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.