This is not a boxing analysis.
(For the most part.)
Neither is this an attempt to measure anything from the fight, nor is this an apologist defense of our Pambansang Kamao (National Fist).
He does not need it. Calm amidst the storm, he has been nothing but gracious and humble. He has done us proud.
This is, however, an observation of a genuine truth. The simple, genuine truth that even from afar, the heart of a champion shines as bright as the sun. That in defeat, a man’s character becomes that much more evident.
December 8, 2012, was, for all intents and purposes, the fight of the decade. And a fourth chapter to one of boxing’s greatest rivalries saw Juan Manuel Marquez defeat the Hon. Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao.
We should applaud Juan Manuel. He has earned that much.
He deserves all the credit in the world, and this was his vindication. Marquez clawed his way to a win, broken nose and all. And kudos to him, that he has been classy after the fight.
“We love you, Manny. You’re a great fighter,” he and his camp said as he embraced the Filipino.
This is all you could ask for when it comes to such a subjective sport like boxing. Marquez wins in what is undoubtedly a most punishing of contests, when one is asked to engage in physical combat that subjects both competitors’ health – heck, even their lives to some degree – as the sport demands it. It could easily have been him on that canvass. But he prevailed.
Also, thanks to Juan Manuel Marquez’ right fist, the sport has now seen a dramatic shift.
From this observer’s humble opinion, the mega fight is no longer between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Not that the world would not want to see that fight. And, obviously, that fight seems all the more unlikely now, if it isn’t set back further.
I believe with all my heart that Manny’s rivalry with JuanMa now makes their match-up the very one that boxing deserves. It is the very match-up that the sport needs right now.
This is the one that has breathed new life to the sweet science, to the sport the Bert Sugars, Teddy Atlas’, Max Kellermans, and Jim Lampleys of the boxing world cover.
There’s no gimmicks, no bullshit.
No constant demand shifts. No ducking the other guy. No excuses or slanderous accusations, no dilly-dallying with money issues, no artificial hype-ups.
Just war in the squared circle.
It is, of course, a shot that did indeed HURT. I say ‘hurt,’ because to Filipinos, it means more, than any fan of any fighter, of any nationality or ethnicity. It means a whole lot more when you talk about Pacquiao and Filipinos. That’s no secret.
For instance, in this case, there have been a long and historic line of great Mexican boxers. Julio Cesar Chavez, Sr., Oscar De La Hoya, Erik Morales, Marco Barrera, Ricardo Lopez (who retired undefeated), just to name a few. All legends, including Marquez.
But with Filipinos, it is a different story. We love our boxing, for sure. But while we have had our share of notable greats, such as Ceferino Garcia (known to be the inventor of the ‘Bolo Punch’), Olympian Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco (who lost a controversial semifinal match that cost him a shot at a gold medal), Gerry Peñalosa, Gabriel “Flash” Elorde and Luisito Espinosa, no one has had the same international impact that Pacquiao has had.
NO ONE.
(Nonito Donaire is really good, but he has a ways to go before cracking said list.)
And with the successes that Pacman has earned over time, that very weight of a nation’s expectations has gotten heavier.
One can only imagine his agony. I think we all understand to some extent, but there is no way any of us can really know what that is like. The pain of feeling you’ve let a whole nation down, a normal person would have a hard time dealing with that. Because as much as some people may resent him for “being the only guy that gives Filipinos global recognition,” it is also an unfair, and a tremendous pressure on Pacquiao.
Whether you like it or not, Pacquiao DOES carry our nation with every fight. Who was the last guy to have pressure like that?
If you as a Filipino slight him being celebrated with this ferocity, I guess you really won’t ever get it. And that is a shame.
And then there were the more ludicrous, ill-thought notions, from how his ‘lacking of performing the sign of the cross,‘ to how ‘switching religions’ made him lose a boxing match.
To quote Simon Samano of USA Today:
“Riiiight.”
Seriously, how narrow-minded does that sound? Sometimes, the “old school” conservative, outdated and jurassic Filipino way of thinking leads to ill-conceived thoughts, and they miss the bigger picture.
I would surmise, of course, that Filipinos observed what happened with more concern regarding the health and well-being of Pacquiao. But at the same time, there is a need to address this endemic of negativity and nonsensical reasoning, just to support singular arguments that have nothing to do with a boxing match.
The whole switch of religions is a separate issue of it’s own. But to say the least, the whole religion argument is an exercise in futility. It also sounds unworldly.
Leave the praying boxer alone, for Chrissake!
But I digress…
The truth of the matter is, the reaction is that much bigger because Pacquiao got knocked out. If it were the other way, it would be a shrug and a general feel of “Yeah, that was expected.”
Maybe this was what the sport needed. Maybe Pacquiao-Mayweather was only meant to be an empty promise, or at the most, a stepping stone towards the real mega-fight.
And whether God was behind all of this, or if it was merely a wrong feint by Manny and JuanMa’s improved strength and conditioning…
Even with the loss, this latest chapter was the best fight in the rivalry.
So far.
