ALL IS WELL
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 14 Apr 2014
Philippine boxing did not start on a high note this year. On the world championship stage, Rocky Fuentes lost in his bid to win the vacant IBF flyweight title in Thailand and Merlito Sabillo lost his WBO minimumweight crown in Mexico.
Prospects Marco Demecillo and Marvin Mabait suffered knockout losses in Mexico.
Boxing aficionados were starting to worry. Filipino sports fans are known to be very fickle.
In a recent conversation with Philboxing editor Dong Secuya, I was beginning to sound like a prophet of doom. But he summed up his analysis of the situation with one sentence - ?It will all depend on Manny Pacquiao?s performance in his rematch against Timothy Bradley.?
Things were not all that bad. Rey Loreto?s third round knockout win over Nkosinathi Joyi for the IBO lt.flyweight belt in Monaco and Marvin Sonsona?s one punch third-round knockout victory against Akifumi Shimoda in Macau were of KO of the year quality. Joebert Alvarez won in Mexico and Bruno Escalante retained his IBA super flyweight belt in California.
But the fate of Philippine boxing still depended on one man.
Most Pinoy fans wanted Pacquiao to deliver a knockout blow but the result was good enough to once again lift the spirits of a demoralized nation. Pacquiao also showed that he had the endurance of a man ten years younger. Bradley had a lot of good sequences in the first half of the fight. He made Pacquiao miss and countered well.
But the second half of the fight was all Pacquiao. It was a familiar scene; opponents would try to match his speed at the early going, but Pacquiao can sustain his intensity for the entire twelve rounds. Even at 35 years old, his conditioning remains unmatched.
Bradley tried to go for a homerun punch, trying to steal from the playbook of Juan Manuel Marquez. But a wiser Pacquiao would not get fooled again.
The scores were 116-112 twice and 118-110.
Bradley suffers his first official career loss and drops to 31-1, 12KO?s, Pacquiao wins his second straight fight and moves up to 56-5-2,38KO?s with the WBO welterweight title back in his hands.
Boxing insiders have been preaching that Pacquiao cannot fight forever. But he is a very tough act to follow. His crossover appeal remains unmatched. Pacquiao is the only Filipino athlete who attracts the attention of world leaders, music legends, Hollywood celebrities and sports icons. At home, he makes grandmothers and rebel soldiers drop everything and watch his fights.
But it is not just local boxing, but the entire world boxing scene, that has benefited from the Pacman.
Philboxing contributor and notifight?s Carlos Costa of Panama has witnessed Pacquiao?s positive influence on the world stage. ?Pacquiao made fans in the U.S look at the lighter weight divisions. He made lower weight fighters pay per view attractions. Boxing?s new stars thank him for that.? Costa told this writer a week before the rematch.
The last time the lower weights got this much attention was during the 1980?s when Sugar Ray Leonard faced equally great foes in Wilfred Benitez, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler.
Pacquiao has made a colorful life for himself outside of boxing. He is a successful product endorser and a two term congressman. The Taxman is expected to come knocking at his door once again. We can only hope his so called advisers will do their job and give him sage advice.
Pacquiao remains one of the very few bright spots in a country where corruption and typhoons are as common as the cold virus.
Whether a fight with Floyd Mayweather happens or not, Pacquiao has already sealed his legacy. He feels he has a couple of good fights left in him. It will be hard for him to say goodbye.
It will be doubly hard for us as well.
PHOTOS BY WENDELL RUPERT ALINEA, Top ? Pacquiao shoots hoops during the final days of his training, Below ? Pacquiao smacks Bradley
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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