Things I like: Manny Pacquiao
Monday, November 15th, 2010
I consider myself relatively well-informed but not when it comes to boxing. So I only learned about Manny Pacquiao by chance as I watched the news on Saturday night, waiting for my ride to pick me up. I was stunned to learn that he is the 8th highest paid athlete in the world, ahead of Lance Armstrong and Shaquille O’Neal. So why hadn’t I heard of him? I’m generally not interested in watching two men pummel each other until one is KO’d (knocked out, for those of you not well versed in boxing speak). But all this changed within hours… I found myself in a converted bar, sitting in front of a large screen, snacking on Filipino barbeque skewers (which probably deserve their own blog post). It was THE place to be as the crowd was comprised of mostly Filipino spectators cheering for their hometown hero. What makes Pacquiao, or “Pacman” as he’s also known, even cooler is that he’s a congressman in the Philipines. He’s a champion boxer AND a congressman AT THE SAME TIME! And I’m not talking Jesse Ventura styles. We all know that wrestling is fake anyway.
I must admit, my first boxing match was quite enthralling. I squirmed and squealed when Antonio Margarito’s eye puffed up at the hands of Pacquiao, or when his cuts squirted blood – but Pacquiao? Wow. He’s about 5’6, weighs about as much as I do (no joke) and smiles as he walks into the arena, whereas every other boxer likes to look as menacing as possible. And while Margarito’s face ended up looking like steak tartar, Pacquiao looked barely bruised. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” indeed. Even a boxing promoter who oversaw Muhammad Ali’s matches told 60 Minutes that Pacquiao is the best boxer ever. I agree. And now I’m spending my afternoon googling his name.
Did I mention that Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson was standing right behind me, watching the fight? Apparently he was wearing a Pacquiao t-shirt. I want one. Does that make me a barbarian?
And one more fun fact about Pacquiao – apparently, crime in the Philippines goes down 98% every time he fights because everyone is just too busy watching his fight to do anything else.
