Manny Pacquaio: what an artist!

I have not seen many boxing bouts in the last few years, and cannot say I am really up-to-date on what is happening in that sport right now. Living in Germany I was pretty much restricted to watching German fighters, and - let's be honest - most Germans box you to sleep. Every now and then I picked up two fighters' names in the international press: Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather I saw at the Olympics at some point many years ago, but Pacquaio I only knew from talk & reports.

He was born on Mindanao in the Phillipines and has made it big time in the US. I remember reading how he crushed the two top Mexican featherweights Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, and how he overwhelmed the American superstar Oscar De la Hoya in 2008. Next was Ricky Hatton, the British champion, who got knocked cold inside two rounds by Pacquaio!

Two months ago I travelled through Luzon province in the Philippines and was quite amazed to find Pacquaio's picture everywhere in the streets and on billboards. The boxing champion is even advertising for shampoo! In the Filipino press there are daily articles about ' Pac Man ' and people talk about him wherever you go. In Baguio, a mountain town some six hours north of Manila, people actually told me about how they met him in person last autumn. Pacquaio apparently set up his training camp for the Miguel Angel Cotto fight in Baguio. Not a single bad word was said about the boxer. Despite all the wealth and fame he has acquired, he is said to have remained down-to-earth and very warm-hearted towards his own Filipino people, many of whom spend their lives in (very) difficult conditions. "When Pacquaio fights, the police reports no crime anywhere in the country because everybody is watching TV," said the singer of local band. A true modern hero in other words, this Pacquaio. He is already entering the Filipino political world now.

So, when I found out he was defending his world welterweight title last weekend in Dallas, Texas, I tried to find an internet livestream to finally see what he is all about in the ring. Geo restrictions made it hard to see the fight against Ghanaian Clottey live, but an hour or two later I could watch a videostream of the contest. First of all, 55 000 spectators at ringside in Dallas for a Filipino fighter...say again that boxing has no future! Pacquaio did not let them and the millions around the world down. Clottey had a tricky counterpunch in him, but was clearly no match for the champion. The latter nevertheless delivered a truly great show and demonstrated why he is hailed as best boxer in the world pound-for-pound. I was impressed, too. This guy is electric! He knows every punch in the book and combines them with such speed and ease like I've only seen a prime Roy Jones Jr and Erik Morales do in the last two decades. A real ring artist! It's boxers like Pacquaio that keep my interest in boxing alive.

Everybody hopes for the megafight against American Floyd Mayweather now. Me too. And let's hope they stage the fight in Manila - not too far from Dalian. I wouldn't mind being part of a new Thrilla in Manila!

Links

Manny Pacquaio on wikipedia
Manny Pacquaio on HBO Boxing
Pacquaio vs Clottey on Sportsliveblogger