IN A TIME when the country needed a hero, the Gen. Santos-born boxer Manny Pacquiao put on his gloves and started to pound his way up, step by step, rising up to the challenge.
And with so much gray things blanketing the Philippine sky (apart from the fog hovering over the urban horizon due to pollution) the country needs a beacon to guide them. Is Manny Pacquiao bright enough to be that glimmering star?
Here are a few reasons why Pacquiao is.
– Pacquiao has become smarter. In his most recent fight against Mexican Hector Velasquez, Pacquiao knew his opponent was coming from a five-win streak. He knew his opponent might be “hungry” to want to put him out in the first round. However, Pacquiao took the punches to tire his opponent first, before he finally unleashed the brunt of his fury in the fifth and sixth rounds.
– Pacquiao has become smarter. Suddenly changing from an offensive stance to become a passive tiger, “Pacman” surprised his opponent since he is known to be the offensive power-puncher. But his strategy ensured a longer battle, entailing the bigger risks of being knocked down or simply exhausted. But Pacquiao knew he could outpace the older Velasquez in the stretch.
– Pacquiao has become smarter. Most fighters exhibit patterns in body movements, punches, and the like. Pacquiao capitalized on Velasquez’s head motions of feigning to the left every time he lands a right, by taking quick jabs to the head. Of course, this stunned Velasquez for only short intervals, but was enough to tip the scale of the match.
– Pacquiao has become smarter. Instead of going for the “money shot”, Pacquiao made sure he landed enough body shots to weaken the 30-year-old boxer. In the sixth round where Velasquez was knocked out, the Mexican boxer had already exhausted his energy bank—thanks to Manny’s needlepoint jabs aimed at the head and sharp body blows right to the side.
– Pacquiao has become smarter. Although many think that boxing is a game of brute strength, Manny was smart enough to understand that brawns are deadlier when he uses his brains. Pacquio himself admitted in an interview after the game that he deliberately let Velasquez take the first few rounds so that he could study his movements. Although risky, Pacquiao knew a masterful game strategy of painstakingly taking and blocking blows can provide him the “feel” of Velasquez he could not otherwise see on videotapes.
– Pacquiao has become even smarter. Boxing may be his life, but Manny has alternate ones—or reserves, just in case he’d want to retire younger (or more intact). Investing in billiards was a good move since he can try out his skills in a different ball game. Of course boxing would not be the same without Manny, but the boxer is a father who can’t afford to be forgotten after some time—like some good Filipino boxers were.
In addition, Pacquiao recently entered show business with his first movie titled Lisensyadong Kamao. Why not? It’s a high-paying job. Even if he does lose his magic touch in the ring, Pacquiao can now show his magical charm on screen.
Even though Pacquiao is such a good fighter, it’s just as important to acknowledge how smart this young Filipino has become. Truly, his brain—and not only his fists—is the one that the Filipino youth should emulate.
