By Geno McGahee, Ringside Report
One of the most powerful men in boxing and a man that has had a stake in many of the major fights of the last 15 years, Oscar De La Hoya, was reportedly quoted to say that the mega fight between Floyd Mayweather, JR., and Manny Pacquiao is “very close” to completion. A source close to Team Mayweather has also reported to RSR that the specifics have been ironed out and that the only thing that remains is the contract signing and subsequent announcement of the fight. Is it too good to be true?
After Pacquiao’s destruction of Miguel Cotto and Floyd’s dismantling of Juan Manuel Marquez, the two agreed to a showdown with big money on the line as well as the legacy of both men. Floyd Mayweather, SR., made an observation that turned the bout on its head. He suspected that Manny Pacquiao was on steroids.
Steroids are a problem in every competitive sport and it is not a surprise that it is rampant. With millions of dollars are at stake, people will go to extreme measures. Antonio Margarito is a good example of what a fighter will do to get the competitive edge, loading his hand wraps with plaster of Paris. There have also been consistent rumors that the late Diego Corrales and Marco Antonio Barrera have also implemented the loaded hand wraps throughout their careers.
Although loading gloves seems to be isolated incidents, steroid abuse is a much larger issue. James “Lights Out” Toney, the former middleweight, super middleweight, cruiserweight, and heavyweight champion has tested positive for steroids on more than one occasion. Sugar Shane Mosley admitted using steroids, Fernando Vargas was banned temporarily after testing positive, Jameel McCline, Evander Holyfield, and the list goes on and on of the boxers reportedly “juicing.”
So will the steroids allegations make this fight a no-go again?
The issue isn’t the steroid testing, but the method in which the fighters are tested. Pacquiao’s claim is that the random Olympic style testing would drain him for the fight and I’m sure that they can cite Shane Mosley’s horrible performance against Mayweather in his last fight as evidence. Mayweather wants to employ this testing to overcome the boxers’ ability to avoid testing positive. Many know how to play the game and avoiding a positive test can be accomplished even as a user. That is the point of Team Mayweather and they have some ground to stand on.
Pacquiao may be his own worst enemy. His ability to climb weight divisions and apparently get stronger and more effective as he puts on pounds has raised some red flags, either justly or unjustly. Floyd, SR., watched on as Manny destroyed Miguel Cotto and made the allegation because of how great he looked in the ring. Cotto made some comments that he didn’t rule out that Pacquiao was on steroids and should agree to the Olympic testing.
Recently Kermit Cintron has come out and stated that Pacquiao’s jump in weight and physical appearance and strength suggest that he may be juicing. It is not just the Mayweathers suggesting this and should the fight come off and Manny win, the question will linger.
To save the fight of the century, Pacquiao should agree to the Olympic style testing, and with all the money on the line, it’s hard to fathom why he wouldn’t. What is interesting about the current negotiations is that this point has apparently not thrown a wrench in the works just yet. You can draw the conclusion that this situation, the only situation that prevented them from fighting earlier, has been resolved one way or another.
Because of the gag order put into place to protect this fight’s negotiations from outside influence, mum is the word, but De La Hoya gave everyone a small window into the ongoing talks. This fight is worth far too much money for it not to happen and there hasn’t been a fight of this magnitude in years. Arguably, the last fight that can compare to this was the showdown in 1999 between undefeated welterweight champions: Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya. The anticipation was at an all time high and now, I believe it to be even higher for this showdown. It has everything that you would want as a boxing fan.
Floyd Mayweather, JR., has been responsible for some of the biggest selling pay per view events, and that is a testament to his ability to market himself. He has become the new Muhammad Ali. He is the man that you want to see lose…you want to see somebody shut his mouth, which is why a guy that is a defensive whiz with a mediocre punch can sell out arenas. His showdowns with Zab Judah, Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Shane Mosley were incredible successes. There aren’t many that go into these bouts hoping to see a defensive display. They hope that the opponent at least gives Floyd some scares and tests him because he is so much superior, or perceived to be superior, then all of the other pugilists in the game today.
