The best of the best

Nobody shook the foundations of Philippine sports last year more than uncrowned world featherweight boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. He stirred the country to a frenzy and made us all proud to be Filipino.

Pacquiao displayed the grit of a determined warrior, defying the odds, fighting on hostile soil and battling a ring legend who’s destined to be a Hall of Famer. He wasn’t fazed by the intimidating thought of a world-wide audience anticipating his demolition in Marco Antonio Barrera’s hands. He showed no fear and the guts of a big-hearted gladiator.

Somehow, I find it difficult to equate Pacquiao’s feat with bowler C. J. Suarez’ performance in the World Cup. Suarez, of course, did the country proud, too. He came from behind to snatch the title in a stirring climax and brought back the crown from faraway Honduras.

Because bowling is not as demanding and grueling a sport as boxing, Suarez’ feat wasn’t as earth-shaking as Pacquiao’s 11th round stoppage of Barrera. Besides, there was no TV coverage of Suarez’ victory. Pacquiao’s ascension, in contrast, was well-documented in media.

It isn’t Suarez’ fault that his sport isn’t as popular with the masses. Most fighters consider boxing as their ticket out of poverty and that’s why the masses identify with Pacquiao’s rise to stardom. Bowlers aren’t quite in the same social category.

The Philippine Sportswriters Association’s decision to honor both Pacquiao and Suarez as Athletes of the Year was a Solomonic compromise. After all, Suarez deserves recognition, too, for his efforts.

But if it will ever come down to a tiebreak, Pacquiao is the hands-down choice as the cream of the crop, the best of the best. And I’m sure Suarez will agree wholeheartedly.

Pacquiao punished himself for close to two months, living a Spartan lifestyle, to prepare for the biggest test in a career that started in 1995. He psyched himself to the point of eliminating any notion of losing to Barrera. Pacquiao willed that he wouldn’t lose, that he couldn’t lose because so much was at stake–he just couldn’t let his countrymen down.

It was like Barrera was fated to lose. News of his brain surgery dampened the mood in the Mexican’s training camp. His former manager Ricardo Maldonado threatened a lawsuit. A forest fire forced Barrera to evacuate his secluded Big Bear hideaway in southern California. Nothing appeared to go right for Barrera in preparing for Pacquiao. In contrast, Pacquiao’s run-up went smoothly.

Still, the so-called experts didn’t give Pacquiao much of a chance to pull an upset. Barrera was installed a 3 1/2-1 favorite. Consensus world superbantamweight titlist Paulie Ayala predicted a Barrera win because "Pacquiao’ss got a punch but can’t hit any harder than Erik Morales." Boxing News editor Claude Abrams said: "Look for the Mexican to box clever for half the fight, taking the sting out of the swashbuckling Filipino, then turn it on for a late stoppage or unanimous points win."

As it turned out, Pacquiao made believers out of Ayala and Abrams.

Here are excerpts from Abrams’ ringside account of the action:

"The Mexican who established himself as the best featherweight in the world by overcoming Erik Morales and Britain’s Naseem Hamed found himself engulfed in 11 one-sided rounds at the magnificent Alamodome by a ferocity he hadn’t previously experienced in 62 professional fights.

"Four seconds before the end of the 11th, a new supremo in machine-like Filipino Many Pacquiao was crowned. Officially, no championship was at stake but the value of southpaw Pacquiao’s 38th career victory was more than any alphabet body could offer in return for a sanction fee. Though still IBF superbantam champion, Pacquiao is now recognized as the best boxer in the world (in the 126-pound division)."

Abrams noted his scorecard read 98-90 for Pacquiao when the end came.

"To even suggest Barrera was off color would be grossly unfair on the super-fit Pacquiao because the ‘people’s champion’ had an excellent opener in which he appeared every bit as commanding as when outclassing Naz and Johnny Tapia," continued Abrams.

"The mistake Barrera made was to stray too far from his tactics of fending off Pacquiao with his educated left and get drawn into a brawl with a man he would discover possessed too much firepower and, more crucially, speed. Soon, Barrera was being driven to the ropes from where he could only form a barricade with his arms."

Abrams’ report was titled "Pacquiao blazes a new trail of devastation." It was an appropriate portrayal of the ascension of Philippine sports’ best of the best last year.