Greatness

On May 3 (here in the Philippines, May 2 in the United States), the entire country watched with mouths agape as our nation’s boxing hero Manny Pacquiao devastated the fast-talking, hard-hitting wonder from Manchester, Ricky Hatton, in a mere five and a half minutes!

It was a fight that almost never was as constant bickering and squabbling over location, percentage and other details seemed to keep the organizers from coming to a decision. But in the end, the thrill of putting these two boxers in the ring just overcame all animosity and they worked it all out. One night only, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, televised live for the whole world to see.

And boy, did they see it… They saw a perfectly toned, incredibly agile, fast and furious Manny Pacquiao dominate the fight from start to finish, all five minutes of it. It even seemed like a mismatch as my favorite Southpaw decimated Hatton without even breaking a sweat, landing a perfect left hook that will go down in history as one of boxing’s most perfect punches. Even referee Kenny Bayless who was interviewed afterwards admitted he could not believe it saying it was the most perfect punch he had ever seen!

Celebrations erupted all over the country as Manny won himself yet another fantastic victory that has earned him a rightful place in history as one of the best boxers ever! Not just the best to come from Asia but the best in the world! I couldn’t be happier. Especially since I was so nervous the day of the fight I could barely eat and my breakfast tasted like cardboard.

Now anyone who knows me knows I always get pretty worked up before one of Manny’s fights. I get nervous and worried and I keep dissecting him and his opponent. When I watched the Pacquiao-Dela Hoya fight it was a good thing I hadn’t seen the HBO special Dela-Hoya-Pacquiao 24/7 or I would have been even more worried than I already was. The special chronicled the last month of training of the two fighters, following them around in their hometowns all throughout training camp up until the night of the fight culminating in the fight itself. It was a very well-done documentary and extremely entertaining but it would have just worried me even more.

It’s not that I don’t believe in Manny. On the contrary, I am a huge fan and follower. I guess I just get worried because I don’t want him to lose, or worse, get hurt, two things which happen quite often in the boxing ring. He has become such a hero and an icon that I can’t help but feel a twinge of fear every time he steps into the ring. I’m just like that, I guess, and I can’t change it. I’ve always felt that way about my sports heroes — Pete Sampras, Steve Nash, Roger Federer. I guess I just feel an affinity towards them and I desperately want to see them succeed.

And that affinity is even stronger with Manny Pacquiao since he is my kababayan and I am just so constantly amazed at how he lifts our countrymen’s spirits up by proving that with hard work and dedication, nothing is out of reach. He is definitely a modern-day hero who helps give Filipinos a spark of hope in what can, oftentimes, be a dreary reality.

I have followed Manny’s career for as long as I can remember, from his early Mexican fights to the thrilling victories over Marquez, Barrera, and the stunning lightweight fight against David Diaz which turned him into an even bigger star overnight! Oh, what an amazing fight that was. I remember sitting in my seat barely able to contain myself as Manny proved that he had what it took to be a Lightweight champion. He didn’t even need to hold on to that title, since he has decided to fight at Junior Welterweight or Super Lightweight, which is where he is most comfortable; he just wanted to prove he could do it.

And of course, who can forget the fight that turned him into a superstar? His bout against the Golden Boy himself will go down in history as one of the best victories of his career. Not only did he show that he could pit himself up against one of boxing’s icons but that he could dominate that legend in the ring. It was a perfect night for the Pacman as he controlled the fight from the first bell all the way until he was declared the victor. I couldn’t have been more proud (or more worried) during the fight.

So last Saturday, on the eve of another well-publicized and media-crazy fight, in which Manny had rightfully climbed from his underdog position to the favored winner spot (notice before it was called Dela Hoya-Pacquiao 24/7 and now it’s called Pacquiao-Hatton 24/7), I found myself getting those old familiar nerves once again. I knew that he was prepared and even Coach Freddie Roach said that he was in the best shape of his life, but in the words of the famous fighter himself, “Only God knows what will happen in the ring…”

Who knew just how crazily unfounded my fears would turn out to be? Nino and my parents kept telling me confidently that he was going to win and I believed them, I just had no idea he would win in the manner that he did! Talk about shocking the world. And now, from mere superstar, Manny has become a legend. A legend at 30 years old and already up there with the likes of Ali, Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano — pretty amazing company if you ask me!

Plus, I believe another measure of greatness is what kind of person you are. Manny Pacquiao, unlike other fighters — most noticeably smack-talking manner-lacking Floyd Mayweather Jr. — is above all a decent human being, a true nice guy. He takes everything in stride, and simply smiles leaving it all up to God. He is a role model and for that I think he is truly great. A class act, and truly a global icon.

So what comes next for Manny Pacquiao? Seriously, the sky is the limit. Mayweather Jr., Marquez, or anyone else will just be another fight because as far as the world is concerned the Pacman is already the greatest boxer of our time!