Pacquiao-Marquez 4: In an epic defeat, Manny Pacquiao shows class and courage
Boxing reveals character, and if there was ever any doubt about Manny Pacquiao’s character, there should be none now. His actions before, during, and after the fight with Juan Manuel Marquez leave no doubt that Pacquiao the human being is blessed with courage, grace, and true (not fake) humility. The myth may have been diminished; the man was not.
Yes, it was painful–achingly so–to watch Manny go down, felled as brutally as he once felled Ricky Hatton. It was even more painful to watch Jinkee Pacquiao scream, crying as she tried to claw her way into the ring. The images haunt, and will continue to haunt the collective consciousness of Pacquiao fans for many years.
But those images tell only a small sliver of the story of what we saw last night.
The Fight
First, let’s look at the fight.
Manny Pacquiao knew the risks and he accepted then. Marquez is at his most dangerous as a counterpuncher — in fact his entire craft is built around on the need for an opponent who pursues him, so that he can lie in wait and look for the kind of openings that are inevitably created by an aggressive fighter seeking to “get off first” against an opponent. That’s why he’s Kryptonite for Manny Pacquiao, who is by nature a “get off first” attacker. Pacquiao knew that a strategy of aggressive pursuit of Marquez played directly to the Mexican fighters’ strengths. It wasn’t the only strategy available to him. He could have fought cautiously, waiting Marquez out, forcing his opponent out of his counterpunching comfort zone by making him initiate the action. But Pacquiao didn’t do that. He knew the risk but he wanted a clear outcome, and he was willing to take the risk.
He took the fight to Marquez.
An early indication of the risk Manny was accepting came in the third round when Marquez floored him with a counterpunch. This was a shocking moment — but shouldn’t have been. It was part of the calculated risk that Manny took. To take the fight to Marquez and get the knockout he wanted, he had to risk getting knocked down, or even knocked out. And in that first knockdown, Marquez proved he had sufficient power in his punches to take Manny out.
Yet Pacquiao kept coming.
And winning.
In the fifth round he knocked Marquez down and bloodied his nose so badly that it was clear it was broken, and clear that Marquez was having trouble breathing.
When the end came, Manny was ahead on all three scorecards 47-46 and was about to be ahead 57-55 after dominating the sixth round.
Manny was decisively ahead on all Compubox statistics. He landed over 90 punches; Marquez less than 60.
So make no mistake — it is absolutely true that Juan Manuel Marquez won the fight in a spectacular fashion — but he did not administer a beating to Manny Pacquiao. The truth: Manny Pacquiao was administering a beating to Marquez when, trying to finish Marquez off, he walked into an overhand right that ended it in one punch. It was a punch that reflects Marquez’ unique counterpunching skill set; his intelligence; and his strategic approach to boxing. Marquez trained hard, he focused hard, and he looked for and found just the kind of opening his style and strategy called for. But he only got the opportunity to use those skills in such spectacular fashion because Pacquiao had the guts, courage, and heart to go after him, consistently and repeatedly, throughout the fight.
After the Fight
Manny was out cold when he hit the canvas and there was not the slightest possibility that he could stand up and beat the count. The blow was that decisive. The only question — and it was a real one — was whether he had been truly injured in a frightening way. He lay on his face for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably a full minute before slowly being helped to a stool.
There, sitting on stool, the glaze slowly receding from his eyes, what did Manny do?
He smiled.
Not the false-bravado, “he didn’t hurt me” smile that beaten boxers so often present.
It was a rueful smile, an honest smile that said “he got me, didn’t he?”
As soon as he was able, he got up, waded into the crowd that had poured into the ring, and congratulated Marquez. Then he stood and waited his turn for post fight interviews. When his turn came, he was honest, reflective — and most impressively, he seemed to have already put everything in perspective far better than millions of distraught fans. “It’s boxing,” he said. “That’s sports.”
In the HBO post-fight interview, Larry Merchant fished hard, trying to get Manny to take the bait on the issue of the possibility that Marquez was juicing. Twice, rephrasing it slightly each time to be sure Pacquiao knew what he was implying, he tried to get Pacquiao to say there was something unnatural about Marquez’s power in this fight — power that had become suddenly much greater after a training camp in which he hired a known purveyor of performance enhancing drugs–Angel Heredia–to be his strength and conditioning coach.
But Manny did not take the bait.
He would not diminish Marquez in his moment of glory, nor would he make excuses.
