By Oliver Suarez

When people talk about being at a memorable event, such as the “Thrilla in Manilla”, they often talk about feeling a sense of euphoria. Most of them can remember every detail that happened during the event. I, for one, couldn’t relate to those feelings until I saw the Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto fight live in Las Vegas last Saturday. It’s been a few days, but I can still feel the excitement and remember every detail of the fight. I couldn’t miss that fight for its historical context and I knew both fighters were going to put on a great show.

The Puerto Ricans came in droves to support Miguel Cotto and they were not shy about expressing their opinions about their man and the possible outcome of the fight. But the loyal supporters of Pacman were not to be outdone as thousands of Filipinos came to watch the fight and experience the athmosphere of Las Vegas during a big event. In the MGM Grand alone, I couldn’t walk anywhere without seeing creative signs, flags of the fighters’ respective countries and T-shirts depicting the fighters.

As for the fight, it lived up to the hype. It was certainly a fight that will be talked about for years to come. Pacquiao continued to defy logic and surpass rising expectations. Except for the first round, where Cotto’s jabs and counterpunching were able to control Pacquiao, the rest of the fight belonged to Manny.

Pacquiao utilized his full arsenal, throwing jabs, straight lefts, and uppercuts from all angles. Before the fight, many doubted if Pacquiao had the power to hurt a legitimate welterweight with a formidable chin such as Cotto. How can Pacquiao knock out Cotto when Mosley couldn’t do it and he lasted 11 rounds with Margarito’s supposedly loaded gloves? But Pacquiao is an anomaly, his punches come from all angles and those punches are the most dangerous in boxing. Furthermore, he has incredible stamina, which allows him to throw his flurries from the beginning of the fight until the end.

Pacquiao is also more explosive that Mosley and Margarito. Mosley’s hand speed might come close to Pacquiao’s and may have more power, but he’s more of an orthodox fighter. Pacquiao is unconventional as he throws punches from all angles and uses his fast twitch muscles in his legs often to jump and throw a punch at the same time. The power in those legs are also the reason he is so quick on closing the gap between himself and his opponents.

However, the most surprising thing that was evident in the fight was how Pacquiao was able to take the shots from one of the hardest punchers in the division. Take note, Miguel Cotto was the same guy that knocked down Clottey and Alfonso Gomez with a jab. Pacquiao basically walked through Cotto’s punches to deliver his own version of punishment.

What many boxing analysts and fans fail to understand is the level of Pacquiao’s ring IQ and technical skills. He wouldn’t be where he is now if he was just a one-dimensional slugger. Miguel Cotto is a quality boxer, but Pacquiao not only outslugged him, but outboxed him as well. Just look at how he played mind games and rope-a-dope on Cotto in trying to lure him into a slugfest. Watch Pacquiao when he throws his flurries when he has his opponents on the ropes. He frequently shortens his punches to be more accurate and keeps his opponent on the ropes.

Compare the Pacquiao of today to the one that first fought Morales and the vast improvements are unbelievable. It is arguable that no one in history of the sport has improved more during the middle and latter parts of their career as Pacquiao and that is due not only to his work ethic, but his excellent knowledge of the Sweet Science.

Now, with his win against Cotto, who was considered one of the elites in the welterweight division, Pacquiao can retire if he wants to. He has done everything possible; he’s fought the best, won belts at more weight classes than anybody in history and has given the sport of boxing a much needed boost. Even some of his ardent critics have now given Pacquiao the respect he deserves. He truly is a great fighter. He may not be the best technical fighter, but great fighters come in different packages. Just ask Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

With his win against Cotto, there is no more “what ifs” in Pacquiao’s career and he proved that he is certainly one of the all-time greats, along with Duran, Leonard, Hagler, Sugar Ray Robinson, etc. and arguably the best in our generation. It took awhile for people to realize that, but it’s becoming more difficult for his critics to ignore the truth. One reason is that it is something different and unexpected. Pacquiao’s resume is incomparable and probably only surpassed by those of Henry Armstrong. As a result, some continue to find minute reasons to downgrade his accomplishments.

Boxing is usually dominated by Americans, Latinos and, to a lesser extent, Europeans. Who would have thought that a Filipino would be considered not only the best boxer in the world, but arguably it’s most bankable superstar. It’s like when the Americans started losing basketball games in the Olympics. We had a hard time accepting the fact that other nations were catching up with us in terms of basketball skills. Imagine if the US soccer team won the World Cup. Would they suddenly earn the respect of soccer fans around the world as a great soccer team?

It’s not racism, but just human nature to find it difficult to accept something different. It was only recently that Pacquiao’s accomplishments were questioned because supposedly, he hadn’t fought any black fighters, but when those critics were confronted with the fact that he fought Agapito Sanchez and Ledwaba, they modified their criticism to how Pacquiao has not fought any African American fighters. I guess Floyd should be criticized for not facing a Bolivian fighter. The fact is when Pacquiao was at the lower weight classes, he fought the best and the top fighters just happened to be Asians and Latinos. Tell me an African American fighter that was better than Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Morales in the lower weight classes?

It’s also a generational issue, some people just cannot accept the fact that an athlete from today has reached the same level as their boxing heroes from the past, such as the fighters I had mentioned above. The funny thing is some of these critics had never even lived at the same time as those fighters. The same thing will happen if Kobe Bryant happens to win his 7th title and surpasses Jordan’s number of championships; criticisms of Kobe will pour in to protect the latter’s legacy.

But analyzing Pacquiao’s career in an unbiased manner, you can only come up with one conclusion, which is that he is definitely an all-time great. There is nothing else for Pacquiao to accomplish. In fact, because of his style of fighting, it’s advisable that he should retire soon and enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Of course, as a fan of the sport, I hope he fights Mayweather first before he calls it quits, but he doesn’t need Mayweather to secure his legacy. Still, a fight between the two is bound to happen since Pacquiao definitely wants it and the money will be too much for even Floyd to turn down. Arguably, it will be the biggest fight in boxing since the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad fight.

Until then, Mayweather’s camp can continue to downplay Pacquiao’s accomplishment and throw baseless accusations while Pacquiao continues to gain more respect from boxing fans. His humbleness, appreciation for the fans and thirst for the greatest of challenges has allowed him to cross over multiple boundaries. You don’t have to be a Filipino to appreciate what he has done and his story is an inspiration for everyone.

Despite all the trash talking on the internet or wherever, Pacquiao has tons of Mexican, African American, Puerto Rican and fans all over the world. At the end of the day, it’s all about entertainment, the sport and appreciating the fighters. The Puerto Ricans gave Pacquiao a standing ovation for his effort in the fight against Cotto and the Filipinos paid respect to Miguel Cotto for showing class and giving a valiant effort. We should all do the same. read more