Ambition & money elixirs for Pacquiao

By Al S. Mendoza

 

NOT known to many, Manny Pacquiao oozes with ambition.

Well, he loves money more than anything in the world.

The trigger to that was his impoverished childhood that depended solely on the kindness of others for him to survive.

It is money that drove him to sail to Manila as a 14-year-old dreamer from GenSan.

But in fairness, he generously would share his earnings later.

When PacMan finally hit big time, he started buying property.

He would soon build mansions all over.  One now stands proudly in Forbes Park, Makati, where the nation’s wealthiest live.

Of course, one mansion-like abode that he had built was for dear PacMom Dionisia.

With money comes ambition.

And with ambition comes, almost automatically, power.

With a record eight world titles tucked under his belt, Pacquiao has become a living legend.

But it doesn’t end there.

And because man is naturally greedy, Pacquiao would long for more.

That’s when he entered politics in 2007.

To him, politics is power—as if his being a boxing icon wasn’t power enough.

Now a congressman, Pacquiao wants to be a senator.

Before he could assume that new political power, he first must beat Tim Bradley on April 9, a month before the May 9 elections.

He must defeat Bradley to hasten his win in the May polls?

Not necessarily.

Should he be upset by Bradley, Pacquiao would still be almost a shoo-in for the Senate.

This nation’s majority of voters have, time and again, elected popular candidates over bets with much better credentials.

But Pacquiao will almost surely defeat Bradley because that is how boxing works in Las Vegas, where Bob Arum rules.

Look, both Pacquiao and Bradley are Arum’s wards.

Between the two, Arum favors Pacquiao.

In fact, Pacquiao is Arum’s flavor of forever.

You need not be a Harvard alumnus to know the reason:  Pacquiao has always been, still is, Arum’s gold mine.

After Pacquiao’s win over Bradley for a 2-1 ending of their trilogy in favor of PacMan, next for Manny would be Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Oops, you believe Mayweather has retired for good?

Money will make him un-retire.

And money will also make Pacquiao to continue delaying his retirement.

You say a Pacquiao-Mayweather rematch would look unpalatable after Mayweather’s 12-round unanimous decision win was a big bore last May 2, 2015?

Think again.

It may still promise to be another stinker, but aren’t our boxing fans the most gullible in the sporting world?

Thus, they would still come on the day of the fight because—listen very carefully—aren’t suckers born every minute?

Pacquiao and Mayweather will fight and fight and fight because of just one thing: money.

And for Pacquiao, it is through fighting that he will attain his ambition: ultimately become president of the republic.  Utopia?

Ambition dulls minds, you know.

(For your comments and reactions, please email to: punch.sunday@gmail.com)

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