THE HUMAN SIDE OF PACQUIAO
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 19 Oct 2008
Los Angeles, CA - An amazing thing happened this afternoon at the Wildcard Gym. What made it such is because once again, it showed the human side of Pacquiao, a personal trait that separates him other ring gladiators I have seen in the past.
Boxing fans and pundits alike surely remember a similar incident when Pacquiao fought David Diaz.
In that fight, Pacquiao knocked Diaz down to the canvas with a series of devastating punches. Then, sensing that Diaz is not about to beat the count thus ending the fight, Pacquiao took a good look at Diaz while the referee was checking him out. Then he walked towards him, took hold of Diaz? hand and tried to help him up. That incident endeared Pacquiao to his fans and further elevated the respect he gets from his opponents.
That simple human gesture emphasized the kind of person is Pacquiao. A fighter with a kind heart! I have seen many knock-outs over the years, but I have not seen a boxer demonstrate such a heart warming gesture.
On the contrary, most boxers who KO?s an opponent will run to a neutral corner, get up on the ropes, beat their chest and raise their hands in triumph. They could not care less what is happening to the opponent who is down on the canvas.
But, such demonstration of triumph is part of the game. After all, it is supposed to end that way. In boxing, knocking out an opponent is the primary goal of any boxer.
At the Wildcard today, Pacquiao sparred 4 rounds with a slugger from New Orleans, a tall and rangy 154 pounder named Marcus McDaniels.
McDaniels stood his ground for about 2 rounds. Towards the end of Round 3, Pacquiao tagged McDaniels with a good left hook and stunned him. In fact, he dropped his hands and leaned on the ropes prompting Pacquiao to stop, step back and ask: ?Are you okay?? And, he did not hit him anymore. Shortly after, the bell rung to end the round giving McDaniels time to recover.
Pacquiao?s great concern for his sparmate demonstrated once again his human side. Truly, the man is different from everybody else.
Those of us who were at the ring side and saw what happened were just amazed and the incident was the talk of the gym long after the sparring session was over.
PS: Bobby Chacon, a great Mexican fighter of yesteryears was at the gym today to visit Roach and see Pacman spar.
Top photo: Pacquiao (L) lands a left cross that stunned Marcus McDaniels.
Roach (L) poses with Boxing Hall of Famer and old rival Bobby Chacon who visited the Roach's Wildcard Gym Saturday.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
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