Goodbye is a sad thing to say. Because there is no good in goodbye. For many years now, Manny Pacquiao had ruled the boxing world with his iron fist. One man having dominion over eight divisions of the boxing dynasty which can be traced to when Cain punched his brother Abel to death.One man moving up in weight eight times from a lower division to a higher one and winning all the way.
But like everything and everyone, Father Time has finally caught up with our Filipino superstar, a global icon who has entertained us with his bravery, with his Samson-like strength, with his passion for boxing. Boxing, the sweet science of legalized killing. The game through which many, like Manny, have found fame, fortune and power. The game of subterfuge, skill, style, speed, strength, stamina and strategy—call it the 7S of boxing. You can add your own ‘S’.
Boxing, the game of agility that took many from the ghetto to global glory. The game that transformed ex-convicts like Sonny Liston and Mike Tyson into legends of the fistic game. The fearful Sonny Liston that Mohammed Ali—then known as Cassius Clay—mesmerised, defeated and demystified. The Mohammed Ali who reinvented boxing with the Ali Shuffle, rope-a-dope and many more inventions. Ali, floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. Ali, the loquacious and clairvoyant boxer who predicted the rounds which his opponents will fall. Opponents from Liston to George Foreman. The harder they came, the harder they fell. He subdued them all and became the god of boxing. Ali won, lost and recaptured the heavyweight crown for an unparalleled three times.
He tried his luck the fourth time. He wanted to win the heavyweight crown for the fourth time but ironically, he was beaten by Larry Holmes, the boxer who learnt his boxing tutelage serving as Ali’s apprentice and sparring partner. With the secrets garnered from the years of working with Ali, he beat up his master who wanted to turn back the hands of the clock. Ali in the end capitulated in the hands of Father Time.
The truth is, you can’t cheat Time. In the annals of boxing, only three boxers were smart enough to quit boxing undefeated. Rocky Marciano, the undefeated Heavyweight champion with the record of 49-0-0 (0). Terry Marsh, the undefeated Light Welterweight with 28-0-1 (0). Floyd Mayweather Jnr., the undefeated Lightweight and Welterweight 50-0-0 (0).
With his defeat by Yordenis Ugas last week, our champ, Manny Pacquiao has now come to the realisation that the “bell of quittance”—a quote borrowed from Thomas Hardy’s poem—has sounded and it’s time for the Packman to pack and go from boxing’s deadly ring. Ugas, the tall, young Cuban who came in two weeks to the fight as a last minute replacement for Errol Spence has proved to Pacquiao that the game is over, that his legs cannot move as they used to in the glory days of the real Manny Pacquiao. Ugas, 35, used his height, his long reach, his jabs, his body punches and his looping right hand to do the damage and to confuse the 42-year-old ex-champion and boxing’s hall-of-famer.
As a boxing aficionado, I have been following the fights of Yordenis Ugas. I watched his epic fight against Shawn Potter which he lost by a split decision. In my opinion, the judges should have given it to Ugas. He was the better fighter. I am looking forward to the clash between Yordenis Ugas versus Errol Spence. It would be one hell of a fight. Let me end this column with Manny Pacquiao’s moving post-fight goodbye speech:
‘YOU MIGHT NOT SEE ME IN THE RING AGAIN’
“First of all, I want to thank God for keeping us both safe in the ring. And I want to thank all the people, the fans, and the media for always supporting boxing. I really appreciate your love for boxing. I did my best tonight, but my best wasn’t good enough. Tonight, no excuses. I wanted to fight for the title in the ring but tonight the champion is Ugas. I have done a lot for boxing and boxing has done a lot for me. I look forward to spending time with my family and thinking about my future in boxing. I want to thank all my fans who came to see me fight tonight. I want to thank all of you in the media for telling my story, about what Manny Pacquiao has done in boxing.
For how many decades, you the media and the boxing fans are always behind us, supporting us. That’s why we are here. We become popular, and we accomplish our dreams as fighters because of you. I am a fighter inside and outside the ring. And I look forward to getting back to the Philippines and serving the Filipino people as this pandemic continues to affect millions in the Philippines. Congratulations to Ugas and his team. Thank you to all of you. And I want to thank the GB promotion for giving me this opportunity. In the future, you might not see Manny Pacquiao again to fight in the ring. I don’t know, but for so many decades, I am so happy for what I have done in boxing. I contributed in setting a record in boxing and I took boxing to the top and brought honour to my country. I am so proud to be a Filipino and thankful to all the fans all over the world. May the Lord keep you safe always, especially during this pandemic. As long as I live in this world, I want to leave a legacy—not only being a good fighter, but to leave a legacy as an inspiration to everybody inside and outside the ring. Thank you all.