PacMan's Corner

[killjaykill]

pacman rocks!!! period.

[dragonei]

Ok everybody is going to want to stone me to death after this statement.

 

Lets be real about one thing. Manny will not stay on top forever, surely a better competitor will rise and the physicality of the sport will get to him. Morales was a great champion before his career was tragicly eneded. I hope Manny learns to quit while he is ahead.

 

IMHO lahat ng mga humahalik ngayon sa pwit ni pacquiao (Pulitko, mga taga showbiz, at iba pang noypi) kakalimutan din siya pag naging sunod sunod na talo. Come on! do not give me that filipino solidarity crap. What happened to Onyok Velasco? Noon kahit sa Ramos bow sa kanya tapos ngayon binabatuk batukan na lang ni Aga Mulach at Bayani Agbayani. Si Luisito Espinosa? Si Rolando Navarette?

 

Eto pa, pacman fans will hate me for this. NOT ALL FILIPINOS ARE MANNY PACQUIAOS = NOT EVERY FILIPINO IS WORLD CLASS BECAUSE OF HIM. Ok please do not get wrong he is indeed an inspiration to many. Dapat natin tularan natin sipag at tyaga niya. Dapat tularan siya ng mga pilipino pagdating sa pagpupursigi. Wala tayong debate that indeed he is a great filipino and he makes his country pround. And we should be proud for him,.

 

Ang sa akin lang huwag naman natin masyadong ioverkill. Sa kabuuan marami pang kakaining bigas ang pilipino para masabi that FILIPINOS IN GENERAL are world class. Hirap kasi, iniisip natin na angat na angat na tayong mga pilipino (at me nagsabi pa nga na di daw mapantayan), komo meron lang iilan sa atin na nakikilala sa munod. DI lang sa sports, masyado naman nating ginagawang big deal kapag meron 000000.1% na dugong pinoy na nakakasali sa American Idol, kahit na hindi nga alam kung asan ang pilipinas.

 

Tawa nga ako ng tawa sa nagsabing di daw mapantayan yung galing ng pilipino, kasi si Sharon Stone bumili ng purse na gawa ng Philippine handicraft. I was like "And so?" Bakit sigurado ba tayo na paborito nga ni sharon stone lahat ng gawang pinoy? Do you the think the Japanese people thought they were great because Tom Cruise was on the Last Samurai?

[revi]

^^Have to commend you, dragonei on a great post!!!

 

Ako naman..

 

PacMan became so popular and can be considered a living legend (as of now) because of media.. the pay per views and cable were really not available during Elorde's, Navarrete's time.. The commercials he has done for SMB, etc. has just made him more popular in the eyes of Filipinos.. I have to admit that maybe Pacman's reign at the top might be more known by Filipinos than when Elorde reigned supreme.. His charisma is also a big factor for his success.. He has a recording album and even acts.. But one has to ask? Would it end? Everything has an end..

 

I agree, that people tend to forget the then "heroes" when these "heroes" falter and continue to falter.. We do not know if Manny would retire as a winner in the hearts of many Filipinos even if he starts losing matches.. Coz the difference, as I have said, is the media exposure he has now.. Politicians and what have you are using him (we can all see that) for their own personal gain but because of his charisma and media exposure he (I believe) has become an urban legand in the eyes of a poverty stricken Filipino society.. Maybe (just maybe) when he starts to lose the muscle to fight and starts losing, he might still be embraced by Filipinos because to many he became an icon.. a person who came from a poor family and succeeded in life.. an uneducated man but still succeeded because (as they say) of his heart and determination.. Yknow how we are? We like rags to riches stories and maybe his iconic stature now can withstand the tests of time..

 

Filipinos are not world class because of Pacquiao defeating Morales, Barrera, or him becoming the Heavyweight Champion of the World.. We are not world class because of Jasmine Trias.. We are not world class because of Paeng Nepomuceno.. because of Caloy Loyzaga.. and we are not certainly world class because GMA is the shortest woman President in the world.. We are still a struggling third world country in the eyes of many countries.. All sports icons that I mentioned (except for GMA) are heralded as one of the bests in their respective field but the outlook of other countries would not change that we are third world, insurgency is rampant and investing here entails a lot of risk..

