Pacquiao compares to Elorde
Written by Ms. Confuse on Monday, June 30, 2008Manny Pacquaio is undoubtedly the most popular Filipino personality in and out of the Philippines. He cemented that claim with a vicious left that knocked David Diaz out at 2:24 of the 9th round of their WBC lightweight championship fight in Las Vegas over the weekend. Despite the pronounced one-sidedness of the contest, many concede that Pacquiao's demolition of Diaz is the best that Pacman has ever fought in many years. It reminds ring observers of his 2001 brawl with South African Lehlo Ledwaba, which was the Filipino's coming-out party in the U.S.
"You can be the best technical boxer in the world and die a poor man. Everyone who follows the sport, whatever their love of the art, craves excitement; the fighters who provide it, through the weight of punch or personality, are the ones who make the big money - the real kings of the ring. Now boxing has a showman to withstand comparison to the best: Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, a little Filipino who lives fast and hits even faster," writes British boxing columnist Kevin Mitchell of The Guardian.
"Pacquaio's performance was yet another step in projecting him to the top of the sport's elite," adds Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times' boxing correspondent. Associated Press' Greg Beachman agrees: "After winning a recognized championship fight at his fifth weight - including a nontitle victory over 126-pound king Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003 - Pacquaio definitely has the credentials to qualify as boxing's mythical pound-for-pound champion."
"Very few of the pugs doing business in prize rings today are loved by their countrymen the way Manny Pacquaio is loved by his," says respected ring observer William Dettloff. "In the Philippines, Pacquaio is no mere sports hero the way, say, Michael Jordan is in the United States, or Tiger Woods or Oscar De La Hoya. He is a national treasure.
