Tuesday, August 28, 2007 Quijano: The Last Round gets posterized By Jingo Quijano Last Round
HIS eyes seemed to bore through me like knife through butter. I tensed and felt the adrenaline rush through my veins, including the ones on my swollen right foot.
It seemed surreal, but yes, Manny Pacquiao was in front of me, dribbling a basketball. I’ve guarded them all. Ex-PBA players, varsity players, college standouts, sandlot acrobats, ghetto superstars. But this was a first.
He seemed intent on shaming me much like the same way he embarrassed all those Mexican boxing icons. Injury or no injury I’d be damned if I let him blow by me, I muttered beneath my breath, knowing fully well it was a promise I could not keep.
Being a lefty, I figured he’d pass me on my right side and so I waited for him to make his move. His eyes shift downward looking to where I planted my feet. Suddenly, he fakes a drive but passes behind the back to a waiting teammate who calmly sinks in the three.
In the next possession, Manny leads the fast break. I huff and puff behind him and try to will my uncooperative 168-lb. frame to catch up with this streaking flash. Alas, too many last rounds have caught up with me. I am too slow and sluggish.
Just as I think I am about to pass him, I espy Bobby Pacquiao bringing up the right flank. A perfectly timed bounce pass later and Bobby is up in the air laying it in.
And just like that, the Last Round gets posterized. (Check out the pic in yesterday’s issue. But if you don’t know what posterized means, what’s the point?)
NO HOOPS FOR B-HOP. Which brings us to the question: Should Manny be playing basketball?
According to the October 2003 issue of Boxing Digest, Roy Jones Jr. was reportedly in Wilmington, Delaware to celebrate the birthday of a friend. He was also scheduled to play basketball against a team headed by Delaware resident, and long time rival Bernard Hopkins.
Jones owns a win over Hopkins and at that time, a rematch between these two greats was on everybody’s mind. You just knew Hopkins would grab the chance to get even with Jones even if it meant doing it inside the hard court instead of the squared circle.
Who won? Sorry to disappoint you, but according to the report: “Hopkins signed for his fight with William Joppy earlier in the day so he coached from the bench so as to prevent possible injury.”
The shrewd calculating businessman that he is, Hopkins just could not resist endangering a huge payday the Joppy fight guaranteed. Should Manny be following B-hop’s example?
GUARDING MANNY. To appease the hordes of Pacman fans that incessantly worry about him being injured, let me reassure you that we in the media are doing our best to get out of Pacman’s way—literally. Not that he needs it to make his shots.
(Manny is a terrific perimeter shooter) Manny knows we are doing it, but plays his heart out anyway.
Manny knows that he is in more danger than when he is sparring—where someone is actually trying to hit him.
On the few occasions where he led the fast break and I was the only one standing between him and basket, I immediately moved out of the way when he neared the goal. But this is where it gets complicated.
Manny, however, chose to do an acrobatic shot by bouncing the ball from the ground to the backboard and catching it while attempting to lay it in. The unforeseen consequences of that, we cannot guard against.
Anyone who has ever stepped inside a basketball court knows anything can happen inside of it. Just last week, my injury was caused by landing on somebody else’s foot.
Personally, I see nothing wrong with Manny playing pick-up hoops with a group of guys who are quite wary of hurting him. But I wish he would keep the moves safe and simple. For now. Save it till after the big fight Manny.
Of course, that’s just my opinion. What do you think? Shoot me an e-mail and I’ll be glad to feature it.
THE LAST ROUND. It’s on my good friend and budding entrepreneur, Jeffrey “Jickie” Uraya, who recently celebrated his birthday. Cheers!
