We all heard about a story of a young Filipino fighter who fought his way up and won titles in return. The unprecedented eight different weight division titles were a feat no one could ever replicate in this lifetime.

Manny Pacquiao has done it, and he has paved the way for aspiring fighters. He made it possible─ from the slums to the bright city lights of Las Vegas.

Nonito Donaire, who had recently won his fourth weight division title against the sturdy Puerto Rican Wilfredo Vazquez Jr., is certainly on the right track. The Filipino flash had his eyes set on winning titles all the way to the light-weight division.

Four years before, people would laugh at the thought of a fighter in the lower weight, knocking out bigger oppositions and collecting belts on his way up. Pacquiao did it and Nonito with his skills and knockout power had followed Manny’s footsteps and had so far been successful in his quest.

Four down and hopefully four more to go, which means after his acid test in the super bantamweight division, he will move up to featherweight, super featherweight, light weight and light welterweight which is 20 pounds bigger than his fighting weight now.

So Nonito would be on collision course with Yuriorkis Gamboa, Juan Manuel Lopez, Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley and a lot more hard-hitting fighters.

You would have to think about how will Nonito handle everything? How would he handle the bigger fighters without injuring his hands again? Questions will have to be answered with more questions…

Will Nonito make his own unprecedented eight? Yes and no.

Manny Pacquiao is an anomaly, a fighter that fought in the minimum weight who had an 8-inch wrist similar to Mike Tyson and Joe Louis. (Pacquiao’s wrist) It just goes to show why he carried that power all the way to super welterweight without getting his hands injured.

Donaire on the other hand, generates so much power and force on his size that the impact usually leaves his hands getting injured. It needs to be corrected, but he also needs to fight smarter.

In his fight with Vazquez, he could have dominated him easily, but he was so keen on giving everybody a good fight that he always looks for a knockout. It did come in the ninth round, but his left hand was already injured and bloodied.

Going back to the question…would he make his own eight division world titles? Yes, if he fights smarter and no, if he doesn’t.

However, Nonito doesn’t have to follow Pacquiao. He doesn’t need to create his own pressure. He is equally great and he already made his own legacy.

Muhammad Ali says it better: “I know where I’m going, and I know the truth, and I don’t have to be what you want me to be. I’m free to be what I want.”

Nonito Donaire’s legacy will always be his…we don’t create directions for other people. They are free to choose their own paths.

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The yin and yang of boxing, Manny Pacquiao’s best battle may have been against Juan Manuel Marquez.

But so many doubts and questions were left unanswered.
Manny took over boxing after his last rematch with Marquez. He conquered greater heights and has been boxing’s pound-for-pound king.
Marquez didn’t do badly, either, winning against Juan Diaz twice and Michael Katsidis.
However, it has been almost four years, since he fought Pacquiao. The gap is so wide, and Manny has slowly developed into a complete fighter.
The contrast in styles makes it still intriguing to watch their third encounter.
Expect all-out offense against slick counter-punching.

Pacquiao, who fights in the welterweight division, naturally becomes the bigger fighter compared to Marquez.
However, looking at the table, there aren’t extreme physical advantages to be had.

Juan Manuel Marquez has the bigger chest, biceps and fists compared to Pacquiao. However, Pacquiao’s wrists are Manny’s vital advantage, not just against Marquez but all his opponents.
He has the wrists of a heavyweight fighter.
Mike Tyson and Joe Louis, who were knockout punchers, were fighters in their prime. Both fighters had eight-inch wrists, the same as Manny.Wladimir Klitschko only has a 7.5-inch wrist, so basically Pacquiao is very unusual, especially as a former 105-pounder.

Juan Manuel Marquez Style

Jab
Juan Manuel Marquez’s jab may be underrated, but he throws a very good one. Even Freddie Roach has acknowledged Marquez is one of the best jabbers in the world (http://www.boxingscene.com/roach-pacquiao-style-changes-marquezs-jab–44251).
It’s clearly an element in Marquez’s arsenal.
Uppercut
We saw how Marquez dismantled Juan Diaz with a left uppercut that opened a bad cut on Diaz’s right eyelid. It was also a right uppercut that finished Diaz.The uppercut may not be Marquez’s bread and butter, but it can be equally effective as his jab.
Pacquiao’s chin will most likely withstand Marquez’s uppercut. If he knocks Pacquiao out, it definitely won’t be because of Manny’s chin.
Defense
Juan Manuel Marquez prides himself on counter-punching. It’s his best defense against opponents who move forward.
However, Manny Pacquiao’s movements are more calculated now. Marquez will have to do more than counter-punch.
He needs to up the ante. He needs to frustrate Manny, then go for the kill. He needs to fight a Josh Clottey-style defense until Manny opens up.

