From where we stand, Manny Pacquiao is the GOAT (greatest of all time). A possible loss to Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto on November 14, 2009 at Las Vegas, Nevada, can bring down somewhat his statistical bearing (in which case Oscar De La Hoya should inch upward), but until then Pacquiao's place at the top of the heap is tenable. If he wins against Cotto, his GOAT badge can hardly be disputed.
Pacquiao's ascent to the throne went through the ultimate survival test ladder. No one in boxing history has done what he has accomplished. He embarked on a professional boxing career at 106 pounds and started to win world titles from 112 pounds all the way up to 140 pounds. He even succeeded-with aplomb-in beating the great De La Hoya at 147 pounds. In all, he has crossed 10 weight divisions (involving 41 pounds) from which he collected 6 world titles.
Beating weight handicaps at the higher divisions had been demonstrated by the likes of Bob Fitzsimmons (1897) and Roy Jones Jr in contemporary times. But they may not be as startling as pulling the feat at the lighter divisions because, as Evander Holyfied puts it, at the heavier divisions a point is reached where one's punching power can be as potent as the other. Thus the case of Pacquiao is something else. Al Bernstein, the multi-awarded sports broadcast-journalist, suggested that Pacquiao has reached a yet unheard of level of excellence, something that is beyond the usual even among the best of athletes. In an article he says:
"Perhaps the most amazing part of all this is that Manny reinvented himself as a fighter when he moved up in weight. He became a true boxer-puncher, using more movement, combination punching and widening his arsenal to include more right hooks. In his recent fights, he has been much more than the power punching, but sometimes one dimensional fighter he was in lower weight classes. He used power and toughness to get through wars of attrition. At the higher weights he has used guile, speed and, oh yes, still lots of power. I can't remember another fighter who has made such a transformation in his late 20's. It just isn't done. So, a unique place in history awaits Manny if he can find a way to beat Cotto. And what if he does that and then beats either Mosley or Mayweather Jr. after that? Well, lets cross that congratulatory bridge when we come to it. For now, lets contemplate one miracle at a time."
Earlier we attributed much of Pacquiao's success to the infinite amount of courage he brings to the ring when he fights. Bernstein brings up more dimensions to what Pacquiao does to boxing. He cites Pacquiao's skills-they keep on improving, power and toughness. At this point we can add some more: hard work and faith in himself and in his God. Members of Team Pacquiao, particularly Chief Trainer Freddie Roach, have on many occasions in the past acknowledged that Pacquiao has a work ethic that is seldom seen in most other boxers. And Roach has seen and trained lots of boxers, including legends like Mike Tyson.
Whenever Pacquiao is in training camp to prepare for a fight, the amount of effort, pain and sweat he puts into it is almost bottomless as his trainers would often restrain him to "take it easy." His physical work out includes 30 minutes of road work in the morning and several hours of exercises (sit ups, push ups, skip rope, mitts, plyometrics, etc.) in the afternoon. Then he spars for several hours more on certain dates.
It is hard to dismiss the point that hard work and preparation are the key to Pacquiao's success in boxing. Such a point can even be stretched to say that the likes of Dempsey, Duran, Roy Jones Jr, and even Sugar Ray Leonard, could have stamped even greater class if only they had worked as hard as Pacquiao in training. Preparation (with an unquantifiable dose of help from Roach, among others), evidently, had done Pacquiao many things. It honed his skills (and for one who is naturally gifted in the first place), boosted his stamina, and raised his self-confidence level.
Early in his career, Pacquiao cited two reasons for an abbreviated fight whenever it ended that way. "They (his opponents) get tired," he said, "either from taking so many of my punches or from too much running away from me.' At this stage of his career, fights could end abruptly for quite the same reasons. The difference is that, as Bernstein suggested, the once best 1-2 punch in the business has added to his ordnance more hooks and uppercuts, so people are bound to get tired even more easily. And, with Nike, "they can run," as Joe Louis warned Billy Conn, "but they can no longer hide."
Hermilando "Ingming" Duque Aberia is a social development worker by training and profession. He has worked for close to 23 years for government and non-government agencies in the Philippines. He has a master's degree in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management. Writing for him is both a hobby and a drain for emotional overflow. He writes on various subjects and has published some of his works in Philippine newspapers. He has also dabbled in online advocacy and home-based marketing.
He maintains a website at http://pacquiaodgoat.ws
Emails can be sent to: pacquiaodgoat@gmail.com
"Pound for pound, Manny is the best boxer in the world, but even more important than holding that distinction, Manny has connected with the people of his home country, the Philippines, to the point where he is almost like a god." --Lennox Lewis, former heavyweight boxer and HBO commentator