 

But sports icons do bring Filipinos (at least) together.. We become united for a time.. But honestly, masyadong maikli ang panahon ng ating pagiging isa.. to add, these so-called sports icons' success go for naught once poverty strikes us back to reality that we are not Manny Pacquiao, we are not Paeng, Lydia De Vega, etc..

 

Yun nga lang, at least Manny has given some hope to some and has given a glimmer of hope for our country to succeed.. I still think its futile.. But at the very least, Manny has given some Filipinos a reason to celebrate kahit sandali lang.. :cool:

Edited November 24, 2006 by revi

[dragonei]

Well no debate on that one revi. Yes he unites his nation for a while. Yun nga ang hirap sa atin eh. Pwede naman pala tayo magkaisa di pa natin nilulubos.

 

Ang mga congressman, kung kaya nila iisang tabi yung away nila para panoorin si Manny, bakit di nila gawin yan sa kamara para naman umusad usad ng konti bansa natin. Para naman magkaroon ng silobi ang pagiging "Iconic" ni manyy. Matranslate man lang into action and reality at di yung panay propaganda lang. Ang hirap kasi pagkatapos ng laban balik uli lahat sa dati. Its not enough that we say that this person is an inspiration. We should also get off our asses and start to improve ourselves. Kahit sa mga speech ni GMA sa mga Investors, laging may Manny Pacquiao kahit sobrang wala naman kinalaman. Hindi naman 12 round boxing match ang ekonomiya ng pilipinas.

 

Isa pa napaguusapan ang media. The media kisses his ass because he sells like hot cakes. To the Lopez's he is their messiah lalo na at palugi na ng palugi ang ABS-CBN. The thing is pag naging sunod sunod na ang talo nya, will he still enjoy that attention he is getting now? Will the likes of Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino call him "gwapo"? will they still put his face on magazines?

 

I remember the movie "Undisputed", Vhing Rhames' character says "People love wathcing a guy who wins a fight......they give you money, pussy, kiss your ass, put you pictures in magazines and papers, and if you are the champ everybody wants a piece of you".

 

Sabagay tignan mo nga naman si Manny Pacquiao, siya na yata ang pinakagwapong pilipino sa buong mundo ngayon

[zeromike22]

Every pinoy should be proud that Manny is winning all his fights... Yeah, almost all fights... Lahat na Politicians dyan (Atienzas, Arroyos) were riding on his popularity....

 

But lets analyze all his wins... Manny has been pulverizing champions which were already on the twilights of their career. Morales?? Chaves?? Barrerra?? .. lahat sila pababa na career nila. They were just whipping boys of your idol Manny... And we pinoys are in for the ride... It's just like betting on who will win between the race of a horse and a cow... Ganun lang yun... Everybody in the boxing world knows Manny will WIN over Barrera and those aging mexicans.... I may be frank but it's true.

 

Let Manny go one division higher (lightweight division 130-135lbs) tingnan natin how will he fair against the tough Diego Corrales or the warrior Castillo who have killed 2 boxers in the ring... or let him fight in his natural superfeatherweight division unbeaten venezuelan Edwin Valero,a 25 year old knockout artist... 18 knockouts in the first round and 1 knockout in the 2nd... 23-0 or 24-0 ata current record niya...

 

or Floyd Mayweather Jr... I've read it somewhere that he likes to go down from Welterweight to lightweight division, thats 2 divisions lower just to fight your idol Manny. I doubt your idol will fight Mayweather in this division...

 

Let Manny beat just 2 of the 4 aforementioned boxers and I will join you in chanting "Go Manny"

 

peace bro...

[wakanga0929]

pasingit din po ha....i just want to say first that i admire these posters above on how they think...kung lahat ng pinoy ganito sana mag-isip...aasenso tayo....most of pinoys kasi mahilig sa showbiz....everyone kasi wants to be on the limelight...there's nothing wrong on being proud..pero dapat it does not stop there...just being "proud" dapat samahan mo rin ito ng action...apply mo ang values na natutunan mo kaya ka naging proud sa kung anong bagay man ito....

