing?”
I almost expect them to give me the same blank stare that I got from the Puerto Rican girl when asked about Tito Trinidad. But to my surprise, instead they both answered, “He knocked out Erik Morales in his last fight! Erik Morales is such a loser!”
I then said, “Yeah that was pretty sad, I cried like a little bitch after he lost!”
They responded laughing, “You cried? You’re a loser just like Erik Morales!”
I then asked, testing the popularity of Boxingconfidential in the Philippines, “You guys know who the Boxing Bookie is?”
They responded, “What?” Pretty much the same blank stare I get most of the time.
I say, “Nevermind little guys, take it easy.”
Just thinking about this really has me amazed and overwhelmed at the popularity of this icon in Manny Pacquiao. I doubt you can go to any other country and actually have full confidence that people know their country’s respective star boxer. Well maybe you can go to any country and get that same response, just definitely not the one I currently live in…
