Let Your Big Fist Do The Talking, Pacquiao!
There certainly is a lot at stake when Manny Pacquiao goes for the win against Miguel Cotto, the reigning World Boxing Organization welterweight king and the pride of Puerto Rico this coming Sunday (Nov. 15, Manila time) at the plush MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
For one, Pacquiao has never lost a boxing fight in the last four and a half years.
He has won big fights against Erik Morales, David Diaz, Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar “Golden Boy” Dela Hoya and most recently, against Briton champion Ricky Hatton. And these are no pushover opponents. They were blockbuster opponents, whom Pacquiao pummeled like punching bags on top of the ring.
Pacquiao could also be the first boxer ever in the sport’s rich history to win seven world titles in seven different weight classes should he be able to beat Cotto on Sunday, dubbed “Firepower”.
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach already predicted recently that his prized ward could knock out Cotto as early as the first round considering the superb condition he has attained through the close to 150 rounds of sparring and serious pre-fight training he has gone through.
But Cotto, in interviews, refused to be intimidated.
In fact, he said, he is determined to prove that Pacquiao picked the wrong opponent at the wrong time because he himself, is completely focused and is determined to upend the Filipino world champion’s dreams of a historic seventh world championship.
To me, all these pre-fight talks could do only one of two things for Pacquiao—motivate him to go hard and go all the way into scoring a KO win against Cotto and bag the WBO welter crown or, get de-focused and engage in a word war that would get him nowhere in the end.
Bottom line? Get into the real fight.
Media people love the sidelights and the pre-fight talkies because these could obviously offer spice and drama to the world championship fight. Plus, controversies that may arise when they talk sell like hot potatoes, too!
So here’s my two-cent’s worth of advice to Manny Pacquiao—fight like the old “Pac-Man” that Mexican fighters dread so much and make the Filipinos proud once more! Mabuhay ka Manny!
Can Pacquiao Bring Home The Boxing “Bacon”?
It’s exactly two months before the much-awaited and expected blockbuster boxing title fight between world pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
In the Philippines, crime rate is expected to hit ground zero percent.
The leftist, rightist, New People’s Army, Muslim insurgents and the military personnel will all be putting aside their arms and whatever they are fighting for to their eyes on the boob tube and watch Pacquiao try to reach his ambition for a record seventh world title.
At age 30, he’ll be turning 31 come December 17, Pacquiao still packs a strong punch, hand and foot speed to match up against a similarly aggressive Cotto, who is staking his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown.
Meeting at the 145-pound limit, a lot of observers are saying he would be hard pressed to repeat his lightning-quick second-round demolition of Briton Ricky Hatton against Cotto.
But whether he does dispose of Cotto in a flurry or not, to everyone’s mind, what’s important is Pacquiao comes out the victor once the smoke of the battle has cleared.
Cotto flaunts an impressive 34-1-0 (win-loss-draw) record come the November 14 fight time.
But Pacquiao, who fought and won his first professional fight at age 16, is bringing with him an even more fearsome record of 49 wins, 37 by knockout, three losses and two draws.
His victories over the last three fights included David Diaz via a ninth-round KO to bag the WBC lightweight crown before adding Macro Antonio Barrera to his already impressive resume following his eighth-round technical knockout. Pacquiao then destroying Hatton in his latest bout last May 2.
However, with exactly eight weeks to go before his upcoming world title bout, Pacquiao should definitely start his deep training and let go of any of his other commitments—be it commercial shooting, political preparations for the 2010 Elections or movie shoots.
Pacquiao only have to remember that the only boxer who can beat Pacquiao, is Pacquiao himself.
Anyway, who do you guess will win the Nov. 14 title fight? Pacquiao or Cotto?
Photo Source: http://thisisfrsh.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/pacquiao-vs-cotto.jpg
My All-Time List Of Favorite Athletes
Selfless. Determined and courageous. Perpetual learner. Focused.
These are just some of the qualities I saw from the world-class athletes I put on my all-time favorite list.
1. Earvin “Magic” Johnson—typified the unselfish pro basketball player of his time. Played for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979-1980 season, the year LA began its “Showtime” Era under coach Paul Westhead before Pat Riley took over.
Magic, a monicker that stuck after leading Michigan State to the US NCAA title against the Indiana Sycamores and Larry Bird, was the glue that kept the Lakers together.
His no-look passes, big smile and desire to put the team first than personal accolades are things I truly like about Magic.
Under his court leadership, the Lakers won five NBA championships, while LA appeared in the Finals nearly all throughout the 1980s.
2. Manny Pacquiao—there are hundreds or perhaps, thousands of Filipino athletes who have made our country proud. But nothing comes close to “the Pac-man’s” iron-fisted rule in the featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight and welterweight divisions.
His cool under pressure attitude, his big, fighting heart in spite of the fact that he came from a poor family in Mindanao as well as his unmatched courage to face the world’s best ring gladiators are qualities that made Pacquiao part of my all-time favorite list of athletes.
He’s actually part of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential personalities in the world in the May 2009 edition.
3. Tiger Woods—he’s the world’s richest athlete with a total earning of US$110 million last year. But what made him what he is today wasn’t simply because of his immense talent in putting the golf ball on the hole, but because of his insatiable appetite to learn.
I remembered a story I once heard. Tiger, after winning a titled tournament, the next day, he went back to his swing coach and asked what else he needs to do to constantly improve on his swing.
Wow! A top-caliber asking his coach to teach him what else to improve on his game? Certainly, that’s one attitude I need to continually develop.
4. Michael Phelps—He set a new Olympic gold medal-haul record after splashing his way to a perfect eight-of-eight in all his swimming events in last year’s Beijing Olympics.
But probably not everyone knows that this swimming sensation battled through ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) during his childhood years, a deficiency that brought tension and pressure on his mother Debbie, who still managed to raise him up well.
Yet, through the patient guidance of his mother, Phelps by the time he reached sixth grade, overcame his ADHD. And by the time he reached the age of 18, was already a multiple gold medalist in the Olympics after bagging six mints.
Well, here are my short list of all-time favorite athletes in the world.
Who’s on your list?
Photo Sources:
http://austrianeconomists.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451eb0069e2010536e5c94b970b-800wi
https://layton.wikispaces.com/file/view/tiger-woods.jpg
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/thetoydepartment/manny_pacquiao.jpg
http://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/original/040820_michaelPhelps_vmed_3p.widec.jpg