Manny Pacquiao Style

Jab
We all know this is not Manny’s top arsenal. He is not an outside fighter like Lennox Lewis, Felix Trinidad or the Klitschko brothers.
But this has become Manny’s unheralded weapon. Freddie Roach has done a superb job in refining Manny’s jab. The new Manny goes to attack with a jab, then follows with deadly combinations. Before, he would just brawl.
This was essential when he moved from one division to another. Expect a slightly conservative Pacquiao against Marquez, with lots of jabs and in-and-out combinations.
Uppercut
Manny’s uppercuts are more precise and are released from unorthodox angles. Usually, his uppercut comes after a series of combinations. Pacquiao unleashes his uppercut in tight situations, such as in a corner. But Marquez, when in a corner, dips his right knee to avoid punches, then counters while maintaining his stance. That is usually how he gets the best out of his opponents in a corner.
Defense
Manny’s offense is his best defense. Usually, Manny’s opponents go into defensive mode once they taste his power. Moving three divisions up since he last fought Marquez, Manny’s power has been increasingly dangerous. Marquez can counter well with Manny, but doubts will arise. How well can Marquez take Manny’s increased power?

Conclusion
Both fighters have their strengths and weaknesses. And all of those doubts and questions will be answered after November 12.
There won’t be any controversial decisions this time.
Manny has more advantages compared to Marquez, but we all know about Marquez’s counter-punching skills. When they say, “It comes in threes,” we all hope everything is settled in the third fight.

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Beyond the comfort of the Cooyesan Hotel in Baguio City as the tiny drops of rain started to pour down gently on Manny Pacquiao’s shoulder. It brought him to a childhood memory that put a smile on his face as he continues to run in the high-altitude terrain. It was the rain that became their bonding time with his siblings as they played along mud holes in a small town in General Santos. There he threw punches in the air weaving and ducking the raindrops as if it was possible to do.

In just a split second, it was as if time stops and everything seems to be moving in slow motion. The young Manny unknowingly instilled on his mind that on impossible situations, everything becomes possible if you try.

The rain comes from a tiny drop of water then becomes bigger until it reaches the vast ocean.

Who would have thought that a drop that is barely visible to the naked eye becomes so big and so grand.

That is why Pacquiao always felt a connection with the rain. With over billions of people in the world he stood there on the top…the boxing icon and the reigning pound per pound king. Yet, humble on ways you cannot fathom. Manny knows all of these things shall pass. Nobody stays on top forever…even the mighty walls of Jericho crumbled down. Everything is a cycle… like the rain that has gone through the top and goes all the way down through the rivers and back.

As the former two-division champion Jorge Linares became Pacquiao’s sparring partner for his upcoming fight, Jorge knows it’s going to be a good experience; however, it won’t be a pretty one. One heated exchange that left Linares’ eyebrow bleeding and was lucky he got his head gear on. This is how Manny imparts his knowledge if you want to be on top, then you have to feel the pain… no shortcuts… hard work…hard work.

As the drizzle of rain stopped and the road’s slippery texture becomes completely dry…everything goes back to normal. We won’t see another Manny Pacquiao…not in this lifetime. But like nature’s cycle, there would be that someone who fills up the void, a one in a billion chance like a tiny drop of rain that becomes majestic.

Beyond the comfort of a four-cornered shelter…on a place where nobody seems to know…there would be that someone weaving and ducking and throwing punches in the rain…

Everything becomes possible if you try…

Article also found on my bleacher profile

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Juan Manuel Marquez knows that his November fight with Manny Pacquiao will be one of the biggest fights of his career.

It won’t be like the first encounter, when he salvaged a draw, or like the close split decision he lost three years ago.

This will be his ultimate battle, his swan song before hanging up his gloves for good.

For the first two fights, Juanma was always the underdog, but still came close to winning against Pacquiao. However, this time, he is truly the underdog, in every sense of the word.

At 38 years old, and with 59 total fights under his belt, Marquez is a step slower. His quick reflexes have sometimes betrayed him, and it’s slowly becoming more of a mind game for Juanma— when the mind is willing, but the body is not.