Manny Pacquiao, the #2 pay per view attraction according to the numbers, earned his popularity through his performance in the ring. He is one of those fighters that love to fight. When he gets hit, he likes it, and becomes more aggressive. He has beaten up on many Mexican legends like Marco Antonio Barrera (twice), Erik Morales (2 out of 3 times) and Juan Manuel Marquez. He is one of only two men to stop Oscar De La Hoya (the other being a middleweight, Bernard Hopkins), outworked tough guy Joshua Clottey, and beat Miguel Cotto into submission. He is the Mike Tyson of today. You wonder just what can stop him…this is why a showdown with Floyd is necessary.
I don’t think that there are many that argue that Floyd and Manny are #1 and #2 pound for pound best in the world…you may argue which occupies top spot, but they are there at the two positions. Style-wise, this fight is perfect with an aggressor with lighting speed going against the defensive master with perfect timing.
The biggest fight in recent history is coming people. There isn’t much that can stop it now. Oscar De La Hoya let it slip that we are close to a deal and we have an alternate source that contacted RSR revealing that Oscar wasn’t off base. Floyd Mayweather, JR., will take on Manny Pacquiao in November, most likely in Las Vegas. There is no bigger fight.
Source: ringsidereport.com
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Father Knows Best: Floyd Mayweather SR.’s Rightful Concerns over Manny Pacquiao’s Suspected Steroid Use -- Ringside Report
By Joe Wilson, Ringside ReportIt was May 2, 2009, at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Floyd Mayweather, SR., gained much respect or suspicion of Manny Pacquiao’s hitting power. It came during the devastating knockout of Former Welterweight Champion Ricky Hatton, whom Floyd SR. was training at the time. This fight lasted all but two rounds.
Hatton has always been known for his bully attitude in the ring. He suffered his first loss in a ten round knockout to Welterweight Champion Floyd Mayweather, JR., several months before. Then, “Money Mayweather” retired shortly afterwards. Hatton was seen as a dangerous opponent for any welterweight. He was considered one of the strongest and busiest welterweights fighting.
Most boxing experts thought Hatton’s size and strength could pose a very serious problem for Manny Pacquiao. Boy, were they wrong! Pacquiao stepped in the ring during the opening bell and hit Hatton with some punches he couldn’t even see coming. He had blinding speed. He looked better than ever. Every power punch he threw landed. Hatton came rushing in with his bullying style and Pacquiao made him pay.Before the end of the first round, Hatton was dropped to the canvas twice, by blinding speed from all angles. In the corner, Floyd, SR., yelled at him for bum rushing with his chin up and hands down. “You’ve got to protect yourself,” said Mayweather. “Don’t go in head first with you hands down,” he yelled. We all know what happened in round two.
I believe it was this fight, that Mayweather, SR., developed his respect or suspicion of Manny Pacquiao. Months before that bout, the Filipino star whipped up on Oscar De La Hoya and made him quit on his stool in round nine. I don’t believe that was that big of a deal. He knew Oscar had seen his better days in the ring. In other words, he was weight drained and washed up.
During that time, he had started to rekindle his relationship with his son. He knew Floyd JR. was planning a come back. There were two, maybe three, opponents that could give Lil’ Floyd some problems. At the time it was Sugar Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao. Those three guys were at the top of the sport in those divisions.
He came back out of retirement and beat Juan Manuel Marquez in a one-sided decision on September, 2009. This fight was not even close. He looked better than ever after being off for two years. At that time, Floyd, SR., has joined back with his son and Team Mayweather. They were reunited once again. The Mayweathers were working as a family again, even though the father was working from the sidelines.
The match up that really made Floyd SR., more suspicious was when Manny Pacquiao beat down Miguel Cotto in November, 2009. “No way a little man can come up two weight classes and punish a big guy like Cotto,” said Mayweather. I believe it was this fight that really sealed the deal on the suspicion. No way was he going to let his son get into the ring with a little guy who hits as hard as Pacquiao.
This little guy named “Manny Pacquiao” must be taking something. There is no way this naturally happens. It was Floyd Mayweather SR., who raised that flag of illegal substance taken. He brought lots of attention to this matter, even before Uncle Roger Mayweather, Lil Floyd’s trainer did. I believe everyone watching the Cotto fight was a little surprised to see Cotto get handled so easily.
