By Babatis Banda: Manny Pacquiao can be termed amazing indeed. He is amazing in more ways than one can think of. Pacman, as he is fondly known has risen in the face of adversity to become not only a successful fighter, but a mentor and role model.
Pacquiao fought his way out of abject poverty through the bloody sport, to become one of the wealthiest individuals in the Philippines. He is also known for his generosity and kindness to his kin and kith.
To add to the above, Pacquiao, though just a fifth grader (so it is said), has become a congressman, and the indication is that he may even vie for the highest office of the land. All this qualify Pacquiao as an amazing personality indeed, whichever way you choose to look at it. This personality has drawn his kinsmen to rally behind him and exalt him to some extent, as an indestructible figure.
Pacquiao is the perfect Filipino icon and is the symbol of a proud nation. In the squared circle, he is like a tornado, a power packed dynamite ready to explode. It is often argued that he has fought old and tired lions that were in the latter half of their careers. Some argue that he simply filled-in the void left by the retirement of Floyd Mayweather, who clearly had become bored by the luck of top notch opponents as he put it. The argument is that Manny thus profited on the names of former warriors who were in the evening of their careers.
It is also argued, that Manny Pacquiao’ s rise to stardom could be due to use of illegal substances which have made him powerful and accounts for the endurance he is known for.
Now, is not the moment for such arguments, now is the moment of truth as Pacman faces Juan Manuel Marquez, the man known to have given him two bruising-close and controversial bouts. In two weeks’ time, Manny and supporters are looking forward to the close of this controversial topic. I for one, think that Manny Pacquiao will close this chapter as the outright victor, with no controversy again. In return, Marquez will be grateful for the retirement money this bout will give him, and he will go away quietly to enjoy the rest of his life.
When most people look at Pacquiao and Floyd, they see the bad and the good. They see the rational and the irrational. I then would like to believe that Pacquiao being the more rational of the two, should lead by example and bend a little by taking the test and making the fight happen.
Irrespective of what happens in the ring, at least the people will say, he made the fight happen. People should not pre-occupy themselves with discussions that are subject to the contract agreement and negotiations, i.e. where and when the test should take place, the ring size, and the split of the money.
Pacman and team should show maturity over the less mature Floyd, agree to the tests and discuss the detail in negotiations. We are tired of half-hearted statements from both camps and after Manny beats Marquez, Arum should not rush to fix Manny’s next bout, rather, all energy needs to be directed towards matching Manny against the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather.
Whatever happens to Manny in future, it is only fair to acknowledge that he is indeed, an amazing individual and any loss, be it against the gifted Floyd, will not take away from his achievements.
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