Manny Pacquiao: “As Strong as the Filipino People”
December 7, 2008 by lisa
Filed under people & events
Am back in Baguio after a pretty long time away from home, having stayed in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental for a week, and then spending the rest of November in Manila preparing for my mon’s 70th birthday, which we celebrated last November 27, a day after her actual birthday.
If you must know, I cannot be Baguio Insider when I am physically away from the City of Pines. So I was planning a slew of articles to make up for my absence.
And what is the first thing I write about? Manny Pacquiao, whom the television commentators were calling “Ang Pambasang Kamao” (The Philippine National Fist).
Yahoo News stock photo of Manny Pacquiao prior to the bout with Oscar de la Joya, December 2008
Since the historic boxing bout against Golden Boy “Oscar de la Joya” ended early today as it was all over in the 8th round, and we were wanting more, of course we stayed tuned to the local tv networks for the after-fight interviews and commentaries.
A few minutes ago, they were interviewing expats in a bar in Makati who were rooting for California native Oscar de la Joya. Of course they were fans of de la Joya but, being Westerners, were pretty good sports about their favorite Boxing Hall of Famer’s miserable loss against the pride of the Filipino people. Grinning from ear to ear, one was congratulating “the Pacman” heartily after stating on record that the Pacman stood no chance in the match. I think de la Joya was more familiar to him but he was probably uber-impressed by Pacquiao’s performance today.
One comment that tugged at my heart strings was another American who said “Manny Pacquiao is as strong as the Filipino People!”
And I thought, “Wow, here’s one foreigner who knows us!”
For the Pacquiao-De la Joya bout was so classic, the underdog, whom we Filipinos usually love rooting for, won — and won decisively. Pacquiao’s defeat of De la Joya is so monumental that there were immediate questions suggestions about the latter’s retirement.
Of course we knew that Pacquaio was only an underdog only in the eyes of the Americans who always view size as an advantage. We Filipinos have been discussing for months how the Golden Boy has not fought in two years, how he lost his last fight, whereas Pacquaio is in his prime.
This is what I loved about the fight: Manny Pacquiao was being a little kind today. He could have gone for the “kill” in earlier rounds but he did not. He was, I think, wanting to go on just a little bit longer for reasons of his own (does PayPerView charge by the hour or per show?).
I loved the way De la Joya, to be able to fight Pacquiao, had to go down to his weight category. Ganyan!
For once, the Filipino was calling the shots, dominating the game, analyzing the competition’s strengths and countering them. Pacquiao dictated the pace all throughout.
So what lessons can we learn from Manny? To use our heads, to think, to analyze, to train, to listen to trusted counsel, to know that the lack of height and reach is not always a disadvantage, to turn a disadvantage into an advantage, to be wise and take advantages of all the opportunities presented to us without being greedy. That, knowing we can take so many punches as a people all we have to do next is embark on the slow journey to success that he did. That we can set the tempo of our lives and not be underdogs anymore — ever.
This is why we love Manny Pacquiao. He is the most successful Juan de la Cruz we have seen in a long time, rising to the top with just his fists and his brain. And we are so proud. He makes us proud.
I am prouder to be Filipino today.
We just...
Hi Lisa, good to hear you’re back. One thing I learned from THE FIGHT is to have faith. Most write-ups I read were for de la Hoya. Convinced me enough that Oscar would win it. Manny proved us wrong. Mabuhay Manny! Certainly, there is magical chemistry between him and Roach.
It’s just that the world was in love with Golden Boy for a long time (so was I for a while), but one could see he was a loser the minute he stepped into the ring. He was not in top form like he used to be. And Manny and Roach planned it all very well, would have looked like an overkill if Pacquiao did not hold back a little at the end of the later rounds.
Funny, no? This is the first time even Filipinas have become interested in boxing. Been into it since Thrilla in Manila!
The Golden (Pretty) Boy has not heard the saying, “do not take on an ugly man.” Hehehe!
In an article in ESPN, Manny was quoted saying he was surprised that Roach predicted the exact round they’d win the fight.
Whatever. It was a win. Something to be happy about as a nation.
Yehey!
Did you notice how Pacquiao kept aiming for his face in the beginning?! Must’ve been THE strategy — Manny had nothing to lose if de la Joya was able to land any punches on his face.
It seems there’s no future for de la Hoya in the boxing ring anymore…
It’s Manny Pacquiao’s time to shine…
Career wise, it was good for Pacquaio to go up against a big name like that. Great exposure to an American crowd.
But clearly, there’s no more hunger in de la Joya.
If we were to learn anything from watching The Contender (I loved Alonzo Gomez in the first run), it’s about having a lot of heart (to be able to do something about the hunger).
The bout today wasn’t even a good show… a “no match” Dream Match.
The whole America was shocked…nobody beats de la Hoya like Manny did. But I salute Pacman for not going for the “kill”. If it were Marquez or Morales, it must have been a KO. His respect for The Golden Boy was obvious.
Yes, the experts were right…a mismatch…it’s just the other way around. Tama ang sinabi ng isang Mexican boxer…i just can’t recall his name…”Pag si Manny, parang dalawa ang kalaban mo.”
Mabuhay ka Pacman!!!
History repeat itself but of course it also change. Basing from historical record, we noted that Manny was least favored. For me i voted for Manny for many reasons. 1. He is Filipino 2. He is younger, quick & fast 3. He has strong right and even stronger left. 4. He is simple and not ‘mayabang’ no pride. But certainly he is proud to have the above qualies.
Hi Lalaine,
Funny because de la Joya signed up Pacquiao and included him in his stable of fighters when the latter was still pretty naive, if I remember correctly. I was surprised he prepared so little (judging by the way he looked and moved during the fight) for the fight against him. We have to remember that Golden Boy is more of a promoter now than a boxer. Too soft whereas Pacquiao is WOW!
Hi Guy,
Yes, we are so inspired by Manny Pacquiao. He does not only deserve to win all his matches, he also uses his head and actually makes money from them, unlike the Filipino fighters who came before him. Hanep!
Sabi ni Vice-pres Noli sa TV Patrol, “ang mga maliliit hindi bumabagsak” or words to that effect. Tutuo nga naman, tignan niyo si Ate Glo. hahaha
Oo nga Resty,
And she just keeps hitting us with hooks and jabs, and the Filipino populace becomes like de la Joya yesterday — caught by surprise every time and unable to react fast enough!