 

on topic with manny...sabi ko lagi sa mga kausap ko it's manny's time right now...timing na lahat ng nasa top spot ng kanyang weight division is slowly fading na...pero on a sidenote hindi rin naman ganun kadali inattain ni manny ang career niya...to give credits to the mexican fighters they are good and fight well pero syempre meron pa rin mas magaling...eto masasabi ko manny could not beat those mexican boxers if not because of his discipline in training...hindi nagmamadali...total focus and mindset plus good motivation...and the best is hindi niya nakakalimutan ang nasa taas...hindi katulad ng iba kapag nagtagumpay ang unang sinasabi "salamat sa mga fans or salamat kay etc etc.."...with regards to his division ang alam ko he needs still to fight barrera for the belt...and after that pag-iisipan pa nila/niya kung aakyat ng isang division...he can fight on higher divisions pero its not easy...wait and see na lang tayo...we can't tell this can beat him or him can beat him....it's still pure luck sabi nga nila..maka-tiyamba siya or matiyambahan siya...peace :cool:

[moli_calingasan]

This is what i have to say....i agree in the earlier post of our dear mtc bros... that politicians and media really makes use of "Pacman" for their respective gains...and that when a fighter starts losing - nawawala mga supporters at nawawalan ng asim, plus nakaka-inis talaga when an athlete who is perceived to be good e nagiging showbiz... Every boxing or sports enthusiast already nows that. maaalam naman mga yan so we need not expound on those points. given na yan eh... it happens globally!!!

 

Manny being a successful and popular sports figure, should be evaluated or judged based on his ring performance and not with affairs outside of being a sports figure or an athlete. this will simplify things. Pacman's affair with showbiz or politics should be tackled separately...ganun dapat.. let's not take away the glitter of Pacman's success, one that gives ordinary filipino's (the masses) moral booster or inspiration.. Tirahin nalang siya on his other affairs na papalpak outside of boxing... which as of now, e wala pa naman talaga. when the time comes na meron na... i'll join all the anti-manny out there in protest!!!!

 

Matatalino naman tayo dito.. and i believe that we want the best for everyone. what the greater number of filipino's (masa - yung mga naghihirap) need right now are victories (small or big) basta consistent na may pa ilan ilan to at least inspire them or make their day. we cannot say na mababaw yun para sa kanila... what's important is that the majority of us filipino's are inspired with victories such as manny's. and if it brings success to them, better di ba? Let's be positive about filipino's being globally competitive... beside, there's nothing we can be proud of right now except for our skills!!!! yes, there's still a lot of work to be done or improvements to be made, pero ganun din globally... lahat ng tao ay marami pa dapat bigas na kainin to be better or to be in the top shape and be consistent... mabilis ang evolution not only in sports but everywhere.

 

Lastly, it will be best that we just say that we don't like the guy plain and simple, or dahil hindi mo lang talaga feel... to me, i can accept that and would respect it because it' s my filipino brothers' opinion. lets deal with politics and showbiz separately and leave our pinoy brothers and sisters right to be inspired out of this ... peace....

[greenarrow]

WBO champ Guzman challenges Pacman

 

Inquirer

Last updated 04:05am (Mla time) 11/25/2006

 

Published on page A25 of the November 25, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

 

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/sports/view_article.php?article_id=34700

 

 

 

To prove TKO win no fluke: Pacquiao prefers Barrera rematch

 

The Philippine Star 11/25/2006

 

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/news200611251601.htm

[edc]

In Short Wag na masyado Feel na Feel pag ka Filipino pag nanalo si Manny.

 

Kasi pag natalo ng sunod-sunod yan madedeadma yan si Manny. Kawawa naman.

 

Just think of Bobby Pacquiao and Brian Viloria. Wala na ako marinig na "Mabuhay kayo, mga Filipino yan"

 

PAg nanalo ulit si Manny, sya lang ang nanalo or nanalo pusta nyo. Pero sabihin ng isang politician na "Goes Beyond Boxing?" Hello???? Beyong Boxing? Bakit maganda ba performance ng Filipino sa Public Service? Ano kaya yung Beyong Boxing na yun?

[skitz]

Call me a romantic fool, but to me, Manny's best fight was the first fight with Morales. The one he lost.

 

I was no Manny Pacquiao fan before that. I hated the way he lost his crown via knockout to an unknown Thai fighter.... a fight he lost even before the fight when he couldn't make the weight... just like Bobby recently..

