AGONY AND ECSTASY IN VEGAS
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 16 Nov 2009
The contrasting fortunes of Manny Pacquiao and Z “The Dream” Gorres dominated Philippine sports headlines for the past two days.
Pacquiao succeeded in his historical quest for seven world titles in as many weight divisions while Gorres, despite winning his fight against Luis Melendez of Colombia by unanimous decision, is listed as critical after undergoing brain surgery in a Las Vegas hospital one day before Pacquiao vs. Cotto.
The Pacman once again gave a dominating performance. Cotto won the opening round but was dropped by Pacquiao’s right hand in the third and by a powerful left in the fourth. Cotto was never the same after again despite the fact that he did manage to land more punches than Ricky Hatton and Oscar dela Hoya combined. Pacquiao continued his relentless assault on a retreating Cotto from the seventh round onwards.
Cotto’s cornermen should have stopped the carnage much earlier. There are no rules against what they did or did not do but they should be reprimanded. It seemed their pride got the better of them. Cotto was not going to quit, especially after the criticism he got after the loss to Antonio Margarito. Their boxer’s safety should have been their prime concern. Referee Kenny Bayless eventually did the right thing in the final round.
Since 1998, Pacquiao has scored 12 wins (11 by KO) – 1 loss – 2 draws when a world title is on the line. The last time he lost in a world title bout was in 1999 when he was dehydrated trying to make the flyweight limit and was stopped by Medgoen (3K-Battery) Singsurat in the 3rd round.
The last time Pacquiao lost a fight was in 2005 against Erik Morales but it was for the WBC international belt and not for a world title. He has won 11 straight fights since the Morales loss, 8 by knockout.
Pacquiao took Cotto’s WBO welterweight title and added it to his collection: WBC flyweight, IBF superbantamweight, Ring magazine featherweight, WBC and Ring magazine superfeatherweight, WBC lightweight and Ring magazine and IBO jr.welterweight.
While the Filipino nation celebrates, we should not forget to say a prayer for Z Gorres. He is a husband and a father. The ALA gym's patriarch Antonio Aldeguer describes him as a “special person and a rare human being”.
Gorres’ plight underscores the risks every boxer takes every time he steps inside the ring. Fans should take that into consideration before they start yelling derisive comments at them during or after a fight.
Just like every boxer, Gorres fought to make his life better and to provide for his family. His family needs him and we in the boxing community are praying for his speedy recovery.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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