Manny Pacquiao: The big Filipino Pride counts on UAE fans

Every time Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao fights and leaves his rival’s face in a bloody mess in the ring, the Philippines witnesses a crime free day.

“It’s true what they say about Pacquiao that when he fights there is no crime in the streets. And you don’t find anyone in the streets in the cities, towns, provinces,” said Mosh Lafuente, a Dubai-based Filipino, who is waiting with bated breath for Pacquiao’s ‘Fight of the Century’ against the undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr in Las Vegas on Sunday morning (UAE time 5am). The fight will determine the greatest pound-for-pound boxer in the history of the sport.

Manny Pacquiao trains for his upcoming fight at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California. — AFP 

“The crime rate actually comes down to 0 per cent when he fights because even the criminals are busy watching Manny. Everybody loves him and nobody wants to do anything bad when he is fighting. That’s how big he is in our country.”

Lafuente then explained the reason behind his countrymen’s unabashed love for the Kibawe-born fighter. “People love Manny because he came from a very humble beginning. And he still is very down-to-earth person despite acquiring a cult status,” said Lafuente who will be watching the Mayweather fight at his friend’s place in Dubai Marina on Sunday morning.

From selling doughnuts in his teens on roadside stalls to sharing the limelight with the richest athletes in the world, Pacquiao’s is an extraordinary tale of human triumph over adversity. “Everybody in the country gets inspired by Manny. Everybody now believes that even if you came from nothing you might still achieve something in life with sheer hard work,” Lafuente says.

Some believe this fight against Mayweather, 38, should have happened earlier especially considering the fact that Pacquiao, 36, is on a gradual decline. But Lafuente doesn’t agree. “See Boxing is also a business. During Pacquiao’s peak, he was better and stronger.

“But Mayweather was also very good then. But if it had happened five years ago, they would not have called it the ‘Fight of the Century’. It would not have drawn millions and millions of dollars. “So those people (the promoters) understood this well and they delayed it. They wanted people to spend ridiculous amount of money to buy tickets. Now the tickets were sold out in 60 seconds.”

Dubai-based Manny Pacquiao fan Jp Raval (right) was lucky enough to meet the boxer in the Philippines. — Supplied photo

While Lafuente took great pains to help us understand the Pacquiao legend, it was all too simple for Rolando Ramos who also hails from the island country. “I am just so excited about the match,” he said. ”I am planning to watch it with friends at a restaurant. There will be 20 of us who will be cheering for Manny. If he remains aggressive, it will be impossible for Floyd to stop him!”

But Conrado Elemos, a burly Filipino who lives in Al Nahda, Dubai, says Pacquiao will always be a hero even if he loses to Mayweather in the biggest fight of his life. “At the end of the day it’s just a sport. If Manny loses he is still a hero. And Filipinos will never forget the joy Manny has given us. He is a big Filipino pride,” Elemos smiled.

Meanwhile, Russell Maniacop says he has taken leave on Sunday to watch the fight. “In fact most of us have taken the day off. Those who haven’t would reach office late. The fight is in the morning. When Manny fights we always take leave or reach office late in Dubai,” he says.

Maniacop also seemed to know the intricacies of the brutal sport. “I think the chances are 50-50. Right now when I see Manny in training he looks focused. I didn’t see the same intensity in his training while preparing for the previous five fights of which he lost two. At the same time, he looks very relaxed.

“It also depends on how Mayweather fights. If he goes toe-to-toe with Manny, then Mayweather has no chance. But if he just runs around the ring then Manny will find it difficult to win.” Maniacop then echoed Elemos’ sentiments. “Manny is a national hero. He will remain so even if he loses. His is a rags-to-riches story. If you see the recent movie on Manny, you will realise how hard the life of an average Filipino is in the provinces. They are really poor. But Manny has inspired them to achieve something in life.”

Pacquiao’s left-handed flair, according to another Dubai-based Filipino Mike Malate, could prove to be the acid test for the American rival. “If you remember Floyd’s last fight against a southpaw (Robert Guerrero), he was beaten badly by that guy. But the result went in Floyd’s favour because I believe the judges favoured him. As you know the controversial point-system is part of boxing. Manny knows that, and he will try everything to go for a knockout. Also Floyd is not used to fighting a left-handed pugilist,” says Malate.

“So that could work in favour of Manny. Also the last left-handed fighter he fought against was good but he didn’t have Manny’s qualities. Manny has the better power and he is faster and he is a southpaw. I don’t think Mayweather can survive 12 rounds.”

But Jp Raval, a die-hard Pacquiao fan, is feeling nervous ahead of the big fight. “Yes, I am bit nervous, but I just have this feeling that he will win,” Raval smiled before sharing his most memorable Manny Pacquiao moment with us.

“I met him and got my picture taken with him at his gym. This was in November last year. I couldn’t speak to him because there were so many people wanting to take a picture with him. But he was polite. It was the most memorable moment for me and my friends.”

rituraj@khaleejtimes.com