Philippines halt to cheer the Boxing Hero
Yesterday our town was like a dead town. In cities and towns across the Philippines, traffic was practically nonexistent. The event that brought everyday life in this deeply Catholic country to a Good Friday-like standstill was the historic matchup in Las Vegas between Manny Pacquiao, pound-for-pound the world's best boxer, and the Mexican-American boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya.
Filipinos were glued to their television sets as Pacquiao claimed victory over De La Hoya. Restaurants, movie theaters and gymnasiums were filled with mostly poor Filipinos, cheering Pacquiao and taunting his opponent, while pedicab and bus drivers stopped plying their routes, to the consternation of some commuters.
Pacquiao, 29, is considered the greatest sports hero this country has ever had. He is dubbed the "people's champ," earning as well the moniker "the national fists."
His victory over De La Hoya, who surrendered after the eighth round of a 12-round fight, cemented his legendary status, which had been buttressed by his humble beginnings (he dropped out of school when he was 12, sold cigarettes in the streets and turned to boxing in order to survive) as well as his reputation for generosity (he reportedly spent $700,000 for tickets to the match that he gave out to friends and relatives).
To many Filipinos, Pacquiao is the embodiment of a dream fulfilled. Across the country, boxing stables are filled with young men who had run away from their homes in the provinces in order to train to be boxers - many of them hoping to emulate Pacquiao. He has almost single-handedly made boxing the national sport in what used to be a basketball-crazy nation.
Apart from being a source of inspiration to many young Filipinos, Pacquiao's fights have a way of deflecting attention from the country's troubles. For instance, the news that 16 people had been killed Saturday in the worst cops-and-robbers shootout in recent years - including a man and his young daughter who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time - was eclipsed by stories on Pacquiao. "Time to make history" went the lead Sunday headline of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the country's largest.
Filipinos were glued to their television sets as Pacquiao claimed victory over De La Hoya. Restaurants, movie theaters and gymnasiums were filled with mostly poor Filipinos, cheering Pacquiao and taunting his opponent, while pedicab and bus drivers stopped plying their routes, to the consternation of some commuters.
Pacquiao, 29, is considered the greatest sports hero this country has ever had. He is dubbed the "people's champ," earning as well the moniker "the national fists."
His victory over De La Hoya, who surrendered after the eighth round of a 12-round fight, cemented his legendary status, which had been buttressed by his humble beginnings (he dropped out of school when he was 12, sold cigarettes in the streets and turned to boxing in order to survive) as well as his reputation for generosity (he reportedly spent $700,000 for tickets to the match that he gave out to friends and relatives).
To many Filipinos, Pacquiao is the embodiment of a dream fulfilled. Across the country, boxing stables are filled with young men who had run away from their homes in the provinces in order to train to be boxers - many of them hoping to emulate Pacquiao. He has almost single-handedly made boxing the national sport in what used to be a basketball-crazy nation.
Apart from being a source of inspiration to many young Filipinos, Pacquiao's fights have a way of deflecting attention from the country's troubles. For instance, the news that 16 people had been killed Saturday in the worst cops-and-robbers shootout in recent years - including a man and his young daughter who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time - was eclipsed by stories on Pacquiao. "Time to make history" went the lead Sunday headline of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the country's largest.
2 comments:
since it was non title bout, i think the golden boy still can fight but money is involve and not any title. on other hand, he did not made a revenge for his country men and fellow mexican boxer but end up in pacman's list the mexican killer! hehhee
apir
Hahaha I like the caricature! "I lub Pelepens". hehehehe That's funny. Yay! Panalo na naman si Pacquiao. Once again, he's made Pinoys so proud. I hope this victory won't get over his head though, hope he stays a down-to-earth person kahit napakayaman na niya.
Post a Comment