Manny Pacquiao was on ESPN Today

For pride and country...

The Pacman with the Boston Celtics

There was no way I'm going to miss Pacquiao's bout with David Diaz. Our good friends , the Baels hosted the PPV event in their home and we gladly went there last night. I won't be indulging much with my views on the match but it is suffice to say that Manny was at his best last night and David Diaz was completely overwhelmed from start to finish. Besides, with the tremendous popularity of Pacquiao worldwide among boxing fans, he is a major draw and all legitimate boxing sportswriters never misses a beat when he fights. Call it a mismatch if you may but Manny Pacquiao was simply unbeatable in this fight. That 9th round KO was just a sort of needed coup de grâce.

Now officially a four division champ after wresting the WBC Lightweight Belt from Diaz and the first Asian to be so (five if only the belt was at stake contractually when he first fought Barrera in 2003 when Barrera was officially the WBC Featherweight champ), Pacquiao is recognized as the best pound for pound boxer right now. He is truly 'up there' together will boxing's all-time greats and immortals. And when you have the superstars of the newly crowned NBA champs, the Boston Celtics visit you in the dressing room after your fight, you can be assured the 'Pacman' is the real deal and has clearly reached 'Superstar' status even outside the Philippines. IMHO, this is even bigger than if Britney Spears was the one who visited him. Now if it was Scarlett Johansson, I will have to think about it, hehe!

video: Pacquiao with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Rajon Rondo

Manny Pacquiao Wins Over Barrrera Again

We had to go to church Saturday evening. We already know it's going to be a long night and waking the kids up for Sunday morning service will be quite an ordeal. Come fight time at 9pm, we all went to our friends Wowie and Pearly Villarta's house to watch the PPV event.

I am a boxing fan and I don't just wait for the main event to start before I put my gaze on the screen. From the first undercard to the last one before the M.E., I watched intently and they turned out to be very good matches. The first bout between Steve Forbes and Francisco Bojado was to me a highway robbery for Bojado. It was a split decision but I strongly felt Bojado should have won. Well, that is Las Vegas boxing, what can I say.

When the much awaited Pacquiao vs. Barrera II match is about to start, all the available sitting space filled up. It was quite a slow start for both fighters, understandably. No one wanted to try to finish the bout early, make a mistake and lose. Each fighter just had so much respect on the capabilities of the other fighter, especially Barrera. The problem is that Barrera was so overly cautious the whole night and if he can't get his game going, he'll just try to survive the night and not be knocked out. That's exactly what he did. Knowing he can't really penetrate the defense of Manny, as Manny is just too fast for him and Manny exhibiting excellent footwork, he just coasted along.

Manny was more of a boxer last night than his usual one man wrecking crew. There were spurts, but he clearly didn't want to beat Barrera down to kingdom come like what he did in their first encounter four years ago. If somebody was expecting a knockout, it was a disappointment but I believe Manny fought an intelligent fight. He knew he was winning almost every round. Why rush? Barrera didn't want to engage toe to toe and when he did, Manny was almost always ahead. He's just too fast for the aging Barrera. In the eleventh round, Barrera showed his true color by hitting Manny on the break and thus getting a one point deduction from referee Tony Weeks.

In the end it was a unanimous decision for Manny. Two judges scored it 118-109 but one judge by the name of Tom Schreck scored it an unbelievable 115-112 meaning Pacquiao won only 7 out of the 12 rounds. He better just move to scoring soccer, he can easily do that even blindfolded. I thought Barrera won only one round and that's even questionable for a 119-108 score but we were happy that Manny won. I hope he fights Juan Manuel Marquez next for the WBC Superfeatherweight crown. That is unfinished business for both of them since the first one was a draw. Besides, boxing fans not just Filipinos are waiting for this to happen.

Now, I'm eagerly awaiting for Nov. 3 for the fight between Mikkel Kessler of Denmark (39-0) and Joe Calzaghe of UK (43-0)for the unification of the Supermiddlewight crown. The fight will be done in Calzaghe's home turf. Their records are 82-0 between the two of them. Kessler is the underdog but I think he will win. Also on Nov. 3 is the fight between welterweights Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto. This day will surely be a great fight day for boxing fans the world over.

Pacquiao Overwhelms Morales in 3 Rounds

Last night's fight between Manny Pacquaio and Erik Morales was just so awesome. It only lasted 3 rounds with Manny destroying Erik Morales, a boxing legend in his own right. Freddie Roach was right all along and this is scary for all superfeatherweights out there, Manny has improved a lot, he body punches well and he had developed his right hook tremendously. Not an easy task for a southpaw. With this vast improvement, he has become one of the most fearsome boxers out there and as of this moment, being considered the best pound for pound boxer. Only Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s camp can contest that but I'm sure they have their doubts too.

Manny was just incredibly devastating last night. In his previous fights with Erik Morales, there were a few moments when he was quite tentative but not last night. Manny was deliberate, and he knows what he was doing. He was in complete control of the fight, offensively and defensively. It was pure joy and excitement too watch the fight. Erik Morales is still is a very good fighter, one of the best and credit is due him but Manny was just stronger, faster and more powerful.

After the 3rd knockdown of Erik, he just refused to stand and fight again. He knows he was beaten and he was gracious in defeat. Morales offered no excuses for his loss. "I did my best, I had the physical and mental preparation for the fight," he said humbly. "I did my best, he was just too much." Of the final knock down, he said candidly: "I was looking to my corner, and they were urging me to get up. I didn't want to get up. I think there is a time when you know its good to give up when you can't win." "It just was not to be."

When Manny was declared the winner, Erik was standing next to him and they raised each other's hand, first was Erik raising Manny's hand and then Manny raising Erik's hand with Erik pointing at Manny, finally conceding Manny is the better fighter and Erik should be admired for that. Here are photos of that timeless moment.




















In retrospect, Manny Pacquiao threw 175 punches in those 9 minutes, landing 54 percent -- including 51 of his 71 power shots in the third round alone. Morales landed just 26 percent of his punches. The power shots stats of Manny in the third round is almost unbelievable, a whopping 71.8%. Erik just had no answer to the onslaught and Manny deserved the win.

Congratulations to Manny. He is truly the pride of the Filipino people. To Erik Morales, thank you for the 'warrior' spirit in you. You didn't back down until the end and you deserved a tremendous applause too.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales on Saturday

On Nov. 18, Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales will face each other for the 3rd time in a bout dubbed 'The Grand Finale'. Having won one fight each against each other in the past, this fight is one that a lot of boxing afficionados are waiting to watch. Not just Filipinos or Mexicans but anybody who just like boxing. Manny in the past few years have attained a superstar status in the whole international boxing community and he is already being considered one of the best pound for pound boxers right now. Yesterday's Miami Herald had an article about the fight and for the first time as far as I can remember, this is their first article about Pacquiao. Click here to read it.

Although Manny is very much 'seeded' to win this fight according to the betting odds in Las Vegas, I hope he really wins this one and make it really astounding. Still, this is not going to be a 'walk in the park' for Manny. Any boxer can win with the proverbial 'lucky' punch, no matter how skilled his opponent is. Erik Morales is going to be a 'Hall of Famer' someday but so is Manny.

Please check this video of Manny Pacquiao training in front of media people at the Wildcard gym.