My good friend, Joji Bulawin, is right about Monday morning quarterbacking among Filipinos following any Pacquiao fight the night before. Actually, it should be termed "Sunday morning boxing analysis."
Allow me to join the fray as well. There's no doubt that after last night Floyd Mayweather has proven to the world that he is in fact the best welterweight boxer of all time. His boxing style of incredible defensive skills and speedy footwork takes the air out of even the hardest-punching, most-punishing fighter like Pacman. His counter-punching gave him more points than Pacman even if they had similar number of punches thrown: 148 for Floyd, 81 for Pacman. In his words, he is "a calculated fighter." A smart fighter - and a savvy businessman at that. His perfect record of 48-0 with Pacman being the latest addition needs no further proof.
Of course, I'm proud of Manny Pacquiao. He is the best boxer that comes out of the Philippines and who far exceeded the feat of Gabriel "Flash" Elorde beyond the wildest imagination of the Filipinos. Until Pacman came around, Elorde was considered by many as the best Filipino boxer of all time. Francisco Guilledo aka "Pancho Villa" was the other great Filipino boxer of old. Pacman not only wins the hearts of all Filipinos but the many people around the world as well. His overwhelming popularity in the United States even among the elite, Hollywood or otherwise, is very palpable. He is so likeable that it's so obvious that the majority of the crowd undoubtedly were rooting for Mayweather to lose but they were sorely disappointed last night. Even the usually arrogant Floyd, who is characteristically obnoxious to his opponents, was obviously friendly to Pacman - a sign of respect to the man? Floyd's own words about Pacman: “He's is a hell of a fighter. I take my hat off to him. Now I see why he is one of the guys at the pinnacle of the sport of boxing.”
After him, there may never be another Filipino boxer like Pacman in years to come perhaps even in generations. We're lucky to have witness one great Filipino boxer in our lifetime. Perhaps it is fate that he lost the fight last night. Otherwise, the political opportunists in the Philippines will push for him to run for president and you know the many voters in the Philippines, how they mindlessly sent Erap and, some say, even Pnoy to the highest political position of the land. Silver lining?
