Mommy D to persuade son to retire

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines – Saying her son has had enough of boxing, Manny Pacquiao’s mother Dionesia yesterday said she would do anything to persuade the Filipino icon to retire from the brutal sport.

“Handa akong lumuhod at umiyak sa harap ng anak ko para lang mapahinto ko siya sa boxing (I’m ready to kneel down and cry in front of my son to convince him to retire from boxing),” Mommy Dionesia said.

She said she would do it when Pacquiao returns to their hometown in Sarangani province next week.

Pacquiao, who is coming off a one-sided victory over Joshua Clottey in Texas last week, is running for a congressional seat in Sarangani against Roy Chiongbian, a well-known businessman and said to be the “gatekeeper” of the Chiongbian’s business empires in the country.

“Masakit tingnan na nakikita mo ang anak mo na nakikipagsuntukan sa loob ng ring habang naghihiyawan ang mga tao. Masakit tingnan na nakikita mo ang anak mo na tumutulo ang dugo sa mukha habang sinusuntok (It pains when you see your son fighting in the ring while the fans roar. It pains when you see blood flowing down on your son’s face as he is being punched),” Mrs. Dionesia said.

Mrs. Dionesia admitted that she cried when she saw her son’s bloodied face against Clottey.

“Noong maliliit pa ang mga anak ko iningatan at inalagaan ko sila. Masyadong masakit sa akin na makita ang mukha ng mga anak ko na puro mga pasa dahil sa mga suntok ng ibang tao (When my children were still young, I took care of them. It hurts when you see your children’s swollen face because of the punches),” Mrs. Dionesia said.

When asked about Pacquiao’s plan to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., Mrs. Dionesia said she does not want the fight to push through.

“Sana pakinggan naman ako ni Manny. Sana huwag na niyang habulin ang makukuha niyang premyo sa planong paglaban nilang dalawa ni Mayweather (I hope Manny will listen to me. I hope he won’t go after the prize money in the planned bout between him and Mayweather),” she said.

Mrs. Dionesia said she believes that Pacquiao would listen to her, saying “dahil para rin naman sa ikabubuti ni Manny ang hinihingi ko sa kanya (I’m asking this favor for his own good).”

Pacquiao’s father Rosalio, on the other hand, said it will all depend on Manny whether to retire from boxing or not.

Rosalio said if his son does not want to retire from boxing, the only choice of his mother is “to support Manny in his decision.” – Ramil Bajo