The Year of Pacquiao

2008 will go down in sports history as the year Manny Pacquiao affirmed his supremacy as the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound champion. No Filipino fighter – or athlete, for that matter – has gained as much global acclaim as Pacquiao, who is destined to be in the Hall of Fame as the first Asian to win world titles in five different divisions.

To be sure, Pacquiao – who turned 30 last Dec. 17 – has at least two megabuck fights left before retiring to run for public office in 2010. And even if Pacquiao succeeds in claiming the lone congressional seat in Saranggani province, it’s not likely he’ll give up boxing completely. The lure of the ring is a compelling temptation, especially for a fighter who’s still at the top of his game.

What makes Pacquiao special not just as a fighter but as a Filipino is his ability to defy the odds. There is no more glowing personification of the slogan, “Yes, the Filipino can” – for Pacquiao is like a David who has made it a habit to slay Goliath.

Somehow, Pacquiao seems more determined to win when there are doubts on his ability to deliver.

Whenever he enters the ring, Pacquiao never fails to get down on his knees, bow his head and pray in a quiet moment in a corner. That’s also what he does right after a fight. Pacquiao leaves his fate in God’s hands. He’ll do his best when the bell rings but the rest is up to the Man upstairs.

It’s a fact that the entire country is frozen into a sense of paralysis during every Pacquiao fight. Millions watch in theaters, restaurants, bars and on TV as the folk hero puts on his gloves and the country on his back to go to war. Each fight is a story that adds to his legendary status.

If it’s not Pacquiao’s power that propels him to victory, it’s his guts or his heart or his speed or his smarts or a combination of all those. To his adoring fans, Pacquiao isn’t just Pacman – he’s Superman.

The inspiring message in Pacquiao’s tale is you can be anything you want to be if you put your heart into it, work hard, believe in yourself and let God show you the way. Pacquiao’s rise from rags to riches is a story that will be told and retold for generations to bring hope to the hopeless and faith to the faithless.

Born to a poor family, Pacquiao sold bread in the streets of General Santos City as a boy and figured in streetfights to survive. He was barely 15 when he joined nine other amateur fighters in a boat to Manila, without a centavo in his pocket, seeking fame and fortune in the Big City. In the Sampaloc gym where he trained, Pacquiao slept in the ring, damp with sweat and stained with fighters’ blood.

Pacquiao persevered. He saw action in little backyard smokers, trying to make a name for himself. Slowly, his reputation as an exciting, devil-may-care brawler spread far and wide. Pacquiao became the darling of local boxing.

In 1998, Pacquiao won his first world title – the WBC flyweight crown at Chatchai Sasakul’s expense in Thailand. In 2001, he annexed his second jewel, the IBF superbantamweight championship. In 2003, Pacquiao stopped Marco Antonio Barrera for the Ring Magazine or “people’s” world featherweight title. And this year, he added two more belts to his growing collection – the WBC superfeatherweight title and the WBC lightweight diadem.

It was last March 15 at the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas where Pacquiao wrested the WBC 130-pound title via a split 12-round decision over Juan Manuel Marquez.

Pacquiao floored Marquez with a left hook in the third round and the knockdown proved to be decisive. Judge Tom Miller had it 114-113 and judge Duane Ford, 115-113, both for Pacquiao while judge Jerry Roth saw it 115-112 for Marquez.

Pacquiao led in the three scorecards after five rounds. Two of the three judges gave the last round to Marquez. The big difference was the knockdown that Pacquiao scored – it meant an automatic two-point margin. In punchstats, Pacquiao threw 619 blows to Marquez’ 511 but was less accurate, 25 percent to 34. In jabs, Pacquiao landed 43 and Marquez, 42. In terms of volume and work rate, Pacquiao had the edge.

Pay-per-view hits went up to 405,000 translated to $20 million with Pacquiao claiming a share of at least $2 million added to his guaranteed purse of over $5 million. The gate of more than 11,000 contributed $3.3 million to the pot.

Pacquiao’s second fight of the year fell on June 28. This time, he faced WBC lightweight champion David Diaz at the Mandalay Events Center.

There was some apprehension that Pacquiao wouldn’t be able to carry over his speed and power to the lightweight division where the limit is 135 pounds compared to the superfeatherweight limit of 130.