 

But that was before Freddie Roach. Freddie took the raw Manny Pacquiao and taught him the finer points of boxing. TO Manny's credit, not EVERYONE is coachable... in fact... perhaps the toughest to coach would be former champions... who learned the sport the wrong way... and was somewhat successful with the wrong techniques. BUT NO, not Manny. Manny learned everything that Freddie had to teach him. And it showed in his fight with Barrera. A fight no one thought he could win. A fight against a classy boxer... this raw talent surely was no match... The unbelievers (which included me) were all SURPRISED. Manny still had the power... but NOW also the technique to go with it. That made him a champion.

 

But what made Manny a "winner" to me, was that one fight against Morales. The first fight . For that fight best embodied the Filipino spirit... or at least, what the Filipino spirit ought to be... Bloodied, his head remained unbowed. Win or lose, he was going to give it his all. Against all odds... he was going win... or die trying...

 

After that fight... again a fight he lost... I WAS PROUD TO CALL MYSELF a countryman of Pacquiao.

Edited November 25, 2006 by schizo

[moli_calingasan]

With all due respect to everyone, i would like to post a question.

 

When should we be proud to be filipinos if Pacman's victory is not one to be considered?

 

Can anyone shed light on this?

[wolflove_bigdawg]

Let's be a little objective mga tol. Yung panalo ni Pac ke Barrera, hindi ako convinced since maraming distractions si Barrera nuon, alam nyo yan. He is not the Barrera of the Barrera-Morales trilogy, kitang kita naman.

 

Then, si Marquez, kaliit liit na boxer, draw lang. If he didnt knocked down Marquez three times in the first round, ibig sabihin talo pa sya.

 

Then the first fight with Morales, talo. Nung sumunod, panalo. Bakit? Morales was fighting with weight problems and fought dehydrated. Just the way Pac lost one of his early fights in Thailand. Morales was very weak. Buti nga nakaabot pa ng 10 rounds.

 

The third fight, he was fighting the same Morales with weight problems. Add to that the demoralizing thought that he was on the way down. He knew that, deep inside. He was coming from what, 2 losses in 3 fights? Moreover, the toe-to-toe, mano-a-mano style of Morales was just perfect for a stronger brawler like Pacquiao.

 

Yes, I agree with someone in this forum. Manny, strong and phenomenal as he is, is lucky enough to be on the rise while the proven greats he fought are on the decline. Tell me, who are the punishing fighters that Pacquiao has fought? Only Barrera and Morales. I don't know what will be left of Manny after fighting Joan Guzman and Edwin Valero. If Manny defeats these two, then I am proven wrong and will join you guys in the fan club.

[wolflove_bigdawg]

With all due respect to everyone, i would like to post a question.

 

When should we be proud to be filipinos if Pacman's victory is not one to be considered?

 

Can anyone shed light on this?

 

 

You mean, nung dumating lang si Pacquiao saka tayo nagkaroon ng reason to be proud as Filipinos? Kawawa naman pala tayo sobra. Kung wala pala tayong boxing hero, parang wala tayong ginagawa kundi matulog at kumain. Wow.

 

Tsk tsk tsk.

[solicitor]

With all due respect to everyone, i would like to post a question.

 

When should we be proud to be filipinos if Pacman's victory is not one to be considered?

 

Can anyone shed light on this?

 

 

Another idiot in the midst..........

[brawler201]

I would like to put in my comments on some of the points. I will try to be as objective as possible. The posts here are as animated as they are sensible. I just want to jump into the ring to use an appropriate metaphor.

 

 

Let's be a little objective mga tol. Yung panalo ni Pac ke Barrera, hindi ako convinced since maraming distractions si Barrera nuon, alam nyo yan. He is not the Barrera of the Barrera-Morales trilogy, kitang kita naman.

 

Then, si Marquez, kaliit liit na boxer, draw lang. If he didnt knocked down Marquez three times in the first round, ibig sabihin talo pa sya.

 

Then the first fight with Morales, talo. Nung sumunod, panalo. Bakit? Morales was fighting with weight problems and fought dehydrated. Just the way Pac lost one of his early fights in Thailand. Morales was very weak. Buti nga nakaabot pa ng 10 rounds.

 

The third fight, he was fighting the same Morales with weight problems. Add to that the demoralizing thought that he was on the way down. He knew that, deep inside. He was coming from what, 2 losses in 3 fights? Moreover, the toe-to-toe, mano-a-mano style of Morales was just perfect for a stronger brawler like Pacquiao.