What It All Means
Manny Pacquiao did himself, the Philippines, and boxing proud last night. He showed heart and courage and he took his defeat with dignity, grace, and a sense of perspective. His reaction in defeat illuminates the true meaning of sport, and sportsman.
When Ricky Hatton took a similar blow from Manny, it drove him into retirement; his physical and mental health disintegrated; he contemplated and may have even attempted suicide.
With Manny, you just know you don’t have to worry about that.
The ease and honesty with which he accepted his defeat is Exhibit A to the argument that Manny Pacquiao is a truly humble person — a person for whom humility is a natural state. Of course he has an ego — but in spite of all the success, all the accolades, that ego is not so large that it can be crushed by a moment like this. He doesn’t see himself that way. He will be saddened as he reflects on the outcome for one reason — that he disappointed his countrymen, and did so at a time when the country was hurting. But by displaying calm in the eye of the storm, he gave his countrymen something to be proud of, even in defeat.
What Next?
Pacquiao will consider retiring. He is already on to the next phase of his life, and there are greater battles to fight, greater causes to champion.
But he will not want the final image of Manny Pacquiao in a boxing ring to be that of him lying face down, defeated.
My expectation is that his career will enter a new phase — not the perfection of the past 7 years, but one that is as exciting, and rewarding for both Manny Pacquiao and his fans.
There will be a Pacquiao-Marquez 5 — the boxing world is already buzzing about it and after the spectacularly explosive 4th edition, the tickets and PPV numbers for a fifth fight will be huge. Going into PM4 there was a sense that these two were locked in a repetitive cycle of close fights decided on the judge’s scorecards, and if this fight had repeated that pattern — there would be little call for a fifth fight, no matter who won. But playing out the way it did, and ending in such spectacular fashion, there is a sense that the course that a fifth fight would take cannot be predicted — and that is what would make it special.
Remember This
Something occurred to me this morning when I woke up, images of the fight still vivid.
When Pacquiao fell, he didn’t end up on his back — he fell forward.
Why?
Because Manny Pacquiao got caught with a punch when he was pursuing his opponent, being the aggressor, never letting the fight be brought to him, but rather bringing the fight to his opponent.
There is honor in that.
He fell forward because that is his direction in the ring, and in life.
There is no doubt that he will continue moving forward. He has already helped the Filipino people by inspiring, giving a sense of what is possible through hard work and diligence. But Manny has always been a work in progress, as a boxer and as a human being. This moment is not the one he sought, but it has revealed more of his character than we have seen previously — and there is every reason to like what we see, and to continue to believe in him, perhaps not as the greatest current boxer on the planet — but as a humble, honest, respectful and courageous person who gave it his all, came up short, and took it with class.
The easy, glorious ride that Manny Pacquiao was on for most of the last 9 years is clearly over. Now it’s a different situation; no one always gets what they seek to achieve, and Manny Pacquiao’s long road to this moment has prepared him for it. He faces life with a smile and even in defeat, the smile is there. These days, he is Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena“:
The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer. There are many men who feel a kind of twister pride in cynicism; there are many who confine themselves to criticism of the way others do what they themselves dare not even attempt. . .It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Manny Pacquiao stumbled, there is no doubt — but equally there is no doubt that he “dared greatly” and will continue to do so.
He deserves respect and honor.
Click for Today’s Manny Pacquiao Post-Fight News Summary
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He fell forward, because… Marquez stepped on him!!! That was what Marquez had been doing since Fight # 2, and it’s really a great wonder why no one in his team has been calling it up??? He lost his balance, he lost his focus, that’s why he got hit and that’s why the power of the punch got multiplied a few times over because he was actually falling forward with his focus on his foot when he got hit!
i like the way you wrote this article. Very inspiring, full of wisdon and intellegent insights.
Truely, we are proud of Manny as Philippine Boxing Icon. I know God has a bigger and better plan for him. He lost in this match but he truly make us very proud of him. I am saving a copy of your article so we can discuss it as family.
Congratulations Mr. Seller for this wonderful article
Thank you RSO. It helps ease my pain to hear that it helps you! 😉
Mr. Seller, this is off-topic; my apologies. It is my comment on Mr. Brad Cooneys piece “Is Buboy a a Villain?” that pertains to the incident that involves a Getty photographer. I am curious and be delighted to hear your take on this.
