Sunday, August 10, 2008 Malilong: Manny Pacquiao and Lebron James By Frank Malilong The Other Side
THE opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics will long be remembered for its unrivaled pomp and pageantry. The Chinese organizers outdid themselves with a coming out party that is certain to put pressure on the hosts of future Olympics. The show looked pretty impressive on television. I can imagine how much more enjoyable and awe-inspiring the spectacle was for those who had the privilege of watching it happen right where it happened.
Manny Pacquiao and Lebron James were among the privileged few. Pacquiao is not a participant but to him fell the honor of carrying the Philippine flag in fitting recognition of his accomplishments as a professional boxer. James, on the other hand, is a member of the United States “Redemption Team,” a bunch of highly paid National Basketball Association superstars out to reclaim glory for the US in a sport that was born in its soil.
Their paths had never crossed and probably never will. Manny is a hopeless and unrepentant Boston fanatic while Lebron (as if you do not know) plays for the Celtics’ Eastern Conference rival Cleveland Cavaliers. But they share some things in common. For one, gallons of ink have been written about them. For another, they play mostly for the money.
A recent dispatch from Beijing said James, whose contract with the Cavs expires at the end of the 2010-2011 season, was seriously considering playing in Europe if he was offered a salary of US$50 million a year. If it were cinema, it woould be like Julia Roberts packing her Gucci’s in Hollywood to set up camp in Manila and star in Philippine movies.
But money not only talks but moves. If the price is right, nothing is unthinkable, not even relegation to trotting in lesser-known areas or, as in the case of Pacquiao, a fight against an opponent who outweighs you by several kilos.
When Pacquiao began fighting professionally, he weighed only 106 pounds. The lightest that Oscar de La Hoya ever fought was at 128 ½ pounds.
Pacquiao’s last fight was for the 135-pound lightweight crown against David Diaz but he bulked up after the official weigh-in to enter the ring at 146 pounds. De la Hoya at one time competed in the 160-pound middleweight division. In his last fight, he weighed in at 150 pounds but was probably ten pounds heavier by the time he traded mitts with opponent Steve Forbes.
This obvious disparity in size does not seem to faze Pacquiao and his advisers, notably trainer Freddie Roach, however. They’re talking about meeting at 147 pounds but given the history of fighters regaining weight after they are officially measured, De la Hoya will probably be back to his natural 160 pounds at fight time.
Although he is six years younger than the semi-retired 35-year-old de la Hoya, Pacquiao faces a tremendous size disadvantage. When an old but well-maintained SUV and a sleek sports car crash head on at full speed, you know which vehicle is likely to emerge badly battered.
Pacquiao’s mother saw the risk not only to her son’s career but, more importantly, to his health and advised her son not to do anything foolhardy. But Manny apparently did not hear her voice, drowned as it was by the din of cash registers.
Lebron and Manny: two different stars in two different constellations. But they’re the same in the sense that while they do not want in wealth, they can’t seem to resist the promise of more.