Negotiations started to rise regarding the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao match up. The subject of illegal substance also surfaced from the Mayweather camp. Floyd SR. was very concerned about his son getting in the ring with Pacquiao after he beat up Miguel Cotto. This could be very dangerous if these allegations are true, Mayweather thought.
What gave these allegations a life of its own was Pacquiao’s refusal to take mandatory drug test to prove that he was clean and legit. His refusal raised questions on the minds of many fight fans, who could not believe that he would let a fight of this magnitude slip through the cracks over the fear of needles. This guy (Pacquiao) already had tattoos on his body, so his excuse was very questionable.
What if Floyd Mayweather SR’s allegations against Manny Pacquiao were true?
This would have been one of the best calls a father could make for any son going into battle on an uneven playing field. If true, he could not only have saved his son’s boxing record, but also prevented him or someone else from getting hurt in the ring. Some experts believe Olympic Style Testing is a good thing, and it also guarantees a level playing field for fighters.
Some believe this type of testing will only bring awareness to the sport and will keep the sport clean. Usually that mentality spills over into other sports as well. I’m not saying that Manny Pacquiao is using PEDS or have ever used before, however, cooperating with the new testing only makes him looks innocent of all allegations and claims against him.
Floyd SR. and his knowledge of boxing have helped his son in many ways. Floyd SR. helped guide his son during his recent victory over Shane Mosley. This fight should have gone down as “Upset of the Year.” My hat goes off to Mosley, because he had also been accused of using illegal substance during the BALCO scandals. But—he has redeemed himself from that bad press by agreeing to the Olympic Style Testing.
There is a mega fight brewing, you know how I know? This time things are quiet… The promoters and the powers that be are doing what they should have done the first time. They are sealing the deal before they speak out! I believe this time both fighters will be in agreement. I do know that Team Mayweather has the upper hand in making this fight happen. And—you can rest assure that Papa Mayweather will have his say, and Lil’ Floyd will be quick to listen.
Source: ringsidereport.com
Manny Pacquiao the congressman fighter for Sarangani -- Telegraph
By Gareth A Davies, Telegraph.co.uk
They say that Manny Pacquiao, seven-weight world champion, the little guy with flashing fists and humble demeanour will one day become President of The Philippines.
They used to say it was bunkum; a pipe dream. Until he was voted in as a Congressman in the House of Representatives in that country’s Government on May 10. It was unexpected; and decisive. He will represent his constituents in Sarangani, the province his wife Jinkee was born and raised in, from July this year.
Nor was it just a victory, it was a landslide decision – a shutout unanimous points triumph on all the judges’ cards, if you like – in a contest against a family member from a significant hitherto ruling political dynasty in the province of Sarangani.
For some time, Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s Las Vegas-based promoter, has insisted that he has not known such popularity and love for one man since he promoted Muhammad Ali in the Sixties. “Manny’s popularity, the love people have for him, reminds me of Ali. Really, not since Ali have I seen one man so loved by one people. An entire nation that loves Manny, and Manny is about helping the people, especially the poorest of people.”
Arum is convinced Pacquiao will one day rise to be President of his country.
Remarkable given the start in life for a young man who slept in cardboard boxes, and who sold donuts for a penny to eke out a living as a young teenager. Even when he started out fighting for a few dollars a time he sent them home to his mother. Rags to riches. A tale the Hollywood script writers would screw up and throw in wastepaper basket on account of it being too far-fetched.
Arum flew to Sarangani to join Pacquiao in a major political rally towards the end of the electioneering in May, merely to support Pacquiao’s candidacy. (foreigners are forbidden from active campaigning).
Arum’s agenda, of course, goes beyond friendship and politics, as he seeks to create Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather Jr, the prizefight which would draw a curtain over a generation of fighters, and the fall one of two fistic heroes.
Arum now calls it ‘The Fight’.
Both great ring marshalls have equal bragging rights to boxing’s mythical pound for pound belt, in their different ways and very different styles. A contest between them may just close the door on the debate.
