"Boxing is a sport. We allow each other to hit each other, but I'm not treating my opponent like my enemy. We're doing a job to entertain people."
-Manny Pacquiao
By Alex P. Vidal
WE have no idea if the wishes of Iloilo Governor Arthur "Toto" Defensor Jr. that the proposed Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridge project be specifically mentioned by President Duterte during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22 was fulfilled.
If the president did mention it, then it will be materialized as what Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar had been promising the Ilonggso even before Ferdinand Magellan was killed by Lapu Lapu.
If President Duterte did not mention it, Ilonggos will continue to pin their hopes on the press releases and, again, on the promises of politicians like Villar and other talkative minions in the Department of Budget and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).
Ilonggo governors and mayors in the provinces and cities that are part and parcel of the mega-million project are hopeful that the bridge's construction will begin before the Star Wars and total eclipse, or before the Return of the Jedi.
-o0o-
Cleaning up the streets with garbage should not be done only to destroy the breeding grounds of mosquitoes that carry dengue virus.
It should be carried on a regular basis as part of the overall cleanliness program, not only because we are being attacked by a deadly virus and our kids are being decimated.
If cleanliness is next to orderliness, an once of prevention is always better than a pound of cure.
We are always good in cure instead of prevention.
We react and implement drastic actions only after the crisis has rolled on, not before the crisis; never when everything seemed normal and nobody was rushed to the hospital and dying of certain diseases.
Even in elementary and high schools, we are trained to preserve and protect the natural resources and all the living things, clean our surroundings, and value our health and total well-being.
These education, training and discipline help prepare us to co-exist with the environment and promote the preservation of life.
-o0o-
EXCLUSIVE: WBA welterweight champion Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao's eyes bothered him so much after he scored a 12-round split decision win against Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas on March 15, 2008.
It was their rematch after their first duel ended in a split draw after 12 rounds also in Las Vegas on May 8, 2004.
Immediately after the fight, Pacquiao was whisked away from the dressing room and brought to his hotel room.
I was one of the more or less 10 people present inside the champion's suite at the Mandalay Bay.
I was with the two doctors: Nasser Cruz of the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) and Allan Recto, a Texas-based Ilonggo pediatrician, who left his iPhone (I picked it up and turned it over to Dr. Recto in Los Angeles a week later).
I saw Pacquiao vomit. He was in pain.
They rushed him to a hospital that night, but this detail was never reported in the media.
The following morning at 6 o'clock, I and three other Manila-based sportswriters from the Manila Bulletin, The Philippine Star, and the Philippine Daily Inquier, visited Pacquiao in his room. His face was a crimson.
Because of his condition, he was not allowed to fly to Manila where he was scheduled to be given a hero's welcome by DENR Secretary and now partylist Rep. Joselito "Lito" Atienza until a week later.
I suspect he didn't look good again hours after whipping Keith Thurman; his eyes must have bothered him so much the reason why doctors didn't allow him to fly on a private jet to Manila for President Duterte's SONA on Monday.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
Showing posts with label #KeithThurman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #KeithThurman. Show all posts
Monday, July 22, 2019
Sweeter than a KO victory
“In sport, you only see the fighter, but it's teamwork. Without a good team, you will never be the best. In boxing, you have to work with the best coach, the best lawyer, the best manager, the best doctor. Exactly the same principle applies in politics.”
-Vitali Klitschko
By Alex P. Vidal
SENATOR Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao's (62-7-2, 39 KOs) 12-round split decision win over hitherto WBA welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs) on July 20 in Las Vegas was considered to be more glorious and exciting compared to his victories over Lucas Martin Matthysse (TKO7) and Adrien Broner (UD12) combined.
In fact, it was sweeter than a knockout (KO) victory because of the quality of action and because it was the only split decision in his ring ledger that was not protested.
And his duel against Thurman was action-packed, toe-to-toe, brutal, and had the making of the “Fight of the Year.”
Pacquiao’s only other split decision victory was against his former conqueror Juan Manuel Marquez in their rematch on March 15, 2008.
And it was smeared by a terrible protest and condemnation from the Team Marquez that insisted the dynamite-fisted Mexican clearly out-shuttled and out-punched the then 29-year-old ring icon from Gen. Santos City claiming Pacquiao “looked more like the real loser” between the two after 12 rounds in a duel for Marquez’s WBC super featherweight title.
