EDITORIAL - Idol

The promised knockout did not materialize, and a challenger with no appetite for throwing punches made the fight unexciting. Still, boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao did not disappoint his fans, retaining his world welterweight title in Dallas, Texas Saturday night after 12 rounds of slugging it out with Ghana’s Joshua Clottey.

With his prize money, Pacquiao is now a confirmed billionaire, according to news reports. The vast wealth accumulated by the formerly poor boy from General Santos, plus the adulation he enjoys in this country, will no doubt inspire other Filipinos to develop boxing skills. The government should help those aspiring boxers to achieve their dreams of personal fame and fortune, in the process reaping glory for the Philippines as well. Some of those boxers may even be imbued with a strong sense of nationalism and think of reaping honors for the country first before going pro and focusing on income-generating prizefights.

The country has less than three years to prepare for the next Olympics to be held in London. As in the past, the Philippines is pinning its hopes for medals on its boxers, who by this time should be preparing in earnest to compete with the best in the world. British security solutions giant G4S has taken Filipino boxer Charley Suarez under its wing, including him in an international sports program that aims to produce Olympic-caliber athletes in countries that lack resources for sports development or give low priority to athletics.

In launching its sports program in Manila, G4S flew in its sports ambassador, two-time Olympic gold medalist Haile Gebrsellasie. The Ethiopian long-distance runner and marathon record holder, idolized in his country the way Pacquiao is in the Philippines, said governments can only do so much to produce world-class athletes. In the end, Gebrsellasie said, reaping honors for one’s country boils down to the athlete himself — his discipline, his determination to win. Pacquiao has that in him. More than his confirmed billions in prize money, those qualities should inspire more Filipinos to follow in his footsteps and bring glory to their country.