General Admission
Don’t worry, the rematch is on
By Al S. Mendoza
WE wanted Manny Pacquiao to win.
That’s natural.
He is the everyday man.
He personifies everything heroic about us—from Lapu-Lapu to Dagohoy, from Soliman to Silang, from Bonifacio to Ninoy.
Most important, Pacquiao represents the Filipino, the proudest race this corner of the globe.
That’s why when he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 3 (Philippine time) in Las Vegas, this country of 100 million agonized in pain.
That he lost on points did not matter much.
That he lost by a wide margin—unanimous decision—was of no consequence.
That he went down in defeat was like a blow to our collective dream: Against all odds, Pacquiao will prevail.
We mourned his defeat, a debacle that pricked a proud pride used to rising above adversity.
But painful as it was, the setback was, well, expected.
By admitting he went to war wounded, Pacquiao was doomed.
He was beaten before he could throw his first punch.
He was the one-armed swordsman transported from the silver screen to the ring.
He could not win, of course—a boxing bout so real compared with make-believe movies battles.
Thus, in the end, Pacquiao was but a prop to Mayweather’s coronation as the undisputed world welterweight champ (147 lb).
We paid good money expecting a fight set on even terms.
The good money part was perfectly all right.
Alas, not the fight, which was anomalous, to say the least, from the very start.
Pacquiao’s bad shoulder he had incurred in 2009 during a jetski ride had reoccurred three weeks before the fight.
“It happened on March 11,” said Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s American promoter.
Pacquiao ditched postponement “for the sake of the fans.”
With due respect, champ, wrong.
This was the richest fight in history—the fight of the century even.
When one of the two finest, best, fighters of their era climbs the ring with only one healthy hand, you retain the bout’s tag “the richest” but, alas, not “the fight of the century.”
Pacquiao said his request for painkiller injections was denied by Nevada officials hours before the fight.
I say, even if he had been granted that, he would have still fought as damaged goods.
Easy prey for the wily, wisest boxer alive today.
Anyway, Pacquiao’s shoulder rotator cuff had been repaired in Los Angeles and Mayweather, faking vacillation at the start, had agreed for a rematch.
You say people will not be as interested anymore in watching the sequel?
Wrong. They will come watch it, as we all will do here.
As that adage as old as time says, “A sucker is born every minute.”
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