3/21/2005
There were ‘manny’ problems from the start
“It doesn’t matter whether you win by an inch or a mile. Winning is winning.”
- Quote from The Fast and the Furious.
Before you put the blame on Manny’s gloves or his reluctance to deliver his killer blows, have you ever considered that this is the “noisiest” campaign Manny Pacquiao embarked? What do I mean by that?
This is the first time in Pacquiao’s career that we had a daily update of how his training was going on. It’s good to know what he is up to or how he is doing, but has it ever dawned on you that we probably gave away too much?
Articles regarding the Filipino southpaw’s training were on local broadsheets everyday. Some of them were even posted on boxing websites and reportedly, videos of Manny training could be downloaded on the net for free.
I don’t think Erik Morales’ handlers are dumb enough not to surf the net to scout the opposition, especially if his opponent is getting all this unwanted attention weeks before the fight.
At the same time, what did we hear from Morales? Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
Do you know what happened to the vaunted “Manila Ice”? It was supposedly a right hook to the body that would set up Manny’s powerful left. Morales’ stance countered it. How could Pacquiao deliver the punch when the Mexican’s torso was positioned away from the trajectory of the punch?
Notice that whenever Manny released his right to Erik’s body it usually caught nothing but air. With Pacquiao’s guard down, Morales would hit him solid on the face that would stun our bet and would send our man retreating. Either that or Morales would crouch so low to hide his abdomen while at the same time sidestepping to evade Pacquiao’s flurry of punches.
What’s the point of this rant? Simple. Why didn’t we leave Manny alone with Freddie Roach in the Wild Card Gym to prepare for the bout? Did we really need to trace his every step?
It is so unusual for Roach to allow these many people watch Pacquiao punch the mitts. And it seems that he tolerated this by entertaining the media. Either that or the reporters lounging around the ring were so persistent in having their bylines printed that Roach broke down and started telling everything to everyone. It’s a chicken or egg scenario, but this could have been prevented if the bespectacled former boxer barred them from the start.
I hold Roach in high regard because he made champions out of the boxers he handled, but I think this is the first and biggest mistake he has committed as a professional trainer.
This is the time I feel that media overdid its purpose. Didn’t you find it uncanny that sports headlines were about Manny’s preparation instead of the preparation we are supposed to be doing for the SEA Games? It came to the point that one legislator even pointed this out (pun unintended).
While Roach was predicting a knockout, didn’t you find it weird Pacquiao was all coy and humble in the last pre-fight article printed in the Philippine Daily Inquirer? He didn’t predict on what round the main card would end, rather he just mentioned that he would do his best for his countrymen. Coming from Pacquiao, or from any other boxer, humility is the last thing we would want to hear. Where was the confidence, the spunk, the aura that said, “I would send him to sleep in three rounds.”
Unarguably, Manny’s a modern day hero, a living legend even. But should we be treating him as a commodity? I mean weeks before the Fahsan 3K Battery bout in Manila, he was playing in an invitational billiards tournament and was shooting commercials and a reality program.
All the while I thought that training in Wild Card was a good thing for the “Pacman” because he would be isolated away from prying and curious eyes. Apparently, what happened was the exact opposite.
During his time in California, a documentary, snippets of interviews, and daily written updates were made to chronicle his every move. Just shows that we are suckers for “blah” news.
Was this a sign of arrogance coming from Team Pacquiao that they let his workout be a public spectacle? Was Philippine media ignorant not to realize that every article they release or every interview they broadcast could reach Morales’ brittle hands?
We basically gave away our fight plan. Now you know why the bemustached left-hander couldn’t land his so-called “Manila Ice.”
And let’s not even get into the gloves, please. And whether the gloves mattered to the outcome or not, it was, in the first place, an oversight on the part of Pacquiao’s higher management. Finally, what’s this rumor I heard that Pacquiao had his medical exam the day before the match? What gives?
So who am I putting the blame on? Go figure. As much as I don’t want to sound sourgraping because looking at the bright side, what we witnessed that Sunday afternoon was a resilient warrior not willing to give up. Bloodied up and still raring to go, that’s the Filipino race personified in one individual.
But obviously, there was something wrong right from the opening bell, and by that, I just didn’t mean the bout but from the very start.
