A tale of two fights

Manny Pacquiao did many things this weekend.

In his conquest of Jessie Vargas, he defied the ravages of time and a nasty sport that saps the strength and endurance of even the most formidable. Pacquiao did not need the supposedly “historical” tag that his victory would be a first for an incumbent senator. All he needed to be was Manny Pacquiao.

He bucked the calls for him to retire and now with this cerebral, tactical win over Vargas, he may have just lined himself up for a couple more fights.
His promoter Bob Arum probably had the biggest smile at Thomas & Mack Center that night. There was no need for either of them to retire for now.

Pacquiao’s defense hasn’t been given too much credit because of his awesome power. But this facet of his game was switched on as he blocked and parried off even the biggest right hand shots Vargas could muster.

To see Pacquiao in the ring with another Filipino winner, Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach, was a source of joy yesterday. We may have problems as a country but yes, do we have champions.

In another fight on the same night but understandably overshadowed by the Pacquiao legend, Nonito Donaire Jr. could not make a clean and clear connections against the younger Jessie Magdaleno and lost a unanimous decision. Donaire has always had a wicked pair of fighting hands but he could not make them hit an elusive target.

It was the first time that Donaire was in a Pacquiao undercard, obviously a promotional ploy that hoped to attract more Filipinos to the venue and the pay-per-view buys. Donaire has always been respectful of Pacquiao and what he has done. But he has always been his own man.

But now Donaire finds himself at the crossroads. If he continues to fight, he may have to do a Pacquiao and get himself so ready for a big comeback effort. If he brings his career to a close, then nothing is really lost, as he has carved his own boxing name in the hearts of Pinoys and fans worldwide.

Pacquiao’s win will cast a shadow over Donaire’s decision-making in the days ahead. But the real winners that Sunday morning (Saturday night in Las Vegas) were Filipino sports fans who had their boxers battling against tough odds on a world stage.

Having our Miss Universe there as well added a whole lot more reason to be proud to be Filipino.