Pacquiao’s toughest fight yet

By Al S. Mendoza

MANNY Pacquiao was up in the sky aboard a Philippine Airlines jet while I was writing this (Tuesday). He was bound for Los Angeles, California, USA.

This fact is important – the day of his flight – because he seems quite late in his departure for Los Angeles.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s Hall of Famer trainer, had been yearning to see Pacman arrive early in America as the boxer’s training regimen for a June fight has been pretty much delayed already.

In case you still don’t know, Pacquiao will battle David Diaz on June 29 (June 28 in America) in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. But that’s getting ahead of the story.

Pacquiao’s departure (May 12) was almost two weeks late from Roach’s own calendar.

Not only was Roach’s schedule spoiled by Pacquiao’s late flight for the U.S. but also Bob Arum’s.

Arum, Pacquiao’s fight promoter, has scheduled a press conference for the Pacquiao-Diaz duel on May 3 in Los Angeles.

But Pacquiao, as moody a fellow as Guv Spines, skipped the press conference, forcing Arum to postpone the event.

I’m sure Pacquiao’s no-show also upset the Diaz Camp, which had started training as early as April in anticipation of a tough fight against the Filipino powerhouse.

We all know that  Pacquiao’s reputation as a world-class fighter has put the boxing world in frenzy and made his would-be opponents shudder in fear, especially after the Pacman had demolished in brutal succession Mexico’s best and brightest boxers on the planet.

Already, six of Mexico’s greatest fighters had been annihilated by Pacquiao, the latest being Juan Manuel Marquez.

Although Pacquiao scored what many thought was a controversial split-decision victory over Marquez on March 16 in Las Vegas, that didn’t detract from the fact that the Pacman won it fair and square.

The lone dissenting opinion in that fight, coming from a 78-year-old judge giving the bout to Marquez, will never diminish the luster of Pacquiao’s victory, especially when seen in light of the Filipino’s clear-as-a-whistle third-round knockdown of Marquez and a staggering shot to the face in the 10th that nearly sent the Mexican on the seat of his pants a second time.

In fact, had the referee not delayed some seconds in trying to count out Marquez in the third when he unnecessarily motioned Pacquiao to a neutral corner, Pacquiao could have disposed of the Mexican with quick follow-up blows after the knockdown.

In contrast, Marquez, although he did connect with some solid punches of his own, never really jolted Pacquiao as to put the Filipino in real trouble at any stage of the 12-round fight.

But that’s all water under the bridge now, so to speak.

The task at hand for Pacquiao is Diaz – and what a monumental mission as the fight could finally be the defining moment for the National Fist.

Diaz, of Mexican lineage but who grew up in Chicago, is the reigning WBC world lightweight champion.

Definitely, Diaz should prove to be a tough nut to crack for Pacquiao, the current 130-pound king, who is fighting as a lightweight (135 lbs) for the first time – and he’s facing a world champion at that.

I hope the seven weeks or so of training left for Pacquiao would be enough to chisel him once  more into a roaring pack of machine when fight time comes.

For, only when the Pacman is in peak form can he become invincible.

(Readers may reach columnist at also147@yahoo.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/general-admission/ For reactions to this column, click “Send MESSAGES, OPINIONS, COMMENTS” on default page.)

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