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Sunday, September 11, 2005
Pacquiao-Velazquez war on Filipino pug out to regain pride
By Charles Raymond A. Maxey
FILIPINO boxing icon Manny Pacquiao steps back into the ring today in a bid to regain some lost pride and glory and cement his place back to the world boxing stage.
In order to do that, the 26-year-old Pacquiao must hurdle what has become his biggest stumbling block in Hector Velazquez, a veteran Mexican fighter who is also out to make a name of himself.
Pacquiao and Velazquez will slug it out in a 12-round super featherweight clash under the blazing lights of the Staples Center in Los Angeles , California.
For Pacquiao, the fight serves as a tune-up for his much awaited rematch with Erik Morales, who will also have his own tune-up later in the night when he faces Olympian Zahir Raheem.
One fatal mistake though and everything will fall apart for the man considered a hero to his countrymen and an idol to children back here in Philippines.
Since losing to Morales in March, Pacquiao has been itching to get back on track again and regain lost pride, and the bout with Velazquez is the perfect time for him to prove he is still the Manny Pacquiao his fans have known for.
By the time Pacquiao enters the ring this morning, patriotic Filipino fans will start to chant, wave Philippine flags and cheer for him no end.
A Pacquiao win is higly anticipated. A defeat will devastate the nation.
"He would be ignored by both Barrera and Morales if he would be humbled by a less popular Mexican opponent", said Rey Golinggan, a businessman and sports patron in Gen. Santos City.
Golinggan was part of the entourage when Pacquiao humiliated Marco Antonio Barrera in San Antonio in 2003, a stunning victory that catapulted the Filipino boxer into the world boxing scene.
But since that victory, Pacquiao never really got things going for him.
He settled for a draw with Juan Manuel Marquez and lost to Morales in two of his three previous fights.
He did pulled off a win after Barrera, but this was against a patsy foe in Fahsan 3K Battery last year.
Pacquiao carries a record of 39-3-2 with 30 KOs, while Velazquez has a 42-10-2 with 31 KOs slate.
Velazquez, of Tijuana, Mexico, had vowed to humiliate Pacquiao and plans to go into an offensive mode to achieve his goal.
"I respect Manny a lot, and I will be fighting him with that respect but I won't be taking a single step backwards against Manny", Velazquez told Fightnews.com.
Also fighting in the under cards of the event `Double Trouble' are two other Filipino boxers.
Brian Viloria will challenge World Boxing Council light flyweight champion Eric Ortiz, while 19-year-old Rey `Boom Boom' Bautista will make his American debut.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (September 11, 2005 issue)
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