-o0o-
Like in Pacquiao’s fight against Thurman, the Filipino southpaw also scored a flash knockdown in the third round.
Marquez, a durable warrior, quickly rebounded and won the Rounds 5, 6, 8, 11, and 12. Marquez also won the Round 2. Pacquiao won the Rounds 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, and 10 plus the knockdown.
Because of Team Marquez’s insistence and persistence, Marquez was awarded two more multi-million fights against Pacquiao-- losing the third by 12-round majority decision and winning the fourth by 6th round KO.
The other split decision topic in Pacquiao’s record was as controversial as his split decision win over Marquez: a 12-round loss to Timothy Bradley Jr. for WBO welterweight diadem on June 9, 2012.
In that highly disputed split decision defeat of Pacquiao, nobody believed Bradley Jr. had won except Bradely Jr. himself, who entered the post-fight press conference on a wheelchair, and his handlers.
Pacquiao settled the issue with a sensational 12-round unanimous decision win in their rematch on April 9, 2016.
-o0o-
Pacquiao’s 12-round split decision win against Thurman was as explosive and bloody as his 12-round split decision win against Marquez, but Thurman and his team did not question the verdict.
Team Thurman did not denounce the two judges who awarded Pacquiao the identical 115-112 scores.
The former champion from Clearwater, Florida showed tremendous sportsmanship and professionalism in accepting the split decision defeat; he even acknowledged Pacquiao’s ferocity and talent.
“I felt I tested him and myself. The judges saw it their way and now Manny Pacquiao is the champion,” Thurman stated. “It just hit me in the right spot and had me bleeding. It didn’t bother me too much. I was focused on putting pressure but he was quite conservative. I really thought I was putting pressure on him but my numbers were not up to par.
“There was so much going on and in that moment I knew it would be difficult to get the judges on my side. I was obviously hurt in that fight. That’s boxing and, obviously, he was well prepared.
“He started with the knockdown in the first and then the body shot in the end was enough to convince the judges. I thought I would be able to do some countering and pressure him. Some of the things I wanted to do I did. Put I came up short in the numbers game.
“It was a blessing and a lesson to have a tremendous fight. Me showing my grit. Of course, I wanted to win the fight and I fell short. I do know that I’m a true champion. I will be back to the top in the sport of boxing. Keith Thurman brings out the best in the welterweight division,” Thurman concluded.
That made Thurman’s split decision loss so unique from Pacquiao’s split decision affairs with Marquez and Bradley Jr., thus Thurman earned the respect of the pundits and the boxing fans.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
By Alex P. Vidal
SENATOR Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao's (62-7-2, 39 KOs) 12-round split decision win over hitherto WBA welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman (29-1, 22 KOs) on July 20 in Las Vegas was considered to be more glorious and exciting compared to his victories over Lucas Martin Matthysse (TKO7) and Adrien Broner (UD12) combined.
In fact, it was sweeter than a knockout (KO) victory because of the quality of action and because it was the only split decision in his ring ledger that was not protested.
And his duel against Thurman was action-packed, toe-to-toe, brutal, and had the making of the “Fight of the Year.”
Pacquiao’s only other split decision victory was against his former conqueror Juan Manuel Marquez in their rematch on March 15, 2008.
And it was smeared by a terrible protest and condemnation from the Team Marquez that insisted the dynamite-fisted Mexican clearly out-shuttled and out-punched the then 29-year-old ring icon from Gen. Santos City claiming Pacquiao “looked more like the real loser” between the two after 12 rounds in a duel for Marquez’s WBC super featherweight title.
-o0o-
Like in Pacquiao’s fight against Thurman, the Filipino southpaw also scored a flash knockdown in the third round.
Marquez, a durable warrior, quickly rebounded and won the Rounds 5, 6, 8, 11, and 12. Marquez also won the Round 2. Pacquiao won the Rounds 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, and 10 plus the knockdown.
Because of Team Marquez’s insistence and persistence, Marquez was awarded two more multi-million fights against Pacquiao-- losing the third by 12-round majority decision and winning the fourth by 6th round KO.
The other split decision topic in Pacquiao’s record was as controversial as his split decision win over Marquez: a 12-round loss to Timothy Bradley Jr. for WBO welterweight diadem on June 9, 2012.