It is a contest which arguably could gross over $200 million, and break all pay-par-view television records, currently standing at 2.25 million pay-per-view buys for the Oscar De La Hoya-Mayweather May 2007 welterweight contest in Las Vegas.
“Mayweather against Pacquiao. It is the biggest fight of all-time,” Arum insists.. “And it has to happen. Now, the fight is do-able.” But so too is a major career in politics for Pacquiao. But can he balance both ?
The man from Manila, the Pacman, the National Fist, the pride of The Philippines, was a huge underdog against Roy Chiongbian, his political rival.
Pacquiao’s battle for election in that province, on the southern tip of The Philippines, looked far tougher than any championship fight he had ever undertaken in the ring. Probably tougher than any Mayweather scrap.
He was also 0-1 in his political career, and lost significant amounts of his own money doing so in a losing campaign in 2007.
Remarkably, this time around, he received the popular vote against the power base of the ruling political family, the Chiongbians, which was both vast and entrenched.
Roy Chiongbian, who was running for the first time, had major political clout behind him. His mother was a Governor, and his father was the first Congressman of Sarangani when it was created as a congressional seat.
Chiongbian could not be from a more diverse background than Pacquiao. While Pacquiao’s family lived hand to mouth when he was growing up, 61-year-old Chiongbian joined the family firm, and was US-educated.
He launched his campaign for these elections from his family’s 2,718-acre plantation near Kiamba. The incumbent congressman until Pacquiao takes office is Chiongbian’s brother; the vice-governor is his nephew.
The family owns Eastern Shipping Lines. They are old money, and have strong support from the indigenous people’s organisation in that province. With 30 years of political power, they are comparable to the Kennedy family in the US.
Arum explained. “People don’t realize that this victory over the candidate that he beat was a tremendous upset that very few people expected him to pull off. His opponent’s family holds all of the major businesses in this province.”
“All the mayors and the congressman in the province are either related to this family belong to the family or are associates of the family. Manny Pacquiao was running against the elder son of the family and they hadn’t been defeated and won overwhelmingly in every election for 25 years.”
“Manny Pacquiao is a fighter and with his grit and determination was not only able to win but to win by a landslide. It reminded me of when he was fighting Oscar De La Hoya and all the boxing writers said we should be ashamed of ourselves because it was a mismatch and De La Hoya would destroy him. It was a mismatch but it was a mismatch the other way with Manny destroying De La Hoya.”
“This was the same thing. Everybody said he was crazy, spending his own money. In certain precincts, Manny was beating this guy 90-10 and in other precincts 70-30 and when the dust settled, Manny will win by about a 3/1 margin. Manny is so humble and so soft spoken, you think, how can he be a politician? Then you go to his rally, and you hear him speak in the native dialect and he gives a rousing speech that brings the crowd to its feet. It is tremendous to hear him speak even though you don’t even understand a word. Something else that I learned – there are 7 dialects in the Philippines and Manny can speak every one of them.”
Pacquiao had learnt from his mistakes in 2007, losing to Darlene Antonio-Custodio. In February 2007, Pacquiao had announced he would run for congress under President Arroyo’s party, yet it caused widespread unhappiness from both his fans and the general public. Arroyo was hugely unpopular. Many voted against him, seeing Arroyo as a President they did not want, and who came into office in 2004, following vote-rigging allegations.
On May 17, 2007 Pacquiao was defeated in the congressional elections by Antonino-Custodio, running for the Nationalist People’s Coalition, who received 139,061 votes to Pacquiao’s 75,908.
Pacquiao had funded his campaign with his own money.
This time it was different. He created the People Champ Movement, and appealed to the poor, working the 379 precincts in the region, investing almost $1 million US in his campaign. He was also bolstered by the campaigning zeal of his wife Jinkee, who often visited separate rallies to her husband. It is here where Pacquiao the would-be politician, at his most humble, most needed his wife of ten years. Sarangani is her birthplace, where her family still resides, and where she was raised as a child. That alone has created serious capital for the 31-year-old’s campaign.
