I had a great day today. I watched the Pacquiao vs Barrera match with Erwin, Joel, and their families (Erwin and Joel are my co-leaders in the ministry—we call ourselves the “three stooges”).
One small problem I have living here is the fact that I’m not much of a basketball fan. There’s an old joke that they should just give each basketball team 80 points and let them play for two minutes—this is kind of the way I look at hoops. Filipinos are basketball enthusiasts, and they follow their own teams (college and pro) as well as the NBA. This is something that I cannot relate to in terms of sports.
I’ve been a boxing fan for a while, so this is something I can definitely enjoy with my Pinoy friends. I became a “Pac Man” fan a few years ago when I watched his first match with Morales. I was impressed with his heart, even though he lost the match. I enjoyed watching him redeem himself through two impressive wins. I remember seeing a replay of his first match against Barrera. Manny’s conditioning and skills were clearly superior. After seeing that, I wasn’t at all surprised that Manny won today.
I also enjoy the way the whole country just gets behind Manny. He takes his role as a national hero quite seriously. I look forward to seeing his next match.
This fight, is of course, untitled. Meaning, playing for money. I’m not really against Pacquiao winning the bet. It’s dollars for our country, too. However, I smell the same odor I smell just catching a glimpse of WWF. It stinks. Staged. I think that’s the right word. After his earlier win with Morales (untitled fight), I lost interest in watching his matches.
So I promised myself that unless it’s a title fight, I won’t be watching. I can’t bear dragging on until the 12th round.
Mhac,
I really think that the pro wrestling comparison is not accurate. I don’t think the matches are scripted.
I agree, however, that money is a big factor in boxing. Why else would someone fight the same person three times? Money is a factor in all professional sports–you can’t get away from it.
It’s is not Manny’s who won the fight but the millions of Filipinos praying for him to win most especially his mother.