In that highly disputed split decision defeat of Pacquiao, nobody believed Bradley Jr. had won except Bradely Jr. himself, who entered the post-fight press conference on a wheelchair, and his handlers.
Pacquiao settled the issue with a sensational 12-round unanimous decision win in their rematch on April 9, 2016.
-o0o-
Pacquiao’s 12-round split decision win against Thurman was as explosive and bloody as his 12-round split decision win against Marquez, but Thurman and his team did not question the verdict.
Team Thurman did not denounce the two judges who awarded Pacquiao the identical 115-112 scores.
The former champion from Clearwater, Florida showed tremendous sportsmanship and professionalism in accepting the split decision defeat; he even acknowledged Pacquiao’s ferocity and talent.
“I felt I tested him and myself. The judges saw it their way and now Manny Pacquiao is the champion,” Thurman stated. “It just hit me in the right spot and had me bleeding. It didn’t bother me too much. I was focused on putting pressure but he was quite conservative. I really thought I was putting pressure on him but my numbers were not up to par.
“There was so much going on and in that moment I knew it would be difficult to get the judges on my side. I was obviously hurt in that fight. That’s boxing and, obviously, he was well prepared.
“He started with the knockdown in the first and then the body shot in the end was enough to convince the judges. I thought I would be able to do some countering and pressure him. Some of the things I wanted to do I did. Put I came up short in the numbers game.
“It was a blessing and a lesson to have a tremendous fight. Me showing my grit. Of course, I wanted to win the fight and I fell short. I do know that I’m a true champion. I will be back to the top in the sport of boxing. Keith Thurman brings out the best in the welterweight division,” Thurman concluded.
That made Thurman’s split decision loss so unique from Pacquiao’s split decision affairs with Marquez and Bradley Jr., thus Thurman earned the respect of the pundits and the boxing fans.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Thurman hits like Thomas Hearns who flattened Roberto Duran
“We all think we've got one more boxing match in us, and that, probably, will be the downfall of Floyd Mayweather, George Foreman, Manny Pacquiao. We'll overstay our welcome.”
--George Foreman
By Alex P. Vidal
AT five feet and seven inches, Keith “One Time” Thurman Jr. stands only an inch taller than Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao, but he looks menacing when he is in front of an opponent while ready to unload his vicious signature hooks.
He reminds of the legendary Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns (61-5, 48 KOs), a ring monster who reigned terror in the 80’s and who owned one of boxing’s most scary knockout wins: a second round demolition of the feared Roberto “Manos De Piedra” Duran (103-16, 70 KOs) at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on June 15, 1984.
Hearns was only 25 when he shot the daylights out of the Panamian phenom, considered at that time as already “past his peak and something less than highly motivated” at 33.
Thurman is 30 while Pacquiao is 40.
In that battle for the WBC super-welterweight title, “The Hitman” took control, backing the smaller Duran up with aggressive footwork and a hard left jab, making excellent use of his 12 inch reach advantage.
Generally a slow starter, Duran, who lost to Marvelous Marvin Hagler by 12-round unanimous decision on the same arena months earlier, looked to take his time and find his rhythm.
The taller, stronger, more assertive Hearns, however, never gave him a chance.
Hearns’ annihilation of Duran was viewed as one of the single most devastating right hand missiles ever thrown by “The Motor City Cobra.”
It crashed on the side of Duran’s jaw and the triple-crown champion who had never come close to being stopped in his entire career, instantly went limp and collapsed face first to the canvas.
Referee Carlos Padilla didn’t bother to count.
-o0o-
Like Duran, Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) is highly-touted, revered as a dangerous ring warrior who doesn’t backpedal against taller opponents.
Technically at 40, Pacquiao is also considered already as past his prime; meaning, fans expected him to retire even before he became 35 or five years ago.
I interviewed Duran in Las Vegas in 2015 and he told me he admired Pacquiao a lot. The feeling between him and the senator from Gen. Santos City was mutual.
Pacquiao idolized Duran, who amazingly fought in five decades: 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and in his last fight in 2001 where he lost by a unanimous decision to the late Hector “Macho” Camacho in Denver.
Like Duran, Pacquiao was sometimes careless during mega fights and got walloped by Juan Manuel Marquez’s wicked short right in one of Pacquiao’s most brutal KO defeat in 2012.