- Quote from The Fast and the Furious.
Before you put the blame on Manny’s gloves or his reluctance to deliver his killer blows, have you ever considered that this is the “noisiest” campaign Manny Pacquiao embarked? What do I mean by that?
This is the first time in Pacquiao’s career that we had a daily update of how his training was going on. It’s good to know what he is up to or how he is doing, but has it ever dawned on you that we probably gave away too much?
Articles regarding the Filipino southpaw’s training were on local broadsheets everyday. Some of them were even posted on boxing websites and reportedly, videos of Manny training could be downloaded on the net for free.
I don’t think Erik Morales’ handlers are dumb enough not to surf the net to scout the opposition, especially if his opponent is getting all this unwanted attention weeks before the fight.
At the same time, what did we hear from Morales? Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
Do you know what happened to the vaunted “Manila Ice”? It was supposedly a right hook to the body that would set up Manny’s powerful left. Morales’ stance countered it. How could Pacquiao deliver the punch when the Mexican’s torso was positioned away from the trajectory of the punch?
Notice that whenever Manny released his right to Erik’s body it usually caught nothing but air. With Pacquiao’s guard down, Morales would hit him solid on the face that would stun our bet and would send our man retreating. Either that or Morales would crouch so low to hide his abdomen while at the same time sidestepping to evade Pacquiao’s flurry of punches.
What’s the point of this rant? Simple. Why didn’t we leave Manny alone with Freddie Roach in the Wild Card Gym to prepare for the bout? Did we really need to trace his every step?
It is so unusual for Roach to allow these many people watch Pacquiao punch the mitts. And it seems that he tolerated this by entertaining the media. Either that or the reporters lounging around the ring were so persistent in having their bylines printed that Roach broke down and started telling everything to everyone. It’s a chicken or egg scenario, but this could have been prevented if the bespectacled former boxer barred them from the start.
I hold Roach in high regard because he made champions out of the boxers he handled, but I think this is the first and biggest mistake he has committed as a professional trainer.
This is the time I feel that media overdid its purpose. Didn’t you find it uncanny that sports headlines were about Manny’s preparation instead of the preparation we are supposed to be doing for the SEA Games? It came to the point that one legislator even pointed this out (pun unintended).
While Roach was predicting a knockout, didn’t you find it weird Pacquiao was all coy and humble in the last pre-fight article printed in the Philippine Daily Inquirer? He didn’t predict on what round the main card would end, rather he just mentioned that he would do his best for his countrymen. Coming from Pacquiao, or from any other boxer, humility is the last thing we would want to hear. Where was the confidence, the spunk, the aura that said, “I would send him to sleep in three rounds.”
Unarguably, Manny’s a modern day hero, a living legend even. But should we be treating him as a commodity? I mean weeks before the Fahsan 3K Battery bout in Manila, he was playing in an invitational billiards tournament and was shooting commercials and a reality program.
All the while I thought that training in Wild Card was a good thing for the “Pacman” because he would be isolated away from prying and curious eyes. Apparently, what happened was the exact opposite.
During his time in California, a documentary, snippets of interviews, and daily written updates were made to chronicle his every move. Just shows that we are suckers for “blah” news.
Was this a sign of arrogance coming from Team Pacquiao that they let his workout be a public spectacle? Was Philippine media ignorant not to realize that every article they release or every interview they broadcast could reach Morales’ brittle hands?
We basically gave away our fight plan. Now you know why the bemustached left-hander couldn’t land his so-called “Manila Ice.”
And let’s not even get into the gloves, please. And whether the gloves mattered to the outcome or not, it was, in the first place, an oversight on the part of Pacquiao’s higher management. Finally, what’s this rumor I heard that Pacquiao had his medical exam the day before the match? What gives?
So who am I putting the blame on? Go figure. As much as I don’t want to sound sourgraping because looking at the bright side, what we witnessed that Sunday afternoon was a resilient warrior not willing to give up. Bloodied up and still raring to go, that’s the Filipino race personified in one individual.
But obviously, there was something wrong right from the opening bell, and by that, I just didn’t mean the bout but from the very start.
// posted by Unknown @ 12:12 