 

In all of the above, I really believe that no one boxer can step into to the ring without any issues. It would be nice if every fighter comes in at their best but it's always one or the other thing when one loses the fight. Even for the greatest boxers in history. In the end, I believe that all concerns should cancel each other out. To raise an excuse after losing is disprespectful for the other fight. They lost, plain and simple. Barrera lost to Pacquiao, Pacquiao drew a supposedly won match against Juan Marquez, Pacquiao lost to Morales in the first fight and the demolition job on Morales in the next two. If any of the fighters had issues that would taint the fight then for God's sake do not step into the ring. Or at least keep it to themselves and do not raise it an excuse. It doesn't only diminish the beauty of the fight but as I have said is totally disrespectful of the other fighter's gallant effort. Of course the lure of the money and the chance at greatness is too great to bypass. They all knew what they were getting into and they should be man enough to admit that they just didn't have it to win. Including Pacquiao. At the end of the day, history will factor in all of these issues and measure the greatness of the boxer. As far as history is dealing with Pacquiao, it has been very fairly forgiving and generous. From where he stands now, Pacquaio will end up in the Boxing Hall of Fame and claim his place among the best featherweights/jr. lightweights of all time. Probably ahead of the Barrera and Morales. Regardless of what he does with the rest of his career. Even from a subjective point of view from people who will probably determine where Pacman stands in the Pantheon of boxing greats, his position is pretty much set.

 

But lets analyze all his wins... Manny has been pulverizing champions which were already on the twilights of their career. Morales?? Chaves?? Barrerra?? .. lahat sila pababa na career nila. They were just whipping boys of your idol Manny... And we pinoys are in for the ride... It's just like betting on who will win between the race of a horse and a cow... Ganun lang yun... Everybody in the boxing world knows Manny will WIN over Barrera and those aging mexicans.... I may be frank but it's true.

 

Yes, I agree with someone in this forum. Manny, strong and phenomenal as he is, is lucky enough to be on the rise while the proven greats he fought are on the decline. Tell me, who are the punishing fighters that Pacquiao has fought? Only Barrera and Morales. I don't know what will be left of Manny after fighting Joan Guzman and Edwin Valero. If Manny defeats these two, then I am proven wrong and will join you guys in the fan club.

 

 

On being lucky to meet some of the best fighters in the division when they are the tailend of their careers, Pacquiao has no control over this. That's just the nature of the game. Boxers get old and meet younger fighters. Some are lucky to have met each other at the peakest prime of their careers like Barrera and Morales. But this is just very rare. I wouldn't say that Barrera and Morales were really washed out when they first met Pacquiao. They were just a little past their peak but Pacquaio wasn't really tested as well as he was just a bloated junior featherweight still trying to naturally grow into a 130 pound fighter, with almost no defense and a weak jab. It was an even trade. Experience and skill against youth and power. Too bad for them that Pacquiao overwhelmed them (or eventually overwhelmed in the case of Morales). On fighting punishing fighters, I don't really know what is the definition of punishing fighters but I'm assuming fighters that are in the caliber of Morales and Barrera in skill. Juan Miguel Marquez comes in close too after the top three. in the featherweight and junior featherweight divison, sadly Pacquiao, Morales, Barrera and Marquez are at the top of the class. That's three of the top ten pound per pound fighters on every noteable boxing experts' list for the past three years or so and Pacquiao fought all of them and has the better record in their round robin with a 3 win-1 loss-1 draw card. Except for probably De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather, it would be hard to find an active boxer now with that kind of a record against some of the most noteable names on the best pound-per-pound list. Not too bad. A lot of pretenders are now moving up and it will be time for the elder statesmen to test their mettle. But it will not diminish their stature regardless of result. If Pacquiao fights either Valero or Guzman, it will only increase his stature, regardless of results. At the end, it is his legend that will be cemented. If Pacquiao is lucky of something, it is that he has the most exciting style in boxing today. Coupled that he wins very big fights. And that's his differentiator. Unless he fights like a bum, or show up out of shape or fights without heart, his stature after his next few fights will only get better. Regardless of the results. I don't root for Pacquiao blindly. I don't root for because I like him as a person or am in awe of his persona. I am just a fan of the fight game and try to call as it is.