The similarity didn’t end there. Both Pacquiao and Duran are hailed in their respected countries as folk heroes; they are so popular and loved by fans that they could win the presidency of their countries.
And when they unexpectedly lost important world title bouts that they should have won, fans easily forgave them and gave them a second chance to redeem themselves (Duran to Sugar Ray Leonard in the infamous “No mas, no mas” on Nov. 25, 1980 and Pacquiao to Erik Morales on March 19, 2005).
-o0o-
Going back to Thurman.
Aside from Julio Diaz, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia, those on the list of his victims were like passengers in a roller coaster rides in the Coney Island.
But they all gave Thurman heckuva and Youtube-quality fights for all the world to see and compare vis-a-vis Pacquiao’s recent jousts versus Adrien Broner, Lucas Martin Matthysse, Jef Horn, and Jessie Vargas.
Thurman is a confident fighter like Hearns.
During fierce exchanges, Thurman’s punches usually come from outside and are delivered mostly as counters. And they pack wallops.
Pacquiao’s camp might not force the issue in the first three rounds and will wait for Thurman to fade away in the middle rounds like what happened when Thurman won by decision against Josesito Lopez in January 2019.
We don’t expect a knock out either from both camps to come early or even in the later rounds. But we won’t be shocked if the more veteran fighter quits out of fatigue or after being bamboozled by Thurman’s dizzying hooks.
If underdog Thurman knows how to use science to tire out an older man, he might cruise to a unanimous decision win.
In retrospect, what transpired on that Duran versus Hearns WBC fight night in Las Vegas isn’t so shocking.
As famed writer Michael Calbert had described it: “But at the time, it was, for one simple fact: no one, not even a deadly puncher like ‘The Hit Man,’ knocks out Roberto Duran. It had never happened before; no one expected it to happen now.”
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
--George Foreman
By Alex P. Vidal
AT five feet and seven inches, Keith “One Time” Thurman Jr. stands only an inch taller than Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao, but he looks menacing when he is in front of an opponent while ready to unload his vicious signature hooks.
He reminds of the legendary Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns (61-5, 48 KOs), a ring monster who reigned terror in the 80’s and who owned one of boxing’s most scary knockout wins: a second round demolition of the feared Roberto “Manos De Piedra” Duran (103-16, 70 KOs) at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on June 15, 1984.
Hearns was only 25 when he shot the daylights out of the Panamian phenom, considered at that time as already “past his peak and something less than highly motivated” at 33.
Thurman is 30 while Pacquiao is 40.
In that battle for the WBC super-welterweight title, “The Hitman” took control, backing the smaller Duran up with aggressive footwork and a hard left jab, making excellent use of his 12 inch reach advantage.
Generally a slow starter, Duran, who lost to Marvelous Marvin Hagler by 12-round unanimous decision on the same arena months earlier, looked to take his time and find his rhythm.
The taller, stronger, more assertive Hearns, however, never gave him a chance.
Hearns’ annihilation of Duran was viewed as one of the single most devastating right hand missiles ever thrown by “The Motor City Cobra.”
It crashed on the side of Duran’s jaw and the triple-crown champion who had never come close to being stopped in his entire career, instantly went limp and collapsed face first to the canvas.
Referee Carlos Padilla didn’t bother to count.
-o0o-
Like Duran, Pacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs) is highly-touted, revered as a dangerous ring warrior who doesn’t backpedal against taller opponents.
Technically at 40, Pacquiao is also considered already as past his prime; meaning, fans expected him to retire even before he became 35 or five years ago.
I interviewed Duran in Las Vegas in 2015 and he told me he admired Pacquiao a lot. The feeling between him and the senator from Gen. Santos City was mutual.
Pacquiao idolized Duran, who amazingly fought in five decades: 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and in his last fight in 2001 where he lost by a unanimous decision to the late Hector “Macho” Camacho in Denver.
Like Duran, Pacquiao was sometimes careless during mega fights and got walloped by Juan Manuel Marquez’s wicked short right in one of Pacquiao’s most brutal KO defeat in 2012.
The similarity didn’t end there. Both Pacquiao and Duran are hailed in their respected countries as folk heroes; they are so popular and loved by fans that they could win the presidency of their countries.
And when they unexpectedly lost important world title bouts that they should have won, fans easily forgave them and gave them a second chance to redeem themselves (Duran to Sugar Ray Leonard in the infamous “No mas, no mas” on Nov. 25, 1980 and Pacquiao to Erik Morales on March 19, 2005).
