‘When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer.’
By John Wight – The above quote, describing the great Macedonian king and warrior of antiquity, Alexander the Great, you can’t help but feel will apply to the undisputed and current king of boxing, Manny Pacquiao, when he finally meets and vanquishes Floyd Mayweather Jnr, the last of the pretenders to his crown, sometime next year.
When that day comes the sport of boxing will gain a massive boost in its continuing resurgence and increased popularity, proving beyond doubt that it is the most exciting and dynamic sport in the world. It will also lose not only the greatest fighter of the present era, but one of the greatest that the sport has ever produced in the shape of The Phillipines’ Manny Pacquiao, who will most probably retire afterwards.
What is there to say about this man that has not already been said? In the wake of his latest – and for me most impressive – victory over Puerto Rico’s formidable Miguel Cotto, praise and eulogy has flowed from every corner of the world.. Adjectives such as great, supreme, invincible, even transcendent, have been bandied around with euphoric abandon after a display of boxing art and skill such as the world hasn’t seen in a generation, and perhaps even longer. Speed, power, intensity, intelligence and courage were present in abundance over 12 rounds of a battle between two warriors who represent not only themselves but the hopes and dreams of an entire people.
Yes and perhaps herein is the secret of Manny Pacquiao’s greatness. For in a world in which fame and celebrity has corroded those deeper human values of solidarity and compassion, Pacquaio’s devotion to his fellow countrymen and women, to their plight in a nation which hasn’t had to search for its trials and tribulations in recent decades, sets him apart from most of his fellow sporting greats. It is surely this devotion to those stuck in the mire of the poverty and day to day struggle for survival which gives Manny Pacquiao the emotional and spiritual strength to meet every challenger with a renewed sense of purpose which transcends the wealth and fame that has arrived with success in the ring. Manny knows that with every victory his people walk a little taller and experience the thrill of seeing one of their own lauded by the entire world.
As for the fight itself, no analysis should commit the crime of ignoring the courage and dignity of Puerto Rican warrior, Miguel Cotto. In the months and weeks leading up he was never less than the epitome of respect and graciousness whenever he appeared in front of the cameras or gave interviews. Not for him the cheap hyperbole and jibes directed at his opponent, an altogether unsavoury aspect of a sport which all too often has stooped to reflect the worst aspects of a society in which empty boasts, insults, and disrespect have sadly become synonymous with something the money men like to describe as promotion.
That Miguel Cotto is a true warrior was displayed in the way he chose to go out on his shield rather than have the fight stopped, as many thought it should have been at least two rounds earlier than it was, when it was clear that his resistance to his opponent’s relentless onslaught was futile.
Boxing needs warriors like Miguel Cotto to carry it banner; and to him should be accorded the accolades deserving of a display of courage and tenacity rarely seen in the ring – not only in this fight but over an entire career which, hopefully, still has some distance to run. In the early rounds it even looked as though he might be the challenge too far for Pacman which many pundits and commentators had predicted. Indeed, the sight of Manny Pacquiao taking a backward step in the ring in the first two rounds, of being pinned against the ropes, was so unfamiliar that many of us had to rub our eyes to make sure they weren’t playing tricks on us.
But then came the switch in gears and the unleashing of the speed, power, intensity, grace, and movement which over seven weight classes – yes, seven – hasn’t lessened an inch, and if anything has increased. Over the past nine years, ever since Manny Pacquiao first walked into Freddie Roach’s Wildcard Gym, the improvements in his arsenal have been many and manifold. On a personal note, this writer recalls being drawn to the speed and voluble noise of a young, scrawny looking fighter shadowboxing in the ring at Wildcard way back in 2000. Back then he was just another prospect, one of the neverending procession that wend their way from all over the world to the hallowed temple of boxing which Wildcard has become. Ferocious speed and a left hand were the raw materials which nine years of hard consistent work under Roach’s tutelage were honed and crafted into the fighting machine which Manny Pacquiao has become, complete with an array of punches thrown from with lightening speed from every angle that have seen worthy opponents, great fighters in their own right, dispatched one after the other with relative ease.
But with the fame and adulation have inevitably come distractions. Leading up to the fight against Cotto, the whole world was able to watch, courtesy of HBO’s excellent 24/7 series, a young man surrounded by crowds wherever he went. We witnessed the discord in the camp behind the scenes, the disruption in training in The Phillipines due to a typhoon and floods, the rumblings of disagreement between trainer and fighter, and a fighter who seemed to be placing equal if not more of a priority on activities and avenues leading away from boxing.
Would this be the determining factor in the ring? Had Manny Pacquiao succumbed to all the hype and become a victim of his own success?
These questions and more besides were answered emphatically on fight night. Manny Pacquiao’s greatness marches on. As for the rest of us mortals, it is well to give thanks to be have been given the privilege of witnessing history in the making.