On religion and loss

Source: http://realcombatmedia.com

It is very human to wonder how things have happened. And so human too to explain things in our own ways and lens. When all explanations seem to escape our imagination, we tend to seek explanations from the One above through religion.

One of the things that would keep boxing fans especially Filipinos wondering for a long, long time is this: Why did Manny Pacquaio lose by knockout?

For boxing fans, Manny Pacquaio needs no introduction. For others, here are some general information. He is the only one who held boxing champion's belt  in 8-weight categories and widely considered as the "People's Champ." He was on top for some time in pound-for pound list of elite boxers. He was declared by one of the prestigious boxing councils as the "Fighter of the Decade (2001-2010)."

In the Philippines, Pacquaio is a politician, a Congressman at that who represents Sarangani Province in Mindanao  to the Philippine Congress. He too is a businessman. He is a singer and host to a TV game show. He is active in his Church. When he fights, almost the whole country is in standstill watching him because he is a well-loved boxer who becomes an icon to many Filipinos.

Then, in a fight that people expected Pacquaio to win convincingly and decisively, he was knocked out by a right hand from his nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico. The fight was their fourth since 2004. The way the fight ended was stunning (in my view; well I did not really see the punch, and so Pacquaio).

Why did it happen?

From the two boxers: Marquez said that it was his technique, skills, and preparation for the fight that did it. Pacquaio attributed his knockout loss to his overconfidence and eagerness to finish Marquez off who was apparently bloodied and hurt. Pacquaio was winning in the judges' scorecard before that devastating one punch.

Many boxing analysts agreed with both assessments.

But as we often say, mothers know best. Pacquaio's mother, Dionisia, was interviewed, and she associated the loss to his son's change of religion. As a devout Catholic, Dionisia raised her son as a Catholic. In Pacquaio's previous fights, he would be normally seen wearing a rosary laced around his neck. This time (and in Bradley's fight where he lost too in a controversial decision), he was not seen wearing a rosary.

The interview was beamed in a national television in the Philippines. Many Filipinos, to a certain extent, gave credence to this reason.

Why did Pacquaio lose?

Again, it is very human to wonder and give explanation.

And if we are unsatisfied with the explanations given, we turn to the One who knows it all. But others still wonder and give their own explanations. Others say, it's One's will. Accepting, still we wonder. How long will we wonder? Well, a fifth fight may end it.

Nonito Donaire, The Flash, and His Ticket to the Top - His Left Hook

I knew that the fight would be worth the no-sleep Saturday weekend. For such a big fight in boxing, I as a boxing fan would let the match pass without watching it.

Nonito, "The Flash," Donaire, 28, finally would have a very worthy and notable opponent in front of him inside the ring. Fernando Montiel, 31, was the recognized world champion by World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO). The two fighters are both in the elite pound-for-pound list, aiming to get higher in the top list. That showed how high the expectation, excitement and respect for this match.

Both fighters predicted a knockout. Donaire said it would come within six rounds. Montiel said that it would be within 10 rounds. And so the bell rang to see who said it right.

In the first round, Donaire threw more telling shots to the body and head of Montiel. His dreaded left hook landed twice in separate occasions in the first round. Donaire won the round.

In the second round, Donaire tagged Montiel with a right straight punch. Then, Montiel started to move forward and be agreesive. Montiel landed some decent shots.

And then, Montiel landed a right hook. Donaire countered perfectly with the left hook. With that left hook right on the face, Montiel came down with all his weight on the canvass. His legs were kicking. After falling temporarily in his effort to get up, he was finally able to get up to beat the 10-second count. Then, referee let the fight continue. Donaire rushed to Montiel and landed two more shots to visibly hurt Montiel. That was it. The referee stopped the fight at 2:35 of the second round.

It was the same left hook that erased the "0" in the unblemished record of Vic Darchinyan in 2007. That left hook made that 2007 upset the "Knockout of the Year." This left hook can give Donaire another "Knockout of the Year" considering whom he had knocked out, a future Hall of Famer in boxing.

Donaire improved his record to 26-1, with 18 knockouts. With the win, Donaire definitely is on top 3 of the pound-for-pound list behind the great Manny Pacquaio.

Seeing the last of Gerry Penalosa as a boxer (for now)

Before Manny Pacquiao, there was the two-time world champion Gerry Peńalosa who carried the torch of the country's elite position in the boxing world.


Last 10 October 2010, Gerry had his last fight against a game Thai boxer, Yodsaenkeng Kietmangmee, in Zamboanga City. He earned his career 37th knockout out of the 55 wins or 67.3% knockout rate. That is an amazing feat to knockout almost 7 out of 10 opponents. He ended his illustrious 21-year boxing career with two world championship belts in two weight divisions (superflyweight and bantamweight), and a record of 55-8-2 with 37 knockouts.


Gerry provided us with memorable bouts, notably against Kawashima where he won the WBC superflyweight title in 1997, against Daniel Ponce de Leon in 2007, and against Gonzalez for his WBO bantamweight title in 2007. His desire to win another title motivated him to be back to the ring after two years of self-declared hiatus in boxing. Who could forget that one-shot to the body of Johnny Gonzalez that brought the former champion to his knees? 