Push, push, push.

As he goes through another grueling session, he knows Manny Pacquiao won’t rest; he sustains his energy from the first round all the way to the 12th. Pacquiao always prepares to go to war for 20 or more rounds.

Never give him an opening. Counter…counter.

This is what made him successful in their last two fights─every Pacquiao onslaught countered with precise and calculated punches.

“Pak…pak,” as the sound of the gloves hitting the mitts echoes throughout the gym. “That’s it… that’s it,” as Nacho Beristain loudly applauds his prized pupil.

This is what Marquez has been craving for the past three years.

He has handled fighters far younger than Pacquiao, and he stood his ground against the much heavier Floyd Mayweather Jr. There is no such thing as impossible in boxing; as long as you’ve got two arms, you’ve got an equal chance of winning.

This has become the only thing that keeps Marquez going: chance.

Manny Pacquiao has been steadily improving after his fight with Marquez three years ago. He’s fought bigger and more powerful punchers, and almost knocked out every one of them.

Marquez will now be facing a two-fisted monster, who had been campaigning in the welterweight division and light middleweight for his last four fights. Juanma looked bloated when he fought Floyd, and he was slow on his punches.

It has become an improbable feat to conquer.

However, Marquez won’t listen, and he won’t doubt himself going into his third fight with Pacquiao. He simply doesn’t care when critics say he’s old; he is prepared to die in the ring.

Chances…chances…

It’s slowly becoming a mind game.

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An exuberant Floyd Mayweather Jr. was shown on HBO 24/7 working hard at 1 am in the morning. Then someone said that “while everybody is sleeping, we are working.” However, right across the Pacific, right along the small city in the islands of the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao has just started his day working out, doing his usual routine.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao are two different individuals but have been bonded by one common thing and one common trait… greatness.

They are the two best fighters in the world and the two biggest names in boxing. In a perfect world, we would love to watch the two fighters fight and square it all off in the ring. However, beyond the realms of the four cornered ring, there are repercussions in making this super fight. Both fighters got their demands and both fighters ego and pride needs to be met. It has been almost two years since the initial talks started and for the most part, it all ended with both parties in disagreement. This is seemingly normal with the fight this magnitude it needs enough time and some sacrifices for this to work. The world has been patiently waiting, lurking and anticipating. This has become the nurtured plant that is slowly growing its first fruit.

This needs to happen, boxing needs it and the people’s uproar is becoming to be deafening. Both fighter’s legacies depend on it.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. unceremoniously knocked Victor Ortiz out when Victor became too friendly and failed to protect himself on their fight last Saturday. It was a legit punch, but it shows Floyd’s true nature—he wants to win, and he will do anything to protect his immaculate record.

There is a big contrast on how Manny Pacquiao could have done if he were in Floyd’s shoes—there is always a room for an apologetic person.

Floyd and Manny are two very different persons. Floyd comes to the ring with bravado while Manny goes directly into a corner and pray. However, they have similarities when it comes to charisma and showmanship. They are connected with the same destiny… and if for some instance, this super fight won’t happen then each fighter leaves a stain on their legacy.

Amidst, all the talk about 2012 as the end of the world we anticipate the clash between the two best fighters in our generation. The winner takes it all, but the loser will still remain a legend.

As Floyd took care of Victor Ortiz, now Manny will have to take care of Juan Manuel Marquez this November. One good performance against another… like the day welcoming the night… both are connected and yet so different. This fight will happen… at least if the Mayans believed next year would be the end of the world, we die happy.

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Brian Viloria always remembered what happened on that fateful day of January 23, 2010. It was the most devastating loss on his career. Right in front of his hometown crowd in the Philippines, breaking hearts and inspiration of many people who went into the fight to see Brian succeed on his defense. For most part of the fight, it was Brian’s punches that came out appealing. However, he failed to deliver a win when he lost steamed and came out huffing and puffing for air before Carlos Tamara finished him.

Brian has been through a whole lot of setbacks on his career—losing to Omar Romero twice and Edgar Sosa. He fought on make-shift tents on some low-cost promotions just to get back on top. Many believed on him. However, many lost faith. This was about a man who conquered mountains but time and time again failed to deliver small hills. He has grown tired of expectations, tired of failures and yet failed to move forward.