“When he’s 35 he can run for Senate, and when he’s 40, I am sure he’ll be President of the Philippines,” said Arum. “My great dream is to still be around to be at the inauguration of Manny Pacquiao of President of the Philippines. That would be the greatest achievement in my career. He is special and we in boxing are lucky to have him be part of the sport.”
Pacquiao told Arum that winning the election had made him incredibly happy, even more than the big victories in the ring, and that he was “so proud of what had been accomplished”.
Pacquiao’s role as an elected Congressman, apart from attend sessions, will include allocating funds from the federal government to the mayors and towns in the province of Sarangani. Pacquiao will be sworn in on June 30, and attend a Congressiona; session in July, before a summer recess.
I was with Freddie Roach and Amir Khan and a contingent of British media representatives just beside Central Park in New York when Roach learnt that Pacquiao was close to being confirmed as Congressman for Sarangani Province.
“Pacquiao won, and by landslide victory, I’m told,” said Roach. Was he concerned that Pacquiao could now be distracted ? “I don’t think so. It makes me excited because we are now going to have Congressman Pacquiao knock out Floyd Mayweather in November if we can get the fight on,” giggled Roach.
“It’s Manny’s ambition to improve his country. I’m not concerned that he will lose his love of boxing. He won’t be distracted. He still knows what he does best. Without boxing, he wouldn’t be where he is today. He knows that. He’s a boxer first. He still has that hunger and hopefully it will now make his fire burn that little bit brighter.”
There is a well-worn phrase amongst the fighter’s inner sanctum. ‘There is a welfare state in The Philipinnes – it’s called Manny Pacquiao’. In his home town, General Santos City, Pacquiao has already donated funds for ambulances, hospital beds, and has even set up a school in his name, with grants for children and families. Those close to him fear that he will end up with no money, as his messianic zeal as a do-gooder knows no bounds.
Such is Pacquiao’s standing in his home country that it is written into Philippines law that the army will go to Pacquiao’s aid if his family is in danger. He carried the flag for the Philippines at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, and is the first Filipino boxer to have his image appear on a stamp. There is no question that his humility and popularity have brought him to his present position.
“Whenever he is in the Philippines,” says Lee Samuels, publicist for Arum’s Top Rank Inc promotion company, “people line up at his house for charitable gifts every day. They are mostly children, but also people who fall behind on their mortgage payments, people who have fallen on hard times.”
Pacquiao finds it difficult to refuse them. He funds 250 children through school in his neighbourhood. “Poverty does not make me angry,” he says. “But it makes me feel bad inside, and I want to help. I want the people of the Philippines to be happy, even if they have nothing. Even if they can just have enough to eat, food three times a day.”
Some of Pacquiao’s most ardent supporters claim him as a latter-day saint, a new-age leader of the Maharlikan people, who were conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century.
“Pacquiao is not just an inspiration for people, but has been a saving grace for the Philippines government on more than one occasion,” says Granville Ampong, a a highly respected Filipino journalist based in Los Angeles who writes on politics and social issues.
The election success proves that Pacquiao is a phenomenon. More than simply a boxer. His appeal reaches deeper into the nationality identity. Filipinos identify with a quality which Pacquiao embodies.
“The early life of Manny Pacquiao shows people what life can and could be,” added Ampong. “Manny launched himself in the US [from 2001], and possibly embodies The American Dream, but seen in the context of The Philippines, he has become an icon for Filipinos in reaching for their dreams. He also has a quality which bridges generations.” not just for their future dreams, but for future generations.”
“The Philippines was once the great nation of the Maharlikans. It has lost the essence of being a true Maharlikan nation. Long before the Spanish conquered the island [and renamed it after the Spanish royal Felipe] the Maharlikans were a proud and great nation.”
“The spirit of the Maharlikan was imbued with a sense of royalty, and one of divinity. Manny has that parallel in his life. He really is a national hero.”
The million dollar question now is whether Pacquiao can transfer his phenomenal popularity as a personality into political capital. Many of his fans believe the dichotomy is that once elected, his aura of invincibility, and the manner in which he beautifully reflects the filipino nation abroad, could be emasculated if he becomes embroiled in the sometime murky world of filipino politics.
