Pacquiao forgiven—and must win

By Al S. Mendoza

 

FOR Manny Pacquiao to win on points today would be most welcomed already.

That’s no laughing matter.

What would be a laughing matter is to insist that Pacquiao would knock out Jessie Vargas.

Vargas is the reigning WBO world welterweight champion.

Vargas is not waving a so-so record: 27 wins against a single loss.

Vargas is taller by four inches over the 5-foot-6 Pacquiao.

And Vargas is longer in reach by at least four inches, too.

In his last fight, Vargas knocked out Sadam Ali in the ninth round to become a world champ in March.

How in heaven’s name can Pacquiao stop Vargas.

Pacquiao turns 38 on December 17.

At 37, Pacquiao seems a bit too old enough to even fight a 27-year-old dynamo like Vargas.

What more with the thought of Pacquiao scoring a stoppage?

The last time Pacquiao scored a KO win was in 2009.

Seven years and all Pacquiao could do was win on points against six or so foes.

In fact, in that time span, Pacquiao absorbed a knockout loss—the nastiest, most cruel defeat in his checkered career stretching 21 years.

That was in 2012, when he got tagged by a scorching right with a mere tick left in the sixth round.

Juan Manuel Marquez was behind on points when he connected right smack to the face of an advancing, careless, Pacquiao.

To be honest, Pacquiao hasn’t totally recovered from that.

Between 2012 and 2016, Pacquiao had absorbed a total of three defeats for a 3-3 record the last four years.

Unpalatable, to say the least.

Before that shocking KO loss to Marquez, Pacquiao had bowed to Tim Bradley for a 0-2, win-loss mark in 2012.

He won back-to-back in 2013 and 2014 against Brandon Rios and Chris Algieri, respectively.

Those were wins unappreciated at the most as easy KO wins for Pacquiao had been predicted.

Against Rios, Pacquiao missed a KO win even as he had the burly American cornered in the ropes a lot of times.

It could only mean his fist power is gone?

Against an utterly underdog Algieri, Pacquiao had seemed more the loser than the winner.

He decked Algieri six times and yet, the New Yorker finished the fight standing in Macau.

Then on May 2 last year, Pacquiao lost a unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather Jr.

That was expected.

Cruelly, stunningly, Pacquiao admitted after the fight that he fought Mayweather with an injured right shoulder.

He was forgiven.

But, of course.

Every hero, every living legend, is infallible—almost.

Last April, Pacquiao defeated Bradley on points in a fight he described was his last.

He lied.

He will fight Vargas today—assured of winning no less than $10 million. Net.

The liar is a son of a bitch but still, we want him to win today.

He is our own son of a bitch. Forgiven.  Forever

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