-o0o-
Going back to Thurman.
Aside from Julio Diaz, Shawn Porter, and Danny Garcia, those on the list of his victims were like passengers in a roller coaster rides in the Coney Island.
But they all gave Thurman heckuva and Youtube-quality fights for all the world to see and compare vis-a-vis Pacquiao’s recent jousts versus Adrien Broner, Lucas Martin Matthysse, Jef Horn, and Jessie Vargas.
Thurman is a confident fighter like Hearns.
During fierce exchanges, Thurman’s punches usually come from outside and are delivered mostly as counters. And they pack wallops.
Pacquiao’s camp might not force the issue in the first three rounds and will wait for Thurman to fade away in the middle rounds like what happened when Thurman won by decision against Josesito Lopez in January 2019.
We don’t expect a knock out either from both camps to come early or even in the later rounds. But we won’t be shocked if the more veteran fighter quits out of fatigue or after being bamboozled by Thurman’s dizzying hooks.
If underdog Thurman knows how to use science to tire out an older man, he might cruise to a unanimous decision win.
In retrospect, what transpired on that Duran versus Hearns WBC fight night in Las Vegas isn’t so shocking.
As famed writer Michael Calbert had described it: “But at the time, it was, for one simple fact: no one, not even a deadly puncher like ‘The Hit Man,’ knocks out Roberto Duran. It had never happened before; no one expected it to happen now.”
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
Monday, July 15, 2019
We are all guilty
"In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so."
--Immanuel Kant
By Alex P. Vidal
TRAINER and recently elected vice mayor in Polangui, Albay Buboy Fernandez has confirmed that Sen. Emmanuel "Many" Pacquiao is eyeing the presidency of the Philippines.
Pacquiao's presidential plans had been disclosed eight years earlier, and it was Bob Arum who floated the idea during our press conference at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas before Pacquiao's TKO win over Oscar De La Hoya in December 2008.
The big boss of Top Rank would introduce the popular Filipino boxer as "the next president of the Philippines" and the crowd seemed to be taking Arum's words seriously.
Before the 2022 presidential elections (assuming he can't wait until 2028), Pacquiao is expected to log two more fights regardless of the result of his WBA duel versus Keith Thurman on July 20 in Las Vegas.
After Thurman, two more licensed maulers will inflict harm on 40-year-old Pacquiao's head.
Let's hope he is mentally intact during the presidential elections.
-o0o-
THE terrible dengue outbreak that prompted the Department of Health (DoH) to declare a national alert July 15 after the death of 450 people nationwide, would have been avoided if not for our apathy and negligence.
"Alert" is different from "epidemic" in as far as the national declaration is concerned.
It's appalling that the entire nation was caught unprepared as dead bodies of dengue victims piled up.
Dengue outbreak was like a tsunami that lashed at the Philippines just when newly elected officials were starting to warm up in their seats.
Had we prioritized the steps on how to minimize if not prevent its shocking impact, lives would have been spared and logistical, as well as medical preparations, would have been assembled much earlier.
-o0o-
If we see the statistics, nobody can't escape the blame.
Health issues are always everyone else's issue.
From January 1 to June 29, this year, the DoH record showed 106,630 dengue cases have been reported.
There's no room for passing the buck and finger-pointing now.
Where are we during those period?
What were we doing?
While infants were dying from the horrific virus caused by a mosquito bite, our attention was somewhere else: in the mid-term elections.
Nobody was paying attention to the deadly virus, which causes a high fever from a mosquito-borne single positive-stranded RNA virus of the family Flaviviridae; genus Flavivirus.
-o0o-
During that period, we were busy watching politicians debate in the campaign for the May 13 elections; and became more busy tallying the results and listening to post-election speeches and other controversies.
We didn't notice that many regions all over the country have already exceeded the epidemic threshold.
Death toll rose in alarming and scary rate.
It took incoming administrations to make the initiative to declare a state of calamity in order to create serious public awareness and tap government resources for a full-blown battle to arrest the outbreak.
All of a sudden, dengue fever jolted the entire nation like there was a cometary impact.
If we did not hold the midterm elections in May, our major focus would have been on how to knock out the mosquito-borne disease in whatever means with the guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO).