But Pacquiao proved his resiliency in disposing of the durable Diaz in the ninth round of an action-packed thriller. Diaz went down, face first, from a left hook to the jaw and referee Vic Drakulich didn’t bother to count. In a gesture of compassion, Pacquiao rushed in to check on Diaz’ condition as he lay on the canvas.

For seven weeks, Pacquiao was immersed in hard training at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, preparing for Diaz by adding muscle to his physique. With strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza laying out a program designed to keep Pacquiao potent at his new weight, the jump to lightweight went smoothly.

As the challenger, Pacquiao earned about $5 million for the workout, including his share of the pay-per-view receipts from some 250,000 subscriptions. It was more than the $850,000 the champion received, a disparity that only confirmed Pacquiao’s box office stature.

Only eight fighters in history have claimed five world titles in different divisions. Pacquiao joined Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar de la Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Lester Ellis, Hector Camacho and Roberto Duran in the elite cast.

In August, Pacquiao led the Philippine delegation in holding up the colors at the National “Bird’s Nest” Stadium in Beijing to open the Olympics. It was a role that President Arroyo herself assigned to Pacquiao. Never in the history of the Olympics had a professional boxer been accorded the honor of being a flag bearer for a country in the traditional inaugural parade.

“While Manny’s not a participant in the Olympics, he epitomizes the ultimate Pinoy athlete, having gained unprecedented records and success as a world champion,” said Rep. Monico Puentevella, the newly-elected Philippine Olympic Committee chairman.

“The flag bearer represents the best of any country plus the fact that any Juan de la Cruz identifies sports today with Manny. There is no greater once-in-a-lifetime honor our country can give than to make Manny walk beside Federer, Nadal, Kobe, LeBron and the others in the same arena. Manny deserves it.”

Then came the Dec. 6 showdown between Pacquiao and De la Hoya at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight was set at the catchweight limit of 147 pounds and Pacquiao checked in at l42, the heaviest he has ever scaled for a bout.

Again, there was apprehension that Pacquiao wouldn’t be able to handle the extra weight, that his power would be severely diminished.

But like the hero in a storybook ending, Pacquiao upset the odds in stopping De la Hoya at the end of the eighth round. He had a look of concern when De la Hoya, his face puffy from constant pounding, surrendered and told the Golden Boy, “You’re still my idol.” To which De la Hoya responded, “No, now you’re my idol.”

Pacquiao’s reward was recognition as the world’s best fighter today. Depending on the final count of pay-per-view hits, he could walk away with a gross take of $20 million to $25 million. Pacquiao broke the one-million pay-per-view barrier for the first time in his career as indications pointed to at least 1.25 million buys for a gross income of about $70 million.

The Dream Match with De la Hoya tied for ninth overall in the all-time list and was the third biggest-selling non-heavyweight fight in pay-per-view history.

Last Dec. 17, Pacquiao hosted a lavish birthday treat for 2,000 well-wishers at the convention center of the KCC Mall in General Santos City. President Arroyo led the star-studded guest list which included Diaz, unbeaten knockout artist Edwin Valero of Venezuela, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, trainer Freddie Roach, former Gov. Chavit Singson, Secretary Lito Atienza, Rep. Puentevella, Bacolod City Mayor Bing Leonardia, Gen. Alexander Yano, Solar chairman William Tieng, Solar president Wilson Tieng, Solar chief operating officer Peter Chanliong, Michael Koncz, Rob Peters, Wakee Salud, Eddie Gutierrez, Annabelle Rama, Atlanta Olympics silver medalist Onyok Velasco and Smart Sports’ Patrick Gregorio.

The estimate was Pacquiao spent at least P5 million for the affair which featured a Las Vegas showtime theme with slot machines, poker tables and dancing girls on stage. Pacquiao treated his guests, dressed to the nines, with endless food and drinks but didn’t forget his fans who couldn’t be accommodated. He provided food and drinks, too, for 5,000 more at the nearby Oval Plaza.

Pacquiao is now in the US to celebrate the holidays with wife Jinkee – expected to give birth to their fourth child, a girl to be named Queen Elizabeth any day now – sons Jemuel and Michael and daughter Mary Divine Grace.

Up next is a duel with IBO lightwelterweight champion Ricky Hatton of England on May 2 in Las Vegas. That should bring in another $20 million to Pacquiao’s bank account. And to cap the year, Pacquiao will likely face unbeaten Floyd Mayweather.

The sky’s the limit for Pacquiao as he brings pride, honor and glory to the Philippines as a global icon and living legend. The story of the King of the Ring is far from over.