Regardless of what happens this Saturday with his fight against WBC lightweight champion David Diaz, Manny Pacquiao will definitely go down memory lane as the best Asian boxer, and one of the best throughout the history of boxing. Considering that he started his professional career as a mere 107-pound skinny boy from the poverty-stricken society of General Santos City in the Philippines, the Pacman has really made legendary strides, beating the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and Juan Manuel Marquez on his way to the pinnacle of the pugilistic pedestal.
But his greatness can not only be measured by the amount of Ws and KOs he has collected throughout the years. His love for the sport and dedication to improve every aspect of his game is something that even the most inspired and motivated boxers want to emulate. Yes, the Great Manny Pacquiao is already at the top his game. But at this point of his career, Manny, as a boxer, is still improving. And that is what makes the fans crave for more of the Pacman. We all saw a glimpse, during the public workout at West Wind School in Berkeley California, of how Pacquiao can look even more deadly when he uses his equally-powerful right hand. He showed not a few good moves using his right that for a while there I forgot that he invaded his weight divisions using the bread-and-butter left straight. His footwork and balance were both impressive as well. Manny is known more to compromise his balance during fights when throwing his bombs to his opponents. He does this to get leverage and added boost to every left-straight he unleashes. During the exhibition, he was bobbing in and out and sideways to setup his combinations. If these become part of regular arsenal for Pacquiao during actual fights, who knows what else he could accomplish.
Much has been said about the so-so performance he dished out against Marquez last March. But many in the boxing world believe that this ‘mini-decline’ was a result of the tremendous drain to his body to reach the 130-lb limit leading up to the fight. Suffice it to say that it was not the ‘true’ Pacquiao who showed up that night. Still, with the diminished speed and strength, he was still able to squeeze out enough greatness in him to capture the WBC super featherweight title. This is a testament to the amount of will-power that Manny possess. He knows that if he loses, he would not be alone in his disappointment. That number will include 90 million Filipinos and many more millions of fans of different nationalities from around the world. So to say that Manny is pressured to win each and every fight is an understatement. But then again, Manny thrives in pressure and he loves his fans. That is probably the reason why we see him looking desperate at times when he thrashes a barrage of wallops to swarm his opponents. He is a man on a mission: to win so he could delight his fans worldwide.
But that is Big-Time Pacquiao in the office. Just doing his job; just displaying greatness. Regardless, this Saturday, June 28, 2008, the Pacman will add another feather to his resume of conquests.
And then he would continue on. Watch out Ricky Hatton…