 

Let Manny go one division higher (lightweight division 130-135lbs) tingnan natin how will he fair against the tough Diego Corrales or the warrior Castillo who have killed 2 boxers in the ring... or let him fight in his natural superfeatherweight division unbeaten venezuelan Edwin Valero,a 25 year old knockout artist... 18 knockouts in the first round and 1 knockout in the 2nd... 23-0 or 24-0 ata current record niya...

 

or Floyd Mayweather Jr... I've read it somewhere that he likes to go down from Welterweight to lightweight division, thats 2 divisions lower just to fight your idol Manny. I doubt your idol will fight Mayweather in this division...

 

Let Manny beat just 2 of the 4 aforementioned boxers and I will join you in chanting "Go Manny"

 

peace bro...

 

Except for the Valero fight (my comments on this iabove), the others will not happen or will have a chinaman's chance to happen for so many reasons. Castillo: he can never make 135 lbs.anymore unless he chops off his legs. And he will be too big to fight Pacquiao at upwards of 135 lbs. after weigh in. Same thing with Corrales but he may actually have the ability to starve himself silly to make 135 lbs and face Manny. For the right money, the fight will happen but Manny will be the underdog as Chico is still too big for him even at 135 lbs. There's a small chance that Manny can sneak in the heavier punches but I'm not betting against the bigger man. Mayweather is another big man who will impose his size on Pacman. He started out as a 20 year old Jr. Featherweight as against a Pacquiao who started at Flyweight. Pacquiao is probably a natural featherweight and already fighting out of weight at Jr. Lightweight already while Pretty Boy on the other hand is a natural small junior welterweight fighting at welterweight. Again the weight difference is just too big to compensate. Then there's the issue that Mayweather plans to retire after his fight with De La Hoya.

 

Again it will not be a fair call for Pacquiao to fight any of the bigger boxers because as already statred he is just a small man at the maximum limit that he body can take him in weight to fight at his best. You cannot force Mayweather to fight at light middleweight or middleweight, fight one of the best ever and be as successful? Look where that brought De La Hoya against B-Hop. But still the loss did not diminish De La Hoya's legend. In the same way that it won't matter even if Pacquiao losses if he moves up and meet naturally bigger fighters who are close to legend status. Pacquiao's misfortune, if ever his leagacy is questioned legitimately, is not having the same quality of boxers at his prime at the weight classes that he can fight comfortably in. Mayweather and De La Hoya were blessed to have the big money fights to fight and the early respectability to get the fights as they moved up. Pacquiao was always the underdog and is just now gaining the clout and respectability to demand for fights. Unluckily, there's not an abundance of worthy challengers out there.

 

It will be difficult for Pacquiao to gain validation of his ring career if it can only be given to him by fighting and winning against the four above-mentioned. To force him to move up in weight and fight the best (and with Matweather arguably one of the best ever of all time at is weight class) will be unfair. If he cannot fight anyone more noteable at Jr. Lightweight, that's not his problem anymore. Remember that he couldn't fight anybody noteable at Jr. Feather and Featherweight as the reason for the original move up in weight to go after Barrera and Morales for the more challenging fights and the bigger payday. Nobody is giving him credit for that. If he wanted safe fights, he could have stayed at 126 lbs. cleaned out the division and form a mini rivalry with Marquez. he would have had easy fights, waited for Barrera and Morales to retire and go after the belts. The plan to go after more belts against mediocre champios at a higher weight classes. Legacies are built in different ways. He just chose one that made him a almost a legend as well. instead of taking the safer route, he went up two weight classes prematurely to go after the bigger names, the bigger fights and the bigger money. It is actually only now that Pacquiao is feeling comfortable with his bigger body.

 

Every boxer who is at the threshold of gaining legendary status will always get flak. It's only natural. But the quality of his opponents cannot be blamed on him as he fought anybody and everybody who wanted to fight him. How did he win his two world titles? As a last minute replacement in place of the original challenger. How did he get his bout with Barrera? As an underdog tune up fight for a future match up with Morales. How about the first Morales fight? As a diffused up and comer whose flaws were exposed by a more technically sound Marquez. The second Morales fight? As a sure payday for Morales. All those fights that defined his career, Pacquiao took when he was at a disadvantage. He never took the easy way out as a boxer because he never got it. He kept earning the respect of his opponents and the boxing world the only way he knew how, with his fists and inside the ring. He has definitely earned his keep. He doesn't need to fight bigger names to earn respect, he doesn't need belts and he doesn't need to prove himself to anyone. But he will still fight anybody who is worthy to fight. Valero and Guzman will be the next challenge and Pacquiao will come out bigger regardless of the result.

