SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA–This is it! These are the two aha moments in the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley’s title fight at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas last Sunday. The first revealing moment broke in when Manny knocked down Shane in 3rd round with a right-left combination for a mandatory count. The second aha moment came in the 10th round when Shane pushed an off-balanced Manny to score a referee-ruled knockdown.
In the first breaking moment, I daresay, millions of Filipinos watching TV live (in the country and abroad) shouted and jumped for joy in unison. They cheered lustily for the Pambasaang Kamao to close in for the kill. In the second aha moment, Manny stood smiling dryly enduring a mandatory count from a referee-ruled knockdown. It awakened the fire in his bone as a warrior-king. It flamed up the fire in his belly as the king of the warriors in the ring. When the fight resumed the pound-for-pound king (the greatest boxer for all time–bob arum) went on an attack mode. Manny pursued the back-pedaling Shane relentlessly belying earlier statement by his coach Freddie Roach that Manny has gone soft on his opponent. Shane, in his post-fight interview, declared “I fought the best fighter in the world. He has exceptional power, power that I’ve never been hit before.”
Honorable Congressman Manny Pacquiao has one burning passion. Born to box and entertain, his first passion is to be a warrior king. He started at 14 years old as an amateur boxer. After 64 fights, he turned professional at the age 16. He pursued his passion out of desperation. He wanted to help his mother fed the family left by his father and barely surviving.
His desire to be the king of the warriors proved extremely very difficult. He suffered his first defeat and disappointment when Rustico Torrecampo knocked him out cold in the third round. In his disappointment, he quit boxing and got a job as a construction worker. His love for boxing prevailed, however. He returned to the Ring and emerged undefeated for 15 fights. In 1998, Manny took his first world crown the WBC Flyweight Title by knocking out Thai Chatchai Sasakul in the 8th round. He lost the crown in his second defense against another Thai Medgoen Singsurat.
Manny’s successful partnership with Roach began in four title defenses of his second world title the IBF Super Bantamweight after he annexed the championship belt in 2001. They made an unbeaten run until March 2005 when Manny lost to Erik Morales. That was his third and last loss. From thereon till to the present, he has not lost a fight while sending a bunch of boxers to retirement like Morales, Oscar de la Hoya, and Ricky Hatton.
In climbing the zenith of his boxing career, I believe, Manny has tapped to the wellspring of his passion within his self. How else can you explain his unbeaten run in “slaying his giants” from David Diaz all the way to Shane Mosley? These opponents and boxing greats are literally bigger and heavier than Manny. Yet Manny has no fear in confronting his giants obstructing his career path. When asked why he keeps smiling while making the ceremonial walk towards center stage of the boxing ring, Manny replied, “That’s me.”
That’s me is an affirmation of his faith in God. The public sees Manny kneeling down in the corner before the start of war between gladiators inside the ring. In-between rounds, boxing fans see him making the sign of the cross. At the end of fight, where Manny stands tall over his rival he is seen again kneeling on the corner giving thanks to the Lord. Manny embraces his talents and skills in boxing as God-given gifts. That is why even as he loves to box, he boxes to love. He showed it in his title fights against Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. After peppering his rivals’ eyes and face into a bloody mess, he glanced at the referee begging to stop the cruel beatings.
Denied of his kind intent, he showed his brothers “ain’t” heavy and carried them through the fight. Perhaps, because his passion is more than carnal. It is primarily spiritual. It is true passion. True passion can come only from above, only from the Living Water within you. It comes only from God with the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. In being true to his passion, he has turned a violent and cruel sport as boxing into a vehicle of entertainment for fans and his people. In making boxing as entertaining and exciting while less violent and cruel, the people’s champ earns awards after accolades as a boxer with global appeal.
Manny is 32 years old now. His road to boxing fame and fortune is about to end. Dionesia, his mother is pleading for him to retire. Now Manny is the House Representative of the Province of Sarangani. As the only billionaire congressman for all time in Philippine politics, he seems to be embarking on another journey in pursuit of another passion, the passion to serve the Filipino people. In his fight against Mosley, he wore yellow gloves to declare his intent to make poverty history in his country. He followed it up by appropriating a sum of his prize money for free pabahay. Whether his emerging passion to be a servant king will come true, only time tells.
