Boxing has produced many of the most polarizing and intriguing figures in sports history. From Sugar Ray Robinson to Mike Tyson boxing has had a hand in the American zeitgeist from its inception. When Mike Tyson’s reign on the top ended officially it left a palpable void in boxing and it was officially filled on December 6, 2008 by a small southpaw out of General Santos City Philippines.
Manny Pacquiao is that boxer and that night he beat boxing’s pretty boy, Oscar de la Hoya in convincing fashion. Since then he has been the next, the crown savior of boxing, the messiah for a dying art in desperate need of a poster boy. Someone who is relatable and down to earth but who also possesses a devastating left hook. Someone who combines power and grace like Ali did in his prime. Float like a butterfly sting like a bee 2.0. He has taken this and run with it, embraced it to the fullest and he has done it all with an entire country on his back.
Manny Pacquiao is a cultural tour de force. Stateside he is a fighter and has put himself in the American zeitgeist but in his native Philippines he is much more than just a fighter. He is a singer, and actor a fighter and a politician. The country is literally on his back, it is said that when he fights crime rates in the country drop to virtually zero because everyone is watching the fight on television. That’s power. That’s something that the world hasn’t been close to seeing since Muhammad Ali was transcending damn near every barrier that was thrust in his way, from fighters to racism. Pacqiao’s impact is easily seen in the Philippines, it is just as easily observed in the states.
“Growing up all of my friends had people in larger culture that they could have pride in,” Adam Gray said, “but I didn’t really have anyone to have pride in. Famous Filipinos were basically non-existent growing up.”
This is a sentiment that is shared by many young Filipinos in America and a big reason for the incredible popularity of Manny Pacquiao. Outside of bit actor Dante Basco Filipinos haven’t cracked the glass of American culture.
“The emergence of Pacquiao gave me someone to hang my hat on” said Gray, a 19-year-old student at the University of Nevada Reno.
Sentiments like this help to explain the rabidity of the people who support every move made by the boxer. It is because of these fans that Pacquiao is one of the most bankable fighters in Pay-Per-View history. While bringing in around $15 million for his dismantling of the much bigger Antonio Margarito he showed that his popularity has stretched past a primarily Filipino audience to someone who has transcended the barriers of race much like a prime Ali.
“Before the Margarito fight I wasn’t really into the hype around Pacquiao,” said Taylor Clifford a student and member of the UNR boxing club, “but he has performed at such a high level for so many years I think his skill is undeniable. I think he will be mentioned with Sugar Ray Robinson and Ali when it’s all said and done.”
Ali is the greatest fighter of all time. This is one of the most accepted notions in the sporting world, like saying Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. If you saw them in action these are truths that cannot be denied. The fact that Pacquiao is mentioned in the same breath as Ali by credible entities is an honor for the boxer but aside from the violent poetry of their combinations they have little in common. Where Ali made half of the fight outside of the ring with words, Pacquiao is quiet, humble, leaving his trainer Freddy Roach to do most of his trash talking. Something that endears him to the older generation of immigrant Filipino’s.
“I love Manny,” Soledad Gray a 58-year-old Filipino immigrant said, “he doesn’t have a big mouth like Mayweather does.”
Most boxers at the top of their careers talk. It’s a part of the sport, trash-talking is part of the strategy in boxing. Pacquiao doesn’t do that, he lets his fists do the talking, in the ring and he stays humble out of it. “You are still my hero,” Pacuiao said after beating De la Hoya in TKO and claimed Hatton was a great person and fighter after he knocked the Brit out in the second round of their bout. He doesn’t give his followers or detractors reason to hate him.
Aside from the vocal support Filipino’s come out in droves to the fights and have incredible parties to celebrate the fights. Pacquiao parties as they are called in Winnemucca Nevada are a sight to behold. Middle aged Filipino women doing shots and cheering every fist landed, kids who have no attention span regularly glued to the screen as if it was a Saturday morning and cartoons were on. At these parties the support and impact that Pacquiao has from the pockets of Filipinos around the country is apparent. Woo Chon, a Filipino run sushi restaurant in Reno is having a special night for Pacquiao’s May 7th fight against Shane Mosely.
Pacquiao’s ascent to the highest ranks of boxing may be looked back on as one of the most remarkable of all time. He hasn’t won belts only for himself but for his nation. He is Ali re-imagined for the 00s, a deadly blend of speed and power that shouldn’t be allowed in competitive sports with regular humans. On top of dealing with fighting bigger opponents regularly he does it with a countries hopes pinned to his back which may be the most remarkable thing of all.
