By: By Roy Luarca
GRAPEVINE, TEXAS—Manny Pacquiao takes another bold step toward sports
immortality when he tangles with Antonio Margarito for the World Boxing Council (WBC) super welterweight crown on Saturday night (this morning in Manila) at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington City.
The 31-year-old representative of Sarangani province and holder of a record seven world crowns in as many divisions will make history as the first nationally elected official to compete in a boxing championship
as soon as he trades punches with the taller and bigger boxer from Mexico.
The Philippines’ pride, despite yielding 4 1/2 inches in height, 6 inches in reach and more than 10 pounds in weight by fight night, is an overwhelming 5-1 favorite to trounce Margarito and remain the world’s pound-for-pound king.
From Yokohama, Japan, where he is attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Meeting, President Benigno Aquino on Saturday said Filipinos continued to hope and to expect that Pacquiao would “bring honor” to the motherland.
“And I would like to let him know that I am among those praying for his victory,” the President said in Filipino.
Prayers will be particularly strong in the Cebu Archdiocese, where the episcopal vicar, Msgr. Esteban Binghay, has included in his Saturday and Sunday-morning Masses a prayer for Pacquiao.
“Manny’s victory will also be our victory,” Binghay said on Saturday.
Invader
The Filipino champion started as a puny 106-pounder in 1995 and went on to capture the WBC flyweight (112 lbs), International Boxing Federation super bantamweight (122), Ring featherweight (126), WBC super featherweight (130), WBC lightweight (135), International Boxing Organization junior welterweight (140) and World Boxing Organization welterweight (147) titles.
Now he is invading the 154-lbs territory, where, at 5 feet and 6 1/2 inches, he is deemed a pygmy, and at 144.6 lbs during weigh-in, severely malnourished.
So as not to sacrifice his speed and whirlwind attacks, Pacquiao will not bulk up too much and will enter the ring no heavier than 149 lbs.
The 5’11” Margarito weighed in at exactly 150 lbs—the catch weight agreed upon—but will rehydrate to over 160 lbs for the 12-round bout to be beamed all over the globe by HBO pay-per-view (PPV).
As usual, Pacquiao is not focusing on personal glory and is dedicating the fight to his country and the 96 million countrymen rooting for him back home.
Deadly with both hands
The Fighter of the Decade, who holds a 51-win, three-loss, two-draw slate spiked by 38 knockouts, is gunning for his 13th straight victory since losing to Mexican Erik Morales in 2005, when he was basically a heavy-hitting lefty.
Under the guidance of four-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach, Pacquiao has become deadly with both hands, exacting vengeance over Morales twice, and opponents that included Hall-of-Fame-bound Mexicans like Oscar de La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera.
Pacquiao drew 50,994 fans to the Cowboys Stadium when he fought and beat Ghanaian Joshua Clottey last March 13.
Top Rank founder and promoter Bob Arum expects Pacquiao—with some help from the Latino fans of Margarito, who is seeking redemption after serving a yearlong ban for using a hand-wrap containing a hardening substance in a losing effort against Shane Mosley early in 2009—to draw an even bigger crowd.
Pacquiao has been guaranteed $15,000,000, which stands to increase significantly if the bout exceeds the 700,000 PPV hits posted by the Pacquiao-Clottey fight.
8 or less
Roach has predicted a knockout victory for his prized ward in “eight rounds or less,” and hinted that a first-round knockout was a possibility.
Not to be outdone, Margarito’s trainer Robert Garcia predicted that Pacquiao would fall in 11 rounds.
While Pacquiao has refused to guarantee a knockout, Margarito (38-6 with 27 KOs) has said he would beat the Filipino and salvage Mexican pride.
Three other Filipinos, led by Juan Martin “Bai” Elorde, grandson of the late great Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, Dennis Laurente and Richie Mepranum will figure in the undercard of the 90-round card.
Elorde will fight Angel Rodriguez in a four-round super featherweight bout; Laurente, Rashad Holloway in an eight-round super lightweight encounter; and Mepranum, Anthony Villareal in an eight-round flyweight tussle.
Zyrene Parsad will sing the Philippine anthem.
Not even on TV
President Aquino will not be able to watch the Pacquiao-Margarito fight because of his “full schedule,” Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said in Yokohama.
On the last day of the Apec summit today, Mr. Aquino and other Apec leaders are to attend a last leaders’ retreat and a luncheon before they issue a joint declaration to cap the three-day conference.
Carandang said some Cabinet officials in the President’s delegation might watch the fight on cable TV and invite Filipinos in Yokohama to join them.
Malacañang said Mr. Aquino was to speak before the other Apec leaders at around the time of the Pacquiao-Margarito bout.
“It depends on his schedule but what I see is that he has engagements at that time,” Abigail Valte, the President’s deputy spokesperson, said over radio dzRB when asked about the probability that Mr. Aquino would miss Pacquiao’s first fight under his administration.
“We are united with our fellow Filipinos in rooting and praying for Manny to beat Margarito and bring more honor to our country,” Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa said in a statement issued Saturday.
Faith
Pacquiao’s colleagues in the House of Representatives are confident that he will win because of his “strong faith in God.”
“His strength, months of training and belief in the Filipino spirit of dependence on God will lead him to victory,” said House Deputy Speaker Ma. Isabelle Climaco.
Rep. Simeon Datumanong said Pacquiao was fully prepared for the fight—“physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.”
Said Rep. Roilo Golez, a boxer in his younger days at the Philippine Navy: “I believe that with Pacquiao’s speed, punching power, stamina and ability to deliver nonstop, vicious combinations, he will KO Margarito in six rounds or less. That’s assuming Margarito doesn’t run like (Miguel) Cotto or cover up like (Joshua) Clottey.” With reports from Norman Bordadora and Michael Lim Ubac in Manila; Christine O. Avendaño in Yokohama, Japan; Jhunnex Napallacan and Jani Arnaiz, Inquirer Visayas
Source: inquirer.net
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