By Ricardo Lucero: Excerpt from ABS-CBN – “According to a report by PhilBoxing.com’s Ronnie Nathanielsz, Frazier, known for his historic clashes with Muhammad Ali in the 1970’s, will attend the 85th Annual Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) awards night to personally hand the “Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year Award” to Pacquiao”.
Pacquiao’s road, like everyone knows, haven’t been easy. He was born in one of the poorest quarters in one of the poorest countries on earth. But Fate had been kind to him. From being discovered by Freddie Roach,to being in the undercard of a Tyson fight as a last minute replacement, where he got noted, to that fateful night in San Antonio,Texas, Manny Pacquiao has indeed come a long way. He is now a congressman in his native country, was featured on the Time Magazine,and now,the awards he will receive in New York. His is a true Cinderella story. He is truly an inspiration to all young kids from every poor corner of the world. Because deep inside, Pacquiao is still that poor kid himself. He is not a slick talker, nor glib in conversations. His poor countrymen go to his house and tell him their sad life stories and they usually walk away with bags of rice, food and cash in their hands.Freddie Roach once said that if Pacquiao is not careful, he might die a poor man himself. And when asked if he thinks himself great, his answer has always been – “let the people and fans decide that. I’m just a fighter, out to do my job.”
Floyd Mayweather Junior, arguably, is one of the finest boxer and defensive fighter in his generation. From winning the Golden Gloves Championships in ’93 at 106 pounds to the bronze medal in the Atlanta Olympics, there is no denying the fact of Floyd’s talents. He was called “pretty boy,” because,for a boxer, he is mostly unmarked, owing to his superb defensive skills. But to casual boxing fans, he was relatively an unknown fighter until his fight with Oscar Dela Hoya. He was mainly known among die-hard fans who really follow the sports and to American fans in general. And it was at that moment, at that fight, when he created his “persona.” It was mostly a business ploy to sell his fights. But a least known fact is, he has his own charity organizations. He even goes out the streets to hand out food and clothing to the homeless. But owing to the “persona” he created, people and fans didn’t really care. It was conflicting with the very image he was projecting. They were questioning his very motives. With this image of himself he created, Floyd was really counting on a lot of people hating him. The logic being that these same people will pay for his fights just to see him lose.He was trying to emulate Muhammad Ali.who through his brashness sold most of his fights.But here is where the similarities end.Ali stood for something. In spite of his barbs, he had his principles. He changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali because in his own words, “I don’t want an’thin’ to do with a white man’s name. I came from slaves, from Africa, so my name ain’t Cassius Clay”. He even went to prison, and consequently lost his belt for his stand on the Vietnam war. Muhammad Ali stood for something. In a sense, he transcended the boundaries of the sport. One little detail that Floyd Mayweather must have forgotten. And that is why, to most casual fans around the world, of the two fighters, Pacquiao and Mayweather, there is no doubt in their minds who the greater fighter is.
Sometimes,…no,…most of the times, an athele’s greatness is not only measured by his achievements in the sports, but in life as well.