Pacquiao fine replacement for Oscar
Posted Dec. 7, 2008 at 01:26am
By Nigel Collins
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LAS VEGAS—Greatness comes in all sizes, but when it comes to boxing’s pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, it’s a case of one-size fits all.
From flyweight to welterweight, the 5-foot-6 human threshing machine has beaten the best, winning titles in five different weight classes, including both THE RING featherweight and junior lightweight world championships. He was Fighter of the Year in 2006 and looks a lock to repeat.
Among the hardcore fans, Pacquiao has been must-watch TV from the moment he came in as a sub in June 2001 and shredded highly regarded Lehole Lewawba to take the IBF super bantamweight title. The ascent from there has been spectacular …
Marco Antonio Barrera. Erik Morales. Juan Manuel Marquez.
And that’s just the cream of the crop.
Now he’s beaten Oscar De La Hoya, beaten him badly, not quite Dempsey-Willard, but close.
But the belts and accolades and even the amazing victory over 2-1 favorite De La Hoya are only emblematic of the man. As is his sparkling 48-3-2 (36 knockouts) record.
Pacquiao’s true greatness lies within. It takes more than just an extraordinary fighter to achieve what he’s achieved. It takes an extraordinary person.
Pacquiao rose from abject poverty to become simultaneously the idol of a nation and the best fighter in the world. It’s almost as if he’d been ripped from the pages of a comic book.
To a large extent, it has been Pacquiao’s personality as much as his fighting prowess that has makes him what he is today. One of the first things U.S. fans noticed about him was the way he laughed and smiled on his way to the ring.
Everybody loves a smiling assassin.
One of his early coaches said that Manny approached boxing the same way he would a game of basketball. It’s that kind of mindset that makes him so dangerous.
And don’t think the Pac Man nickname wasn’t important. Instead of “that guy from the Philippines,” he had an easy nickname to remember.
Once in a great while, everything comes together to create something special, and so it is with Pacquiao. It seems as if all the pieces fall in place as if by magic, but there was just as much hard work and sacrifice involved as anything.
Not that there haven’t been some rough patches along the way, especially with manager and promoters. Here again Pacquiao seemed blessed to find trainer Freddie Roach, a minor genius with a heart of gold and goldmine of boxing knowledge. If it were not for Roach, Pacquiao probably wouldn’t have fought De La Hoya.
While it was HBO’s Larry Merchant who dreamed up the match that eventually became know as “The Dream Match,” it was Roach who convinced everybody on the team, including Pacquiao, that Manny could win. After watching De La Hoya struggle in a decision win over Steve Forbes in May, Roach was convinced his man would shock the world. Few believed, but he was right.
There are no shortage of attractive and lucrative fights waiting for Pacquiao, with 140-pound world champion Ricky Hatton and Juan Manuel Marquez in the forefront. But a bit of post-fight banter was revealing.
“I can’t make 147, so don’t ask” said Bernard Hopkins, who was holding down the Golden Boy fort while De La Hoya, accompanied by GBP CEO Richard Schaefer, was at the hospital getting checked out.
“Pacquiao can make 170,” shot back Pac Man’s promoter, Bob Arum, almost giddy over the victory.
While the absurdity of a Hopkins-Pacquiao match raised laughter, it was hard to forget that the first mention of Pacquiao-De La Hoya was greeted the same way.
When Pacquiao finally arrived to face the media, he was as always: Humble and honest.
“I knew right away I would win this fight,” said Pacquiao. “Oscar was hesitant, and I knew how to control his jab.”
It was, of course, a bit more complicated than that. Roach mapped out a well-considered battle plan, and Pacquiao executed it flawlessly, jamming his left into De La Hoya’s face, and pivoting to his right, away from De La Hoya’s famous left hook.
It took this David more than one stone to bring down boxing box-office Goliath, but the accumulative effect was just as devastating, and in the end you had to feel sorry for brave Oscar. But when it was over, he told Roach, “You were right, Freddie. I don’t have it any more.”
Nobody can replace De La Hoya, who has carried boxing on his back for a long time, and boxing will suffer for lack of him. But he lost to another great fighter, and for that the sport is fortunate. Pacquiao will go home to the Philippines a bigger hero than ever – if that’s possible – the hopes and dreams of his people, both his greatest joy and greatest burden.
Who knows what feats he will accomplish before he too is forced from the stage. But for now, he the very best boxing has—and that’s plenty.