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
--Immanuel Kant
By Alex P. Vidal
TRAINER and recently elected vice mayor in Polangui, Albay Buboy Fernandez has confirmed that Sen. Emmanuel "Many" Pacquiao is eyeing the presidency of the Philippines.
Pacquiao's presidential plans had been disclosed eight years earlier, and it was Bob Arum who floated the idea during our press conference at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas before Pacquiao's TKO win over Oscar De La Hoya in December 2008.
The big boss of Top Rank would introduce the popular Filipino boxer as "the next president of the Philippines" and the crowd seemed to be taking Arum's words seriously.
Before the 2022 presidential elections (assuming he can't wait until 2028), Pacquiao is expected to log two more fights regardless of the result of his WBA duel versus Keith Thurman on July 20 in Las Vegas.
After Thurman, two more licensed maulers will inflict harm on 40-year-old Pacquiao's head.
Let's hope he is mentally intact during the presidential elections.
-o0o-
THE terrible dengue outbreak that prompted the Department of Health (DoH) to declare a national alert July 15 after the death of 450 people nationwide, would have been avoided if not for our apathy and negligence.
"Alert" is different from "epidemic" in as far as the national declaration is concerned.
It's appalling that the entire nation was caught unprepared as dead bodies of dengue victims piled up.
Dengue outbreak was like a tsunami that lashed at the Philippines just when newly elected officials were starting to warm up in their seats.
Had we prioritized the steps on how to minimize if not prevent its shocking impact, lives would have been spared and logistical, as well as medical preparations, would have been assembled much earlier.
-o0o-
If we see the statistics, nobody can't escape the blame.
Health issues are always everyone else's issue.
From January 1 to June 29, this year, the DoH record showed 106,630 dengue cases have been reported.
There's no room for passing the buck and finger-pointing now.
Where are we during those period?
What were we doing?
While infants were dying from the horrific virus caused by a mosquito bite, our attention was somewhere else: in the mid-term elections.
Nobody was paying attention to the deadly virus, which causes a high fever from a mosquito-borne single positive-stranded RNA virus of the family Flaviviridae; genus Flavivirus.
-o0o-
During that period, we were busy watching politicians debate in the campaign for the May 13 elections; and became more busy tallying the results and listening to post-election speeches and other controversies.
We didn't notice that many regions all over the country have already exceeded the epidemic threshold.
Death toll rose in alarming and scary rate.
It took incoming administrations to make the initiative to declare a state of calamity in order to create serious public awareness and tap government resources for a full-blown battle to arrest the outbreak.
All of a sudden, dengue fever jolted the entire nation like there was a cometary impact.
If we did not hold the midterm elections in May, our major focus would have been on how to knock out the mosquito-borne disease in whatever means with the guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO).
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Pacquiao should listen to the wind of change
“Listening to your instincts, while being the easiest, can also be the hardest thing to do.”
-Tena Desae
By Alex P. Vidal
THE biggest stumbling block in Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao’s presidential ambition is not Davao City mayor Sara Duterte for they both belong in Mindanao.
It’s the “rock star”, Manila City mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagos.
And the biggest obstacle in Pacquiao’s political career is Keith Thurman Jr. (29-0, 22 KOs).
If the menacing five feet and seven inches-tall American reigning WBA super welterweight champion scores a fatal win against the 40-year-old lawmaker from Gen. Santos City at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on July 20, the hard-hitting Filipino superstar might have to again neglect his senate obligations to focus in a rematch even if the “wind of change” has long ago swept away his invincibility.
Win or lose, Pacquiao (61-7, 39 KOs) will never retire.
The prospect of losing doesn’t scare him as long as he is able to thrill and entertain his fans.
Pacquiao doesn't believe in defeat and retirement.
He is a ring warrior who forgets his age--and how far can an average athlete’s main faculties sustain a rigid physical activity beyond the limit.
The Filipino ring heartthrob will continue to fight as he probably needs to raise more money for his presidential dream--at the expense of his “tired and weary” bones.
His presence in the ring on July 20 to attempt to snatch 30-year-old Thurman’s belt actually defies the logic.
His handlers, if he still listens to them, share the guilt.
-o0o-
As an 8-time world boxing champion, Pacquiao has nothing to prove anymore.
He doesn’t need a fame; he had abundance of it since he began fighting for money as a scrawny miniflyweight curtain raiser with a decision win against Edmund Enting Ignacio on January 22, 1995.