The fight with Julio Cesar Miranda was his ticket to redemption. Fighting in front of his family, friends and relatives in Honolulu, Hawaii, this is going to be more than his third championship belt. This is going to be the culmination of everything he has gone through. All the heart aches, all the failures…it is becoming a make or break fight. Miranda is no small hill; he is a knockout artist who comes to fight. This is what Brian wants… he wanted a good challenge like the way he fought Ulises Solis two years ago.

As Brian lifted his fist in victory, it was one special moment. He did score a knockdown, but he never forced the issue. In spurts, he did engage with Miranda, but he was clever enough not to stand toe to toe with him for too long. This is the new Brian Viloria…

For a year, he had kept that dreaded memory of the Tamara fight. It was one memory that kept him going throughout his fight last Saturday.

Brian Viloria is finally free, but it’s only the beginning. He will conquer more mountains… and yes, this time, small hills too.

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he sweat dripped on the boxing gym’s tattered canvas. Blood stains around the corners—a reminder of some hotly contested sparring sessions that happened in the past.

On the center of the ring, a 38 year old man with a receding hairline shadow-boxed. His eyes were fierce and focused. His body was still ripped as he masterfully memorized all the techniques he had learned throughout the years. “One-two, one-two” then quickly moved to another direction repeatedly chanting that mantra.

It has been 15 years since Rustico Torrecampo, fought against a lanky flyweight named Manny Pacquiao. However, it ended with a reversal of fortune. Rustico retired after seven fights at still 24 years old and Manny became what he is now—the world’s pound per pound king and the only eight-division world champion in boxing. Rustico vividly remembered how his timed left hit Manny straight in the jaw. It was in the third round, and Rustico was so sure Manny would never get up, even if the referee counts from one up to a hundred. It was one punch… one immortal punch that he will forever remember.
For years Rustico thought of what could have been if he continued fighting. He might have won a national championship and maybe world titles before enjoying a good retirement. Instead he ended up working for six days a week in a Metal factory and with a small business—selling noodles on the street.

Rustico injured his left wrist a month after his win with Pacquiao. He never went to a doctor and suffered 4 losses on six fights. And in 2007 he killed a garbage truck driver for bumping against his sidecar basically spilling his noodles. At 38 years old Rustico has never been this sure in getting back to boxing. His wrist has now fully healed, and his power is still there. He had a forgettable record, and no one really remembered how he looks. For some he was just the boxer who gave Manny his first taste of defeat.

As Rustico Torrecampo mimicked how he knocked out Pacquiao a group of trainers and boxers questioned him… Why are you getting back in boxing?
Rustico quickly replied “I just have to get what Manny left for me”…

His first comeback fight ended in a knockout against a debuting fighter. Rustico only needs that one opportunity, one championship chance… For him nothing is really impossible even with a forgettable record… even for a 38 year old with a receding hairline that still dreams of a championship whose one significant win has already been part of history.

“One-two, one-two” as Rustico repeatedly chanted.

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A group of Australians who visited here in the Philippines went to a garbage disposal place. Small children ran over and greeted them with all smiles. One member of the group broke down and cried. When asked about the incident she said “I lived my whole life in a nice home, nice clothes and a good paying job, but I wasn’t happy and here I am in a place where basically garbage became their homes and could barely afford decent slippers and they all came out happy and smiling…”

Filipinos are basically happy people because they always find a reason to be happy. Poverty is never a reason to give up. And many found inspiration on athletes who strived to succeed in spite being poor.

Manny Pacquiao embodies the inspiration and adulation of his countrymen because he is a growing symbol of success in spite the struggles of the nation. Allow me to enumerate the top ten Best Filipino athletes of all time.

10. Carlos Loyzaga – Basketball has always been the number one sport in the Philippines. You go basically everywhere and you can see basketball courts from all corners to fiber glass and sophisticated ones, down to makeshift cardboards. Carlos “The big difference” Loyzaga stands only 6-foot-3 but plays the center position. He stirred the Philippine national team to a bronze medal finish in the 1954 FIBA world championship. It was the highest rank in any Asian team throughout the history of the tournament.

9. Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco – Before Manny Pacquiao, boxing wasn’t a main attraction sport here in the Philippines. Onyok delivered the first jab before Pacquiao finished everything. Mansueto ended the 32-year drought set by Anthony Villanueva (silver medal) in the 1964 Olympics by winning his own medal, although Velasco only won the bronze medal, but it was much better than nothing. The Philippines still needs another Villanueva’s and Velasco’s out there, and who knows this might be gold in the making.

