MANNY PACQUIAO - AN ASIAN PHENOMENON
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 30 Jun 2008
When Filipino ring idol and certified national treasure Manny Pacquiao brutalized a courageous David Diaz to win the World Boxing Council lightweight title with a spectacular ninth round knockout in Las Vegas on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) and fulfilled his quest for world titles in four separate weight divisions, he emerged not merely as an extraordinary Filipino but an Asian phenomenon.
Pacquiao became the ninth boxer in the recorded history of the sport to win four world titles joining an elite list that includes Tommy ?The Hitman? Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto ?Hands of Stone? Duran, Pernell ?Sweet Pea? Whitaker, Leo Gamez, the ?Golden Boy? Oscar De La Hoya, ?Pretty Boy? Floyd Mayweather Jr and Roy Jones Jr.
Interestingly two other fighters who tried but failed to win a fourth title were somehow linked to Filipino fighters. The great Henry Armstrong who won world titles in the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight divisions lost to Filipino Ceferino Garcia, who was famous for his so-called ?Bolo Punch?, in Armstrong?s quest for the world middleweight title on March 1, 1940
The other fighter who also fell one title short was South Africa ?s Lelohonolo Ledwaba who was demolished by Pacquiao and lost his IBF super bantamweight title on June 23, 2001 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Ledwaba had won the fringe organization World Boxing Union?s bantamweight title, the IBF super bantamweight crown which he subsequently lost to Pacquiao and the WBU featherweight title but was twice beaten by fellow South African Cassius Baloyi in his bid for the super featherweight title of another lesser known world organization, the IBO or International Boxing Organization, the last time in April 2006.
The success of Pacquiao has, in many respects, been nothing short of amazing. He started his pro career as a skinny 16 year old at 106 pounds on the popular weekly boxing show ?Blow by Blow? where he quickly carved a name for himself as the show?s biggest attraction with his aggressive style and courageous heart drawing 5,000 fans to the Mandaluyong Gym where the show was regularly staged.
Pacquiao won his first world title in December 4, 1998 on the eve of the Asian Games in Bangkok when he scored a stunning eighth round knockout over Thai hero Chatchai Sasakul.
After losing the title on the scales when he couldn?t make the weight for his second title defense against another Thai, Medgoen Singsurat or 3K Battery on September 17, 1999, Pacquiao moved up to super bantamweight where he won the WBC International title with a smashing second round TKO of Reynante Jamili on December 18, 1999 and then quickly disposed of five challengers put in front of him although he did have more than his fair share of trouble against Australian Nedal Hussein.
Pacquiao went to the US with his business manager Rod Nazario and traveled from one gym to another from East to West but nobody showed any interest until promoter Murad Muhammad signed him up in Los Angeles after watching a tape of the Sasakul fight. It was then that Pacquiao got his first big break.
Enrique Sanchez who was scheduled to fight Ledwaba for the IBF super bantamweight title was forced to pullout with an injury ten days before the fight which was offered to Murad Muhammad.. After a quick consultation with Pacquiao and Nazario, they took the fight and Pacquiao won his second world title with a smashing sixth round stoppage on June 23, 2001.
There is some debate over whether Pacquiao should be credited with a fifth world title today since he annihilated Marco Antonio Barrera on November 15 2003 when Barrera was the so-called ?People?s Champion.? Barrera had actually won the featherweight title beating Erik ?El Terrible? Morales but refused to accept the belt and then scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Johnny Tapia on November 2, 2002 and a fourth round TKO over Kevin Kelley on April 12, 2003.. This is the bone of contention because Pacquiao beat Barrera who was recognized as featherweight champion by the ?Bible of Boxing? Ring Magazine.
His third or was it fourth title came when he beat Juan Manuel Marquez in a rematch for the WBC super featherweight title in a close fight where Pacquiao prevailed via a split decision which was anchored on his third round knockdown of Marquez on March 15, 2008. Despite being dropped three times in the opening round of their first battle on May 8, 2004, Marquez counter-punched his way to salvage a draw. That too was controversial since one of the judges ? Bart Clemens publicly admitted after the fight that he had made a mistake in scoring in the first round which effectively denied Pacquiao of the victory and the title.
With his virtual execution of Diaz last Sunday, Pacquiao not only sealed his reputation as a ?Mexicutioner? he also became the first Asian to win four world titles and assured himself of being a first ballot Hall-of-Famer and the greatest Filipino and Asian fighter of all-time.
Top photo: Manny Pacquiao, of the Philippines, celebrates his ninth round victory over David Diaz after their WBC lightweight championship boxing match Saturday, June 28th, 2008 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison).
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