MANNY PACQUIAO humiliated gutless Shane Mosley but, in the end, the best the Filipino boxing superhero could do was accept his own disappointment.
Pacquiao won by decision but there was no denying it was his most tasteless performance in Las Vegas yet.
In fact, Pacquiao was quick to admit he did not succeed in his primary mission to make everybody happy.
There was celebration all over the Philippines although, unlike before, there was no dancing in the streets.
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“It wasn’t my best performance,” Pacquiao told reporters after being declared winner—and still champ—by unanimous decision.
He quickly explained that he did his best and did not expect the result.
His failure to deal the American his first knockout loss was attributed to twin factors.
First, there was the hasty retreat mode Mosley shifted to after being decked by a left-hand blaze in the third round.
Later, Pacquiao would claim that he was also hampered by leg cramps starting the fourth round.
It was clear that big-hearted Pacquiao could’ve finished off Mosley despite the tightness in his legs.
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What wholly snarled Pacquiao’s KO mission was the shameful sissy stand adopted by Mosley.
This betrayal ultimately shamed not only Mosley, a four-time world boxing champion, but his homeland of the “brave and the free” as well.
Swears Jesus Garcia Jr., two-time national cycling Tour champion and son of an American soldier:
“Mosley is a shame. He should not be a candidate for the Hall of Fame. He has brought shame to Uncle Sam. He’s a certified coward, never a warrior.”
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In a way, Mosley, succeeded in delivering an upset, albeit in peculiar fashion.
Mosley did upset not only Pacquiao’s fight plans but the boxing world as a whole.
The bout was so dull there were instant cries that both Pacquiao and Mosley fought harder and better in sparring.
The fight could also go down as the “most expensive sparring session” in world prizefight history.
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“They were paid a total of $25 million for indulging in ring comedy,” cries Pat Piñol, decorated, battle-scarred police officer from Kidapawan City.
OK, by now, Mosley should next be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, although not exactly for his boxing prowess.
He could yet be recognized for having introduced a new event—reverse sprint—for future Olympic consideration.
Anyway, feeling short-changed, one successful and philanthropic Filipino-Chinese trader wonders what’s in store for fans in future Pacquiao bouts.
“Can Pacquiao be of help in preventing Bob Arum from inflicting more farces on Uncle Sam and the boxing public?” he asks.
The tested trader, a former national football team standout, suggests that the tasteless Mosley event may also be called Hasty Retreat.