Yet Pacquiao is propelled by a quasi-Messianic belief that he can change the lives of poor people in his country. His own life, he says, serves as the example. He was raised in poverty, with dignity, and slept on wooden boards on a boxing ring canvas at night in a tumbledown gym in Manila as he was making his way into boxing as a teenager, having started fighting for a couple of dollars per bout. For him, and in his mind, anything is possible.
I have witnessed for myself the great hope he brings to people in the huge queues of hundreds of Filipinos who gather outside Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym, in Hollywood, on certain days during his training camps, often waiting four or five hours to spend a few seconds up close with him to exchange a few words.
He is the Midas man, a talisman for them all. And they all believe he is blessed…the return of the Maharlikan, perhaps, and maybe, one day, the popular leader not just of a province, but of the entire country.
“I’ll show you how to make a big difference. I want you all to idolize me not just in the ring but above all, in public service,” Pacquiao consistently told thousands gathered at his rallies during the election campaign. Now he has a chance to really make a difference. Before he departs to do so, most boxing fans, nay even all sports fans, would want his final hurrah in a ring to be against ‘Money’ Mayweather. It would be some way to bow out.
Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk
They say that Manny Pacquiao, seven-weight world champion, the little guy with flashing fists and humble demeanour will one day become President of The Philippines.
They used to say it was bunkum; a pipe dream. Until he was voted in as a Congressman in the House of Representatives in that country’s Government on May 10. It was unexpected; and decisive. He will represent his constituents in Sarangani, the province his wife Jinkee was born and raised in, from July this year.
Nor was it just a victory, it was a landslide decision – a shutout unanimous points triumph on all the judges’ cards, if you like – in a contest against a family member from a significant hitherto ruling political dynasty in the province of Sarangani.
For some time, Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s Las Vegas-based promoter, has insisted that he has not known such popularity and love for one man since he promoted Muhammad Ali in the Sixties. “Manny’s popularity, the love people have for him, reminds me of Ali. Really, not since Ali have I seen one man so loved by one people. An entire nation that loves Manny, and Manny is about helping the people, especially the poorest of people.”
Arum is convinced Pacquiao will one day rise to be President of his country.
Remarkable given the start in life for a young man who slept in cardboard boxes, and who sold donuts for a penny to eke out a living as a young teenager. Even when he started out fighting for a few dollars a time he sent them home to his mother. Rags to riches. A tale the Hollywood script writers would screw up and throw in wastepaper basket on account of it being too far-fetched.
Arum flew to Sarangani to join Pacquiao in a major political rally towards the end of the electioneering in May, merely to support Pacquiao’s candidacy. (foreigners are forbidden from active campaigning).
Arum’s agenda, of course, goes beyond friendship and politics, as he seeks to create Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather Jr, the prizefight which would draw a curtain over a generation of fighters, and the fall one of two fistic heroes.
Arum now calls it ‘The Fight’.
Both great ring marshalls have equal bragging rights to boxing’s mythical pound for pound belt, in their different ways and very different styles. A contest between them may just close the door on the debate.
It is a contest which arguably could gross over $200 million, and break all pay-par-view television records, currently standing at 2.25 million pay-per-view buys for the Oscar De La Hoya-Mayweather May 2007 welterweight contest in Las Vegas.
“Mayweather against Pacquiao. It is the biggest fight of all-time,” Arum insists.. “And it has to happen. Now, the fight is do-able.” But so too is a major career in politics for Pacquiao. But can he balance both ?
The man from Manila, the Pacman, the National Fist, the pride of The Philippines, was a huge underdog against Roy Chiongbian, his political rival.
Pacquiao’s battle for election in that province, on the southern tip of The Philippines, looked far tougher than any championship fight he had ever undertaken in the ring. Probably tougher than any Mayweather scrap.
He was also 0-1 in his political career, and lost significant amounts of his own money doing so in a losing campaign in 2007.
Remarkably, this time around, he received the popular vote against the power base of the ruling political family, the Chiongbians, which was both vast and entrenched.
Roy Chiongbian, who was running for the first time, had major political clout behind him. His mother was a Governor, and his father was the first Congressman of Sarangani when it was created as a congressional seat.
