Gentlemen boxers

Yes, it’s 12-12-12 today. We have this unique date in our calendar falling on three “12’s.” Today is the 12th of the month; December as the 12th month of the year; and it’s the year 2012.

Doomsayers have earlier warned about the supposed “end of the world” today based on the Mayan calendar: “The ancient Mayan calendar speaks of 12-12-2012 as the end of times as we know it, and the beginning of a new cycle of evolution for planet earth, humanity and the cosmos. Mayan elders say that the Ancients were informing the modern world to be ready for a giant transformation for the human race.”

But we’re still here. Obviously, this is just a myth, if not a false tale to spread fear, hopelessness, and panic even. It’s not being fatalistic, however, if most of us Filipinos look at life each day with so much to look forward to even amid the pall and gloom. “Que sera, sera! What will be, will be,” as one Christian song goes.

So even as our country’s proclaimed “Pambansang Kamao” may have suffered a humiliating knockout to his archrival Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico, Manny Pacquiao will still be feted with a “hero’s welcome” as he returns today from Las Vegas, Nevada.

A fully recovered Pacquiao flies home back to the arms of his adoring fans and supporters here in Manila, in his home province Sarangani and his home city of General Santos. This, despite Pacquiao’s 12-round fight ended halfway in the 6th round knockout punch by Marquez.  

Obviously, it’s not the end of the world also for Pacquiao as far as he is concerned. He has shunned tearful pleas from his wife Jinkee and mother Dionesia to retire from professional boxing after the shocking knockout defeat in the hands of Marquez. Actually it was Pacquiao’s second defeat in a row after a split decision match with Tim Bradley earlier this year.

Instead, Pacquiao — who is turning 34 next week— declared he is ready to return to the boxing ring to redeem himself from the Marquez’s knockout punch that sent him kissing the canvass. Pacquiao was quoted saying he can return to boxing on April 20 next year.

The date is reportedly red-marked already by Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank. It’s not certain yet whether it will be another match with Marquez or with another boxer. Pacquiao had earlier signed a new two-year contract with Arum ending in 2014. This could mean at least four boxing matches more for Pacquiao.  

If ever such a rematch comes to pass, it will be the fifth time Pacquiao and Marquez will square off. The Pacquiao-Marquez rivalry spanned eight years of bitterly fought boxing matches, with the latest rematch ending in a clean knockout victory by the Mexican boxer dubbed as “El Dinamita.”

The Pacquiao-Marquez rivalry could match the bitter rivalry between former heavyweight boxing champions Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The Ali-Frazier fights started my interest in boxing because my late paternal grandfather “Lolo Pablo” would always bring us to his house to watch the sport on TV.

The third and last rematch of the Ali-Frazier bout was called “Thrilla in Manila” because it was held here on October 1, 1975 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The 15-round fight ended when Frazier’s corner refused to let Frazier come back for the 15th round, resulting in a technical knockout (TKO) for Ali.

The boxing match lived up to its billing as “Thrilla in Manila” (coined by Ali’s promoter, the flamboyant Don King) as it gave my Lolo Pablo a stroke after watching it. Fortunately, my Lolo survived that stroke.

It was my first time to watch live on TV the Pacquiao-Marquez bout in the convenience of my home in my newly installed SkyCable HD digi-Box. It was like a ringside view of the boxing match in true high definition (HD) colors and clear sound.

I am not an avid boxing fan. But I have followed Pacquiao’s boxing matches on delayed telecast in the past. By the time I watched the fight, I already knew the outcome. So it was a first experience for me to watch the boxing match live on TV. 

It was indeed a horror seeing Pacquiao fall due to the roundhouse right from Marquez in Round 3. It was portent of how the match would end. Pacquiao recovered in the succeeding rounds, visibly raring to get the upper hand on Marquez. Then the horrific knockout punch came in the last seconds of Round 6.

After recovering from the knockout punch, Pacquiao went to the corner of Marquez to congratulate him for the well-fought match. Marquez definitely also suffered so much beating in the hands of Pacquiao. The Mexican counter-puncher got a standing eight count by the referee after Pacquiao pounded him in Round 5.

It was the post-match interviews later that showed the kind of professional sportsmen both Pacquiao and Marquez are despite being billed as bitter boxing rivals. The respect for each other was not only in words but in their actions as well.

Asked if he was confident to defeat Pacquiao after the first knockdown in Round 3, Marquez replied: “I did not get impatient because I know Pacquiao could knock me out.”

Unfortunately for Pacquiao, our champion was impatient to get Marquez knocked down early but it was a fatal mistake for him.    

Both Pacquiao and Marquez have shown their much younger colleagues what it takes to become gentleman boxers. So it is not surprising Filipinos feel Pacquiao deserves a “hero’s welcome” even in defeat. Despite his flaws and mistakes, Pacquiao remains one of the most admired boxers in history, not only in the Philippines but around the world.