 

He is the big dog and for a reason. He is the most exciting fighter in the world today and everybody knows it. The big payday is to fight Pacquiao. Why do you think Pretty Boy even mentioned moving down two weight classes just to fight him? Does he fight bums? To view it another way, the challenge to Pretty Boy to find a way to face Pacquiao, even if its just wishful thinking, is a testament to the respect that Pacquiao draws from anybody who matters in boxing.

 

You mean, nung dumating lang si Pacquiao saka tayo nagkaroon ng reason to be proud as Filipinos? Kawawa naman pala tayo sobra. Kung wala pala tayong boxing hero, parang wala tayong ginagawa kundi matulog at kumain. Wow.

 

Tsk tsk tsk.

 

I don't think that's what he really meant. He just didn't word his question properly and placed it in the proper context.

 

I guess what he really wanted to say is that:

 

If we can't be proud to be Filipinos with Pacquiao's exploits then what does he or any boxer or athlete need to do for the Filipno people to be generally proud of their accomplishments?

 

I'm just guessing that he is implying that Pacquiao's exploits are outstanding enough for Filipinos as a people to be proud of.

 

Can Filipinos be proud of his accomplishments? In the boxing ring, definitely. To put him on a pedestal as THE modern day Filipino hero? Everybody has his opinion on this. I will only judge him on his exploits in the ring. He can be an ass outside of it and I won't really care. People may worship him and that's their right, others may despise him for all the reasons other than what he does in the ring and that's perfectly all right too. To each his own. People need and don't need him and his out of the ring activities for a lot of reasons.

 

I choose to judge him as a boxer only.

 

Ok everybody is going to want to stone me to death after this statement.

 

Lets be real about one thing. Manny will not stay on top forever, surely a better competitor will rise and the physicality of the sport will get to him. Morales was a great champion before his career was tragicly eneded. I hope Manny learns to quit while he is ahead.

 

IMHO lahat ng mga humahalik ngayon sa pwit ni pacquiao (Pulitko, mga taga showbiz, at iba pang noypi) kakalimutan din siya pag naging sunod sunod na talo. Come on! do not give me that filipino solidarity crap. What happened to Onyok Velasco? Noon kahit sa Ramos bow sa kanya tapos ngayon binabatuk batukan na lang ni Aga Mulach at Bayani Agbayani. Si Luisito Espinosa? Si Rolando Navarette?

 

Good observation. On Pacquiao being on the top, it is inevitable that he will eventually lose. First to father time then to the next great young stud who wants to make themselves as the biggest and baddest fighter in the division. That's just how the sport is made. Champions rise and champions fall. Will he stop while he is on top? Hard to say, the money is just too big to run away from. And Pacquiao has expensive taste now. I'm guessing he goes 3-4 more fights with multi million dollar purses and PPV shares and still has his stature intact regardless of results. Beyond that, once he starts fighting just for the sake of cashing in checks then the name that he has built will then take a beating.

 

On the Pacquiao bandwagon, facts of life in the Philippines. Everybody and his uncle wants to hop on. Is it irritating to see all these politicians and the media machine taking advantage of Pacquiao's time in the limelight for their own vested interest? Very irritating. Where were all of them when Pacquiao was losing? Nowhere. Where will all of them be when he starts losing and when the money train stops rolling? Nowhere again. Boxing champions in our part of the woods go through the same cycle of life thing that Pacquio is going through. The final question will be: Will he have enough to stand on his own when all the glory is gone? We'll really get to see his real friends when he has nothing left to offer. Chances are he can count his real friends with the fingers of his hands once he's done and without use to them. They are milking him and I hope that Pacquiao is smart enough to milk the situation as much as he can while he can. It will be a very sorry sight if we read a few years from now that Pacquiao ends up in similar dire straits that has befallen a lot of our noteable past great boxing heroes.

Edited November 26, 2006 by brawler201