Chiongbian could not be from a more diverse background than Pacquiao. While Pacquiao’s family lived hand to mouth when he was growing up, 61-year-old Chiongbian joined the family firm, and was US-educated.
He launched his campaign for these elections from his family’s 2,718-acre plantation near Kiamba. The incumbent congressman until Pacquiao takes office is Chiongbian’s brother; the vice-governor is his nephew.
The family owns Eastern Shipping Lines. They are old money, and have strong support from the indigenous people’s organisation in that province. With 30 years of political power, they are comparable to the Kennedy family in the US.
Arum explained. “People don’t realize that this victory over the candidate that he beat was a tremendous upset that very few people expected him to pull off. His opponent’s family holds all of the major businesses in this province.”
“All the mayors and the congressman in the province are either related to this family belong to the family or are associates of the family. Manny Pacquiao was running against the elder son of the family and they hadn’t been defeated and won overwhelmingly in every election for 25 years.”
“Manny Pacquiao is a fighter and with his grit and determination was not only able to win but to win by a landslide. It reminded me of when he was fighting Oscar De La Hoya and all the boxing writers said we should be ashamed of ourselves because it was a mismatch and De La Hoya would destroy him. It was a mismatch but it was a mismatch the other way with Manny destroying De La Hoya.”
“This was the same thing. Everybody said he was crazy, spending his own money. In certain precincts, Manny was beating this guy 90-10 and in other precincts 70-30 and when the dust settled, Manny will win by about a 3/1 margin. Manny is so humble and so soft spoken, you think, how can he be a politician? Then you go to his rally, and you hear him speak in the native dialect and he gives a rousing speech that brings the crowd to its feet. It is tremendous to hear him speak even though you don’t even understand a word. Something else that I learned – there are 7 dialects in the Philippines and Manny can speak every one of them.”
Pacquiao had learnt from his mistakes in 2007, losing to Darlene Antonio-Custodio. In February 2007, Pacquiao had announced he would run for congress under President Arroyo’s party, yet it caused widespread unhappiness from both his fans and the general public. Arroyo was hugely unpopular. Many voted against him, seeing Arroyo as a President they did not want, and who came into office in 2004, following vote-rigging allegations.
On May 17, 2007 Pacquiao was defeated in the congressional elections by Antonino-Custodio, running for the Nationalist People’s Coalition, who received 139,061 votes to Pacquiao’s 75,908.
Pacquiao had funded his campaign with his own money.
This time it was different. He created the People Champ Movement, and appealed to the poor, working the 379 precincts in the region, investing almost $1 million US in his campaign. He was also bolstered by the campaigning zeal of his wife Jinkee, who often visited separate rallies to her husband. It is here where Pacquiao the would-be politician, at his most humble, most needed his wife of ten years. Sarangani is her birthplace, where her family still resides, and where she was raised as a child. That alone has created serious capital for the 31-year-old’s campaign.
“When he’s 35 he can run for Senate, and when he’s 40, I am sure he’ll be President of the Philippines,” said Arum. “My great dream is to still be around to be at the inauguration of Manny Pacquiao of President of the Philippines. That would be the greatest achievement in my career. He is special and we in boxing are lucky to have him be part of the sport.”
Pacquiao told Arum that winning the election had made him incredibly happy, even more than the big victories in the ring, and that he was “so proud of what had been accomplished”.
Pacquiao’s role as an elected Congressman, apart from attend sessions, will include allocating funds from the federal government to the mayors and towns in the province of Sarangani. Pacquiao will be sworn in on June 30, and attend a Congressiona; session in July, before a summer recess.
I was with Freddie Roach and Amir Khan and a contingent of British media representatives just beside Central Park in New York when Roach learnt that Pacquiao was close to being confirmed as Congressman for Sarangani Province.
“Pacquiao won, and by landslide victory, I’m told,” said Roach. Was he concerned that Pacquiao could now be distracted ? “I don’t think so. It makes me excited because we are now going to have Congressman Pacquiao knock out Floyd Mayweather in November if we can get the fight on,” giggled Roach.
