Still enough gas left in Pacquiao’s tank

By Al S. Mendoza

 

MANNY Pacquiao is a champ again and the nation jubilates.

And not just a champ as he reclaimed his throne a third time.

The late Muhammad Ali had also retaken the world heavyweight crown three times.

Pacquiao, indeed, stands alongside legends past and living legends (Duran, Leonard, De La Hoya and yes, Mayweather).

By beating Jessie Vargas on Nov. 6 in Las Vegas, Pacquiao is world welterweight titlist anew.

The second time Pacquiao won that belt was in 2009, when he stopped Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto (taller by four inches over the 5-foot-6 Pacquiao) in the 12th round.

In 11 fights after that fight, Pacquiao hasn’t scored a single stoppage.

But who cares?

Pacquiao defeated Vargas so convincingly that his fans had totally forgotten about their wish for their idol to end his knockout drought.

It was enough that they saw Pacquiao send Vargas crashing down the canvas in the second round.

Although Vargas got up quick and recovered his bearings in no time, Pacquiao still went on to dominate the fight.

To his credit, Vargas was a tough customer.

The Mexican’s youth gave Pacquiao some anxious moments.

At 37 and barely four weeks from turning 38, Pacquiao’s stamina had become suspect before the fight.

He was up against a 27-year-old spring chicken in Vargas, the defending champion himself with a decent 27-1, win-loss record.

But Pacquiao stunned everybody—including himself.

He fought like he was younger by 10 years, dishing out his lightning-quick punches, moving sideways with the quickness of a teener and displaying his footwork of old.

Definitely, he is back—despite the fact that Sen. Pacquiao shuffled from jogging at dawn, to attending Senate sessions from mid-morning to afternoon, and capping the day’s training to doing gym work and sparring in the evening.

What kind of a person is he—half Superman, half-Batman, half Ironman?

So lopsided was Pacquiao’s victory over Vargas that I had PacMan the winner of 10 rounds for a runaway 118-109 unanimous decision.

Two of the three judges also saw Pacquiao the winner by 118-109.

The Associated Press had become too generous that day: 11 rounds to Pacquiao against just one to Vargas.

But how come the fight’s third judge had Pacquiao a mere 114-113 winner?

He watched a different fight, maybe?

If I were the president of the Nevada Athletic Commission that sanctioned the fight, I would have banished that judge to the Mojave Desert.

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My family deeply condoles with Pareng Jun V and Aro Dr. Dante Velasco Ph. D. over the loss of their beloved mother, Aurora Martinez Velasco.  She was a woman of strength as she virtually single-handedly shouldered her broad brood to achieve their goals with meteoric success in storybook fashion.  She deserves a monument at the spot close to her birthplace.

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