It was a dream come true for Gerry to win another world championship belt for the Philippines. At that time, Pacquiao had already become a household name in the boxing world by beating the Mexican greats successively. And then, another Filipino boxer, Nonito Donaire, Jr., shocked the boxing world by knocking out the unbeaten Darchinyan to wrest the IBO and IBF flyweight belts. On the same year, Donnie Nietes won the WBO minimum weight champion. The year 2007 was a banner year for Filipino boxers.


Gerry defended his title before a home crowd in the Philippines the next year. 

He moved up to super bantamweight to challenge the reigning and unbeaten champion, Juan Manuel Lopez. Gerry lost and posted his first knockout loss via a 9th round technical knockout.


Early this year, Gerry wanted another try at the bantamweight division for the vacant WBO interim title by engaging Eric Morel in a 12-round slugfest. Although bloodied in the later rounds, Gerry stood his ground. The official decision did not go his way, but many thought he won that fight.


Gerry did not want his boxing career to end in a losing note. So he wanted to showcase his tactical fighting skills for his last fight in the Philippines. And he did, to the delight of his fans.


According to the great boxing coach and trainer Freddie Roach, Gerry is "the best technical boxer that ever came from the Philippines." This is affirmed by many Filipino boxing analysts and experts.


Surely, Gerry will not go away from boxing. He said that boxing is his life. He will be around, but not inside the ring. He wants to train and produce another Filipino world champions, thus cementing the elite position of the Philippines in the boxing world.


Thank you Gerry.

November 13-bout of Pacquiao: Why Margarito?

Manny Pacquiao is larger than himself. He is the ambassador of the Philippines to the world. He is known beyond anyone could imagine.

When I went to Barcelona, I met a security guard from Dominican Republic.  When he learned that I am a Filipino, he immediately closed his two fists and said, "Manny Pacquiao."  In the Dutch university, I met a Thai exchange researcher. He told me that he and other Thais are proud of what Manny Pacquaio has achieved. As Asians, they too celebrate Pacquiao's exploits and victories inside and outside the ring.

Inside the ring, Pacquaio is the recognized pound-for-pound king in the boxing world today. He won an unprecedented seven titles in seven weight divisions. He is the current World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion  at 147 lbs. He is considered to be the greatest Asian boxer of all-time, and is lined up among the greats of all time in the sports.

Outside the ring, Pacquiao is a national hero in the Philippines. He is also a politician who was elected as a lawmaker in the Philippine Congress. According to him, his heart goes out to those in need. He wants to serve the poor. Coming from similar ranks a decade ago, Pacquiao knows and understands the plight of the poor. He is also a devout Catholic.

With all these accolades and achievements, what is out there to achieve with the Margarito fight? Is it the pursuit of the eight world titles in eight weight divisions? Probably. Is it worth it? Yes.

Then, why Margarito, a boxer that was stripped of his license because of illegal hand wraps?

Pacquaio is the gem of boxing right now. Why mingle him with a faux stone?

I would love Pacquaio to see fight inside the ring; but not this. There is nothing to be achieved here except an additional title. But there is no honor in fighting someone who was found guilty of cheating.

Nonetheless, I wish him well.

Pacquiao-Mayweather fight still raging on

It is officially off and on, for now. Nobody knows. Notably, boxing has risen to new heights because of the fight.

The much-anticipated boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., two of the top pound-for-pound fighters, has been shelved because of disagreements in the scheduled blood testing. The fight is groomed to be the biggest in boxing with both fighters going to earn, at least, a guaranteed $25 million. The date had been set, the venue had been reserved, but the negotiation leading to the fight did not go as expected.

The camp of Mayweather strongly proposed the random and stringent blood tests for both fighters to scan a possible intake of performance-enhancing drugs or substance. It accused Pacquaio of not being "clean." It insinuated that the way Pacquaio climbed from flyweight to welterweight and won seven legitimate titles in different weight categories was a product of some external factor which was enhancing performance drug. But it never put forward any evidence to prove this.

The Pacquaio's camp agreed to have the blood testing, but not in random fashion. Pacquiao was amendable to three blood testing schedules; one would be months before the fight date, another one would be 14 days prior to the fight, and the last one would be right after the fight. According to experts and analysts on drug testing and performance-enhancing substances, there was no way to escape the findings of blood testing if it would be done right after the fight. But Mayweather insisted on the random and stringent blood tests which could be made even on the day of the fight.

For Pacquiao, blood letting on days close to the fight is a bad omen. Much worse is on the day of the fight. It was reported that Pacquiao would feel weak, just like when he fought Erik Morales the first time in the epic-trilogy in which Pacquaio lost by decision.

There will be March 13 boxing fight in Dallas, Texas. The exciting Manny Pacquaio will be top-billing the fight. But he will fight not Mayweather. He will face welterweight contender Clottey.

On the other hand, Mayweather is reportedly facing Sugar Shane Mosley in another date and venue.

Both fights are blockbusters to boxing fans. They are very promising to be a hell of a fight. But they are only a prelude to what millions of boxing fans really want to see, a Pacquaio versus Mayweather fight.

It may not happen in the near future, but I believe it has to happen in this era. It is unpardonable if boxing lets go of this great opportunity to have great fighters not testing each other's skills and chin to decide
who the pound-for-pound king truly is. The winner will definitely be on the list of the top three best boxers of all-time.