Manny Pacquiao camp exuberant: KO Chiongbian first, Mayweather second -- Examiner

By Michael Marley, Examiner

MICHAEL MARLEY'S PHILIPPINE DIARY, PART 15:

GENERAL SANTOS CITY--It may turn out to be irrational exuberance in hindsight.

"I smell a big, big electoral triumph for Manny (Pacquiao)," promoter Bob Arum exclaimed at 4:35 pm Friday afternoon

We won't know, according to promoter turned political pundit Arum until about 7 pm, South Cotobato time, Monday night, two hours after the polls close in the Congressional battle between aspiring public servant Manny Pacquiao and entrenched power broker and billionaire Roy Chiongbian.

But, as I write this on a rainy Friday afternoon in Pacman's hometown, not far from the extremely rural Sarangani Province, the Pacman camp is growing louder and more confident about not only beating the Chongbian Family Machine but trouncing it.

"Maybe Wolf Blitzer on CNN will call the result based on exit polling," Arum said, joking as he tore through a tuna salad sandwich at the Royale Hotel.

"Seriously," Arum said, "we are looking at an independently done poll now which shows Manny as having 78 percent of the vote in the province with the balance for the opponent or not decided."

However, local experts tell me that the race is much, much closer than any landslide like that.

I spoke with a son of a former mayor of Gensan this morning in the hotel and he told Pinoy pundit Hammering Hermie Rivera and I that the race is "too close to call."

A local businessman who is also a personal friend of Pacman agreed with that assessment.

"It could go either way but nobody has 78 percent of the vote or any percentage close to that. It may be something like 55-45 but no more than that, either way," this man said.

One voice of caution in the Pacquiao camp is that of adviser Michael Koncz.

"I don't trust any of the polls," the Canadian said. "It depends on who they polled. I tell Manny, 'Every day, when you wake up, you've got think like a fighter who is losing a fight.' We cannot be overconfident because it is a tough fight here."

Pacman and his foe actually met face to face Friday at a Gensan radio station known as "Radio Bombo."

Koncz related what happened when the rivals crossed paths as Pacman finished an interview and Chiongbian was next to go on the airwaves.

"Roy said, 'Hey, champ, hey champ.' Manny went over to him and they hugged warmly. Manny said to Roy, 'You know, it is nothing personal for me, it is just politics.' So it was a friendly greeting on both sides."

Switching to boxing news, I read that Coach Freddie Roach has told an interviewer that Floyd Mayweather, not such a spring chicken anymore at age 33, has legs that could betray him during a super bout against the Pinoy Idol.

Roach is just expressing publicly what others around Pacquiao, including Bob Arum, have been saying privately.

Another boxing voice who thinks Mayweather's foot speed is not what it used to be, an independent voice, belongs to veteran trainer and Michigan native Stacy McKinley.

A former trainer of heavyweights Mike Tyson and Samuel Peter, Mc Kinley told me in Dallas at a Pacman-Joshua Clottey prefight press conference that he sees Mayweather as being not as nimble as he used to be.

"I've been watching Mayweather since his amateur days," the Ann Arbor native said. "Floyd has lost a step or two or three during that retirement period. They say the legs go first and his legs are going."

Those in the Pacquiao camp see the lessening of the foot speed as a reason why Mayweather got tagged and staggered by 38 year old Sugar Shane Mosley in their bout May 1.

"Manny will fight Floyd at a punishing pace, pursuing him relentlessly and working the body to wear him down. Now that he is less mobile, Mayweather's suspect chin really comes into play," said the insider who asked that his name not be used.

The legs go first is an old boxing axiom.

But now for Pacquiao, only age 31 and 32 come December, the balloting goes first.

Will he nip Chiongbian or will it be a Sarangani landslide?

I am betting a down to the wire, split decision sort of victory for Megamanny but I am no expert on New York or Cape Cod politics let alone Pinoy political matters.

I do know there seem to be thousands of different parties and "party list" candidates here.

I have talked to at least 10 Sarangani voters who either don't want to see their sporting idol in the muck and mire of politics or don't think he has any of the experience and education required to be an effective representative for them in Manila.

We shall see what we shall see.

(mlcmarley@aol.com)

Source: examiner.com