He should have retired a long time ago; in fact, immediately after losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. In 2015 in a boring fight hyped as the richest in history of prizefighting in terms of purse and shares in pay-per-view awarded to both boxers.
The combined paychecks he got in his next five fights (winning four and losing one) after the Mayweather Jr. debacle were enough to last a lifetime on top of the reported $100 million he bankrolled from a shoulder injury-laden rumble with Mayweather Jr.
Is the bulk of that gargantuan amount still intact?
-o0o-
Why continue to risk incurring a life-threatening injury by fighting the undefeated Thurman in the heavier weight (147 pounds and up to 154 pounds or 66.7–69.9 kg) when Pacquiao can very well live a comfortable and privileged life as a senator with his mind-blowing ring earnings that have breached the billion mark in Philippine currency?
Every fight for an aging boxer is always literally a fight of his life.
History is replete with horrifying tales of famous Marquee names who ended up in the wheelchair for good after they refused to quit and defied father time.
A pugilist engaged in a sustained brutal physical assault for many years (Pacquiao started receiving punishment on the head in the ring at 17 as a licensee in the Games and Amusement Board) can risk a brain injury especially if the boxer is already in a precarious level of “my spirit is still willing but my body cannot” but still decides to go up the ring.
What the body can’t absorb the spirit must obey for it’s the body that gets the pounding and blasting, not the spirit.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
-Tena Desae
By Alex P. Vidal
THE biggest stumbling block in Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao’s presidential ambition is not Davao City mayor Sara Duterte for they both belong in Mindanao.
It’s the “rock star”, Manila City mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagos.
And the biggest obstacle in Pacquiao’s political career is Keith Thurman Jr. (29-0, 22 KOs).
If the menacing five feet and seven inches-tall American reigning WBA super welterweight champion scores a fatal win against the 40-year-old lawmaker from Gen. Santos City at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on July 20, the hard-hitting Filipino superstar might have to again neglect his senate obligations to focus in a rematch even if the “wind of change” has long ago swept away his invincibility.
Win or lose, Pacquiao (61-7, 39 KOs) will never retire.
The prospect of losing doesn’t scare him as long as he is able to thrill and entertain his fans.
Pacquiao doesn't believe in defeat and retirement.
He is a ring warrior who forgets his age--and how far can an average athlete’s main faculties sustain a rigid physical activity beyond the limit.
The Filipino ring heartthrob will continue to fight as he probably needs to raise more money for his presidential dream--at the expense of his “tired and weary” bones.
His presence in the ring on July 20 to attempt to snatch 30-year-old Thurman’s belt actually defies the logic.
His handlers, if he still listens to them, share the guilt.
-o0o-
As an 8-time world boxing champion, Pacquiao has nothing to prove anymore.
He doesn’t need a fame; he had abundance of it since he began fighting for money as a scrawny miniflyweight curtain raiser with a decision win against Edmund Enting Ignacio on January 22, 1995.
He should have retired a long time ago; in fact, immediately after losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. In 2015 in a boring fight hyped as the richest in history of prizefighting in terms of purse and shares in pay-per-view awarded to both boxers.
The combined paychecks he got in his next five fights (winning four and losing one) after the Mayweather Jr. debacle were enough to last a lifetime on top of the reported $100 million he bankrolled from a shoulder injury-laden rumble with Mayweather Jr.
Is the bulk of that gargantuan amount still intact?
-o0o-
Why continue to risk incurring a life-threatening injury by fighting the undefeated Thurman in the heavier weight (147 pounds and up to 154 pounds or 66.7–69.9 kg) when Pacquiao can very well live a comfortable and privileged life as a senator with his mind-blowing ring earnings that have breached the billion mark in Philippine currency?
Every fight for an aging boxer is always literally a fight of his life.
History is replete with horrifying tales of famous Marquee names who ended up in the wheelchair for good after they refused to quit and defied father time.
A pugilist engaged in a sustained brutal physical assault for many years (Pacquiao started receiving punishment on the head in the ring at 17 as a licensee in the Games and Amusement Board) can risk a brain injury especially if the boxer is already in a precarious level of “my spirit is still willing but my body cannot” but still decides to go up the ring.
What the body can’t absorb the spirit must obey for it’s the body that gets the pounding and blasting, not the spirit.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)
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