PACQUIAO TO WIN WORLD TITLE AS SENATOR AFTER BECOMING WORLD CHAMP AS CONGRESSMAN
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 04 Sep 2016
When incumbent senator Manny Pacquiao comes out of brief retirement to challenge the WBO world welterweight title against Jessie Vargas on November 5, it is interesting to note that if he wins the bout, he will attain another record to be added into his endless collections of extraordinary achievements.
The eight division world champion will become the first senator in international history to win a world boxing title. Vargas is the reigning WBO welterweight champion and a Pacman victory will crown him as world welterweight titleholder for the third time.
Pacquiao first won the WBO welterweight belt by an 11th round TKO over Miguel Cotto in 2009. It was the last time he won by stoppage.
He won the WBO welter crown when he dominated Timothy Bradley, Jr. by unanimous decision in a rematch in 2014. That time Pacquiao was already a congressman, getting elected in 2010 and reelected in 2013 as representative of Saranggani. He lost that WBO diadem in a controversial defeat to Bradley by split decision during the first encounter in 2012.
When he was foiled by Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in the Fight of the Century in 2015, Pacquiao again lost the WBO welterweight belt.
Pacquiao won his first world title as a congressman in 2010 when he outpointed the bulkier Antonio Margarito and wrested from him the WBO superwelterweight belt. Later, he decided to remain as a welterweight and successfully defended the WBO championship against Joshua Clottey in 2010, Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez (third fight) in 2011, and Chris Algieri in 2014.
In those fights from Margarito to Bradley 3, he was always introduced by ring announcer Michael Buffer as "The Fighting Congressman from Sarangani, Philippines."
Come November 5, the announcer will now introduce him as "The Fighting Senator from the Philippines. He is very busy fulfiling his duties as senator attending sessions, committee hearings and staying in his office. He religiously attended his works as promised in the campaign.
But you cannot just separate Pacquiao from boxing and detach boxing from Pacquiao.
"When you put your passion and your dedication in one sport, you cannot say you're leaving that sport if your passion is there," Pacquiao was quoted by GMA News.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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