Let’s wish Pacquiao the best

As soon as the Manny Pacquiao-Lucas Matthysse world welterweight championship fight was announced, I wrote a column saying I would break my practice of getting a pay-per-view subscription to watch good boxing matches. “No Pacquiao-Matthysse pay-per-view for me” was my stand. But if, indeed, promises are made to be broken, I will break (as I have broken) a promise. I paid my little savings to watch, via a live coverage, this match.

Like many of our countrymen, I am watching this card as it unfolds today in Malaysia for only a reason aside from being a boxing fan since the time of the late Gabriel “Flash” Elorde. The boxer involved is Pacquiao, a senator. But, I have otherwise some personal and philosophical reasons against viewing this sporting event live:

1.) Greed, my main theme. This match is not anchored anymore on a true love of boxing; the real essence of the sport is lost. Sadly, it is founded on greed. Pacquiao is no longer the fighter who wants to entertain his adoring fans with his extraordinary skill. He has become greedy. It is his lust for money that forces him to fight any boxer. Do we remember that after he lost to Australian Jeff Horn, Pacquiao, as in the early years of his career, was hungrily looking for an opponent? He was in search of a highly marketable foe, like Terence Crawford, that would sell millions to the boxing fans? It just happens that squaring it off with Matthysse provides him the kind of purse he has his mind on. If we consider that he reportedly pocketed $20 million to fight Mayweather (plus his share in the PPV), it is embarrassing to admit he is no different from a tired, almost spent, mercenary in taking on this Matthysse job. His self-respect is lost to avarice when he agreed to meet the Argentinian on a greatly diminished fee of how much? Five million dollars?

2.) Disservice. In pursuit of more fortune, Pacquiao has shortchanged us. We elected him first as congressman and later as senator and paid him good tax money to do legislative work. Yet he confused his job as lawmaker to be his sideline to his principal work as a gladiator. In our political history, this is the worst disservice from a supposed public servant. Many times, he unconscionably failed to attend sessions because he would go on training. His record as an absentee legislator is outstanding. If he is not ashamed of his dismal performance as a lawmaker it is maybe because he is a good boxer. (Sorry for the joke!) Of course, he would mislead us, now and again, by saying “sa bayan ang laban na ito”. But we all know that this is a lot of b___t.

3.) Perilous risk. I have come across some literature on both Pacquiao and Matthysse as well as analyses on their bout. Their ages, fight records, and qualities of previous opponents among other factors considered, experts came up with different predictions. Most of them though highlighted two facts; that Pacquiao lost consciousness for few seconds when Marquez hit him with a hard right and that he has not scored a knockout victory since he kayoed Hatton several years ago, while his physically bigger opponent in Matthysse scored stunning knockouts lately. This is what troubles me. It looks like our boxing hero is facing a perilous risk. He is exposed to a potential harm of a disastrous magnitude. Let us all pray that he escapes this fight unhurt and his honor intact.