by Davey Jackson: Welcome to the Philippines. A conglomerate of over 7000 islands off the coast of Pacific Asia, made up of numerous cultures and ethnicity’s. The technologically superior Spanish conquerors of the 16th/17th century arrived and over the course of a few hundred years, would be troubled by the peoples of these lands. From this early conjunction, the core values of the Filipino mentality and national make up can be traced in a time line to the modern day great pugilist, Manny Pacquiao.

Of all the conquered lands the Spanish added to it’s empire, not many gave as much trouble to the colonial masters as the small statured and modest Filipinos.

Year after year, century after century, there were bloody uprisings, revolts and rebellions. No matter how much these people were crushed to defeat by superior weaponry, it wouldn’t be long before an alternative plot formulated with ruthless cunning combined with a very Filipino fatalistic trait of “always do your best and the rest will follow.” Intense courage in the midst of adversity and hardship would flow into the veins of the humble people of these islands so much so, it could be argued that it evolved into the local genetic make up.
After continuing this warrior mentality against the new occupiers (USA) at the turn of the 20th century and then against the Japanese invaders during World War 2, the Filipino’s found their national independence and with it, a new sense of pride and inner confidence. The Filipino’s, as always, defied the odds and found a way to win.

A sense of togetherness and determination defined the early years of these independent peoples and from this mix, a son was born that would come to epitomize all these characteristics to be demonstrated through the great platform of prize-fighting.

It is well documented that Manny Pacquiao was born into the kind of dire poverty that leaves children seriously malnourished. From a young age, Manny was exposed to the life of a hustler, peddling bread and tobacco as a street urchin and it wasn’t too long before he was also street fighting for a few dollars to buy rice and fish for his mother and family. To the eternal benefit of us boxing fans, Manny defied his mother’s request to seek a career in the Priesthood business and instead, sought out a big city gym to work and train in the stylistic art of ring violence. Like many peers, he turned pro at the tender years of 16, whilst at the same time weighing a dehydrated and malnourished 106lbs, stacking the already formidable odds of making it in the professional world of prize fighting even further against himself.

Yet despite, Manny would go onto succeed before encountering his first loss in 1996. Failing to make the weight in his growing adolescent body, he was forced to compete with much larger gloves and was knocked out by Rustico Torrecampo.

Manny picked himself up and with the help of a terribly powerful left hand that he would unleash as if it comes from the core of his determination, continued the path to eventual World Championship, the first at 112lb. Not appreciating actually how much he was growing and now 20 years old but squeezing himself into this low weight, Manny would again face defeat. Like his ancestors in their wars for freedom centuries earlier, he would go away only to return determined anew.

This time, his path would lead to the IBF Super bantamweight World title, a number of defences whilst stirring up the buzz of American boxing circles, and a working partnership with his Yoda, Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao, always one to defy the odds, always the one to move up to the challenge, always the one to appear humbly gracious and almost passive in his personality would from 2003 onwards show us why he set himself up to become the most positively popular boxer in recent years. The sensational and emotional duals with Barrera and Marquez and the trilogy with Moralez put himself on top of this elite pile of the modern day illustrious and enabled him to return home as a hero and secured a future in the Hall of Fame.

What must it do to your character when you’re a child who has to survive on the streets, outwit and outfight those who hold physical advantages over you in order to ensure your loved ones have the necessity of food? It gives you a steely confidence but when you’re a fighter, it expresses itself in ruthless, frenzied but controlled violence. Make no mistake, behind his humble and graceful attitude and despite struggling to stare down his opponents, Manny Pacquiao gets in the ring and enjoys giving out hurt. His ringwalk’s show a genuine joy and excitment in the violence about to commence. When he knocks you down, he will look over you with a slight grin as an artist admiring his work.

When you are from a people who have endured terrible hardships and have personally felt the pangs of hunger and responsibility for other lives, you learn more about your own character than us who live in the world of easy money, fast food and internet access. Manny knows himself better. That’s why he has the confident but killer look in his eye as he steps in that ring. That’s why when his most recent training camp was fraught with tension (as shown on 24/7), he was able to maintain inner tranquility. There is no fear in stepping up with Mexican legends, your Hatton’s or Cotto’s. In all those fights, Manny would urge his opponents to hit him, to come and fight, to mix it up, then smile whilst returning to his corner as he sensed blood, whether his own or others. It’s a battle of wits drawing from the deep reservoir of his inner core values. The unleashed fury shows no signs of humbleness until the opponent has accepted Manny as their nemesis. Once the defeat is accepted, we see a restoration of humility and an offer to share future goodwill.

Whilst we wondered how he would fair against the bigger, stronger and more skilled, Manny knew the answer already as he has been there before, in much more dire circumstances, all those years ago in the poverty-stricken streets of a newly emerged nation and still triumph against the odds. Knowing his story should make us wonder why he was ever underestimated.

And this leads us, the baying crowds of the gladiatorial arena, to demand the ultimate showdown for Manny against another king of the ring, one no less determined or talented, one whose own trauma of youth drove his parallel path to the elite. Make no mistake, this collision of two world’s will most definitely happen. To be continued…..