“It’s Manny’s ambition to improve his country. I’m not concerned that he will lose his love of boxing. He won’t be distracted. He still knows what he does best. Without boxing, he wouldn’t be where he is today. He knows that. He’s a boxer first. He still has that hunger and hopefully it will now make his fire burn that little bit brighter.”
There is a well-worn phrase amongst the fighter’s inner sanctum. ‘There is a welfare state in The Philipinnes – it’s called Manny Pacquiao’. In his home town, General Santos City, Pacquiao has already donated funds for ambulances, hospital beds, and has even set up a school in his name, with grants for children and families. Those close to him fear that he will end up with no money, as his messianic zeal as a do-gooder knows no bounds.
Such is Pacquiao’s standing in his home country that it is written into Philippines law that the army will go to Pacquiao’s aid if his family is in danger. He carried the flag for the Philippines at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, and is the first Filipino boxer to have his image appear on a stamp. There is no question that his humility and popularity have brought him to his present position.
“Whenever he is in the Philippines,” says Lee Samuels, publicist for Arum’s Top Rank Inc promotion company, “people line up at his house for charitable gifts every day. They are mostly children, but also people who fall behind on their mortgage payments, people who have fallen on hard times.”
Pacquiao finds it difficult to refuse them. He funds 250 children through school in his neighbourhood. “Poverty does not make me angry,” he says. “But it makes me feel bad inside, and I want to help. I want the people of the Philippines to be happy, even if they have nothing. Even if they can just have enough to eat, food three times a day.”
Some of Pacquiao’s most ardent supporters claim him as a latter-day saint, a new-age leader of the Maharlikan people, who were conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century.
“Pacquiao is not just an inspiration for people, but has been a saving grace for the Philippines government on more than one occasion,” says Granville Ampong, a a highly respected Filipino journalist based in Los Angeles who writes on politics and social issues.
The election success proves that Pacquiao is a phenomenon. More than simply a boxer. His appeal reaches deeper into the nationality identity. Filipinos identify with a quality which Pacquiao embodies.
“The early life of Manny Pacquiao shows people what life can and could be,” added Ampong. “Manny launched himself in the US [from 2001], and possibly embodies The American Dream, but seen in the context of The Philippines, he has become an icon for Filipinos in reaching for their dreams. He also has a quality which bridges generations.” not just for their future dreams, but for future generations.”
“The Philippines was once the great nation of the Maharlikans. It has lost the essence of being a true Maharlikan nation. Long before the Spanish conquered the island [and renamed it after the Spanish royal Felipe] the Maharlikans were a proud and great nation.”
“The spirit of the Maharlikan was imbued with a sense of royalty, and one of divinity. Manny has that parallel in his life. He really is a national hero.”
The million dollar question now is whether Pacquiao can transfer his phenomenal popularity as a personality into political capital. Many of his fans believe the dichotomy is that once elected, his aura of invincibility, and the manner in which he beautifully reflects the filipino nation abroad, could be emasculated if he becomes embroiled in the sometime murky world of filipino politics.
Yet Pacquiao is propelled by a quasi-Messianic belief that he can change the lives of poor people in his country. His own life, he says, serves as the example. He was raised in poverty, with dignity, and slept on wooden boards on a boxing ring canvas at night in a tumbledown gym in Manila as he was making his way into boxing as a teenager, having started fighting for a couple of dollars per bout. For him, and in his mind, anything is possible.
I have witnessed for myself the great hope he brings to people in the huge queues of hundreds of Filipinos who gather outside Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym, in Hollywood, on certain days during his training camps, often waiting four or five hours to spend a few seconds up close with him to exchange a few words.
He is the Midas man, a talisman for them all. And they all believe he is blessed…the return of the Maharlikan, perhaps, and maybe, one day, the popular leader not just of a province, but of the entire country.
“I’ll show you how to make a big difference. I want you all to idolize me not just in the ring but above all, in public service,” Pacquiao consistently told thousands gathered at his rallies during the election campaign. Now he has a chance to really make a difference. Before he departs to do so, most boxing fans, nay even all sports fans, would want his final hurrah in a ring to be against ‘Money’ Mayweather. It would be some way to bow out.
Source: blogs.telegraph.co.uk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)