8. Pancho Villa – real name Francisco Guilledo, stands only five-foot-one who fought 104 fights and died at a tender age of 23. He was considered the greatest flyweight of the century for becoming the first Asian world boxing champion. Unfortunately, he died from complications following a tooth extraction in July 14, 1925.

7. Eugene Torre – The Asia’s first grandmaster in Chess in 1974 at the age of 22 and appeared in the Chess Olympics 20 times equaling Lajos Portisch of Hungary, who also played 20 Olympiads.

6. Lydia De Vega – Lydia was the Asia’s fastest woman in 1980’s. She won the gold medal in the 1982 New Delhi Asiad 100-meter dash and 1986 Seoul Asiad. Unfortunately, Lydia had to look for a job elsewhere since there wasn’t any decent offer for her to stay. She is currently Singapore’s track and field coach.

5. Francisco “Django” Bustamante – The world’s number one billiard player in 1998. He had 34 local and international medals, including the 2001 World pool masters and his recent 2010 World 9-ball Championship in Doha, Quatar. He holds the world record for having the most powerful break shot. The 47-year old Bustamante still plays professional billiard tournaments up to this day.

4. Gabriel “Flash” Elorde – The name I never would forget. My favorite bread was named after him, called “Elorde”, shaped in boxing gloves.
After Pancho Villa, Elorde was the most popular boxer in the Philippines. He was dubbed as the greatest world junior lightweight boxing champion in WBC history. He defended his belt for ten bouts in a span of four years making him the longest reigning champion ever on his division. He became the only Asian to be inducted into the International boxing hall of fame. Elorde died of lung cancer at the age of 49. His two grandsons are also professional boxers.

3. Efren Bata Reyes – The best billiard player of all time. Reyes was known as the “magician” had won numerous international awards, including five 8-ball championships, and 100 international awards. Efren still plays professional billiards up to this day.

2. Manny Pacquiao – The current pound per pound king of boxing. Manny is the only fighter that won eight different division belts in boxing. The fighting congressman of the Philippines has yet to find his true match in Floyd Mayweather Jr. Manny is scheduled to fight his arch nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez for the third time this November. Hopefully, a match with Floyd will happen early next year.

1. Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno – Paeng is a six time World bowling champion. He was the youngest to win a World cup at the age of 19. He is the only bowler in the world, who has the most Bowling world cup wins and won the most the number of bowling tournament titles (120). He was also the first international male bowling athlete to be enshrined in the International Bowling Hall of Fame. He was the only Filipino athlete who has been given the highest award to three Philippine presidents. Paeng is still an active bowler up to this day at age 54.

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They say when one door closes another door opens. Brandon Vera knows his door has slowly been shut after failing to secure a win on his last three fights. His contract with UFC has ended after a unanimous decision loss to Thiago Silva at UFC 125.

Vera is now backed to the drawing board, back to where he started and now back to reality. He was lucky he got the opportunity to fight in the UFC after thousands of fighters waiting for their chance. And now his luck has slowly faded.

“The truth” is a typical “tweener” who fights as a heavyweight and as a light heavyweight. He was riding an eight game winning streak with notable wins against Frank Mir and Assuerio Silva, before losing twice against Tim Sylvia (UD) and Fabricio Werdum (TKO). He moved down to light heavyweight and still came out unsuccessful, winning only three out of his last seven fights. “The truth” will have to learn how it is in the real world—the truth always hurts.

He was no longer the feared fighter that was knocking everybody out in the UFC. His fan base has slowly been making an exodus out of frustrations. And his contract has just ended.

Suddenly, everything was like a gyrating ball going up and goes rapidly down. The once promising fighter came short of a promise.

Thiago Silva after his fight with Vera failed the drug test when the Nevada State Athletic Commission found Silva’s urine sample “inconsistent with human urine”. This was a vindication for Brandon’s loss, which was later turned into a no-contest. This means he is reinstated back into the UFC. But more to that Brandon has been given a chance, an opportunity to prove all the doubters wrong.

One door closes and another door opens for Brandon. This is the time to reinvent himself, learn new things and go to fight with an element of surprise. He should never stop learning because there will always be someone out there who will be better.

He has been given a chance, a new lease of life now all he has to do is make the best out of it. Nobody said it was easy to get to the top but nobody said it’s impossible.

Brandon Vera knows its make or break this time. When a door closes all you have to do is just open it.

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