Mommy Dionisia cited in book

Manny Pacquiao isn’t the only international celebrity in the family. His outspoken mother Dionisia Dapidran, 64, was mentioned in Adam Smith’s book “Beautifully Brutal – the Family Ties at the Heart of Boxing,” published in London last year.

Mommy Dionisia went to the US for the first time to watch her son fight Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas in 2009. She didn’t make it to the MGM Grand Garden Arena and chose to sit out the action in her hotel room, praying the rosary. Mommy Dionisia also flew to the US for Pacquiao’s fights against Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito but both times, wound up in the hospital like her son’s victims.

After Pacquiao lost back-to-back to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, Mommy Dionisia appealed to her son to quit the ring and return to Catholicism. From when he turned pro in 1995, Pacquiao wore a rosary around his neck in making his way to the ring. Since his “conversion” to becoming a born-again Christian, Pacquiao has abandoned praying the rosary and going to Holy Mass. Mommy Dionisia, a devout Catholic, said Pacquiao’s recent slide has to do with his “conversion.”

Mommy Dionisia was recognized by Smith in the chapter “Tough Mamas.” “Manny Pacquiao’s mum Dionisia has only been in the arena for two of his blockbuster fights,” wrote Smith. “Both times (Cotto and Margarito), she ended up in hospital with anxiety attacks.” Smith said other fighters’ mothers were an inspiration like Cecilia de la Hoya who died of cancer at the age of 39 before her son Oscar, 17, captured the Olympic gold medal and became a multiple world champion. De la Hoya said he dedicated his life to her.

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“Oscar has recently admitted to several addictions, vices and problems,” said Smith. “I’m sure he wished his mum could have helped him steer a path through life, maybe he would have overcome his issues quicker if she’d still been around. How he misses his mum, how dependent we all are on our mothers. But in tragic circumstances, how their memory can be so evocative and powerful.”

Former world heavyweight champion David Haye’s mother Jane is a university librarian and never allowed her son to wear a tattoo. Trainer Freddie Roach’s mother Barbara was a boxing judge and according to Smith, used to break up her sons’ fights with a baseball bat. Former world heavyweight champion Chris Byrd’s mother Rose bore five sons and three daughters. Six of her children became pro fighters and she worked their corners with husband Jo. 

Smith devoted a lot of space in his book on Pacquiao. He stoked the fires of a possible match-up against Floyd Mayweather, Jr., wondering how many chapters are left in Money’s boxing story. “Will he ever share a ring with rival pound-for-pound king Pacquiao?” asked Smith. “How much has the Pacman got left in the locker?”

Mayweather, 36, is considered the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.  Because he’s his own promoter, Mayweather dictates his price tag and whom his opponents are. He entrusts the fine print in his contract to chief lieutenants Leonard Ellerbe and Art Haymon. Smith described Ellerbe as “an old friend, conditioner and CEO of Mayweather Promotions … he reminds me a little of the role Courtney Shand had with Lennox Lewis but he has more sway, he’s a sharp power broker who knits Floyd beautifully together with his adviser and manager, the secretive but seriously impressive Haymon.”

Mayweather said he will never be dictated to by anyone. If he ever fights Pacquiao, it will be on his terms. “A real boss moves when he is ready, not when he is told,” Money said. “Follow to support, follow to hate. As long as you follow, I appreciate.”

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Smith said Pacquiao isn’t just loved in the Philippines but also in England. “When Pacquiao came to Britain before tackling Hatton in Las Vegas, we knew Manchester’s Tafford Centre would be hosting scores of Hatton fans but we couldn’t believe the numbers of English-based Filipinos there,” noted Smith. “They made more noise at the final leg of the press tour than even the most passionate boxing fan club we’ve probably ever known in the history of the British game.

“Pacquiao’s fellow Filipinos worship him, he has God-like status among them. Millions watch Manny fight, crime halts all over the Philippines every time the Pacman appears in the ring. He gives huge lumps of money to the victims of natural disasters and in return, thousands of his family of fans turn out to support him, whether at ringside, as he steps off a plane or even at press conferences.”

 Smith said the world of boxing owes Pacquiao a huge debt of gratitude. “Pacquiao is one of the most famous fighters the world has ever seen,” he said. “The Philippines provided this eight-weight king, who rose from living in cardboard boxes and selling doughnuts on the streets of General Santos City, to thrill the world.” In his book, Smith also paid tribute to two other Filipino world champions Gerry Peñalosa and Nonito Donaire, Jr.

“In the Philippines, there was the Peñalosa trio – Dodie Boy, Jonathan and the one I got to know, Gerry,” said Smith. “There was a decade between them and they all fought for world titles. Both Gerry and Dodie Boy were two-weight champions. The boxing world has enjoyed the Donaire brothers, too – world champion Nonito and his older brother Glenn.”