Pacquiao and I are two worlds apart, but when I saw him go down and was very still for almost a minute and I thought he died, I was paralyzed with fear. And then I was relieved enormously when he started to recover, the outcome of the fight became irrelevant to me. If I felt that way during that scary moment, what more of Buboy’s feelings, who only cannot be called a real brother of Manny only because he was not birthed by Aling Dionisa?
Although I do not countenance the brief violence done to belo, I think his interference in a situation where the life of Manny was at stake was enough for Buboy to lose his better judgement for a while and he should not be condemned for what he’d done. Also, decorated or not–who cares?– this photographer was inconsiderate and uncaring in his pursuit of what he desired. What he’d done was not different from the action of a photographer in a New York train station who, instead of trying to save a man who was pushed into the rails by a panhandler, proceeded to take a picture of him while the man was trying to clamber up to safety. As a result, the man was run-over and died, and the photographer was villified by the people.
What if there was a need to administer first aid to Manny and the physical interference of this photographer, albeit unintentional, caused him further damage or even death?
Vincent . . .I tend to agree with you based on what I’ve seen thus far. I’m trying to get a truly complete and accurate picture before I come out fully in defense of Buboy, but you make a really good point when you share how you felt in that moment when Manny was down and not moving. I felt the same way and you can only imagine how Buboy felt. I will do a post on this and try to bring something more meaningful to the conversation . . . just trying to get the facts straight before I do.
thank you Mr. Seller! your article is like a healing balm to a wound 🙂 Marquez was the better fighter in this match, I am a filipino and i am not angry at all with Marquez, he deserves to win! But life is not always about winning…in life we lose sometimes and there is a lesson to be learned here, if we can be humble enough to learn the lesson, then we can be considered as winners also, GOD bless Mr. Seller! 🙂
By the way, just when we need the morale boost, you provided it.
Your wonderful, inspiring piece uplifted us.
Indulge me on this, Mr. Sellers:
In an interview recently about his post-fight drug tests Marquez said: “I’m clean. I predict the results of the tests to be negative,” or words to that effect.
Predicting also means guessing, among its other definitions. If marquez did not juice– he should know he did not if he did not, unless hernandez shoved something in his throat or injected him with PEDs while he was asleep, so he should not be predicting; he could have stated categorically that the drug tests will be negative or he could just ignore the whole caboodle because he knows he didn’t use illegal drugs and has nothing to worry about; meaning, no need to hope, guess and predict that the results will be negative.
The results will come out on December 17; we’ll see if Larry Merchant’s baiting game with Pacquiao during the interview was totally uncalled for.
Vincent …. good point. Here are my thoughts.
First, I’m pretty sure we can assume Heredia was feeding Marquez shakes or whatever and assuring him they were legal and there were no PEDs in them. But how would Marquez be absolutely certain of that? Hence the word “predicts” may not be as incriminating as you suggest.
As far as Merchant and Pacquiao go . . . I don’t object at all to Merchant fishing for a comment on PEDs. My point was that Pacquiao just didn’t want to go there at that moment, and we should all be glad he didn’t. Let Marquez have his moment. Let others do the “was he or wasn’t he juicing” game. If Pac had taken the bait, he would be accused of making excusing and not accepting reality. He took the high road, as he should have.
We’ll see . . . .I’m pretty sure that Heredia, if he was supplying PEDs, could evade detection in a urine test. The Nevada urine test after fights is not good enough to catch the latest designer PEDs. So I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Wow, would it be interesting, however, if the test was positive . . . . . but I don’t expect that.
“But how would Marquez be absolutely certain of that? Hence the word “predicts” may not be as incriminating as you suggest.”
If we consider the unabating anger and frustrations of Marquez due to all the “injustices” done to him, aside from his tremendous desire to win for his country, how is it impossible for him to do the provervial monkey so as to be able to deny guilt to himself and to the people if the tests turn out positive?
Yeah, it’s a pity that the urine test they utilize is allegedly unreliable. But I’m hoping against hope that something will surface if Marquez took something.
Nice one Mr. Sellers. Manny sets an example of genuine humility.
Beautiful article. This fight doesn’t change anything. Manny is and will always be a beautiful human being and an amazing boxer.
It was an inspiring article that explains deepness of what a sport really mean..there is ONE who really changed manny’s life…
at the end of the day, people will understand that what matters most in life is the chracter you possess.
Thanks a lot mr. seller.
Good article. I have to say, though, both fighters were giving each other beatings. It was a close fight before the end, with both fighters hitting the canvass. I had Manny up as well, and winning the sixth. But that’s not to say that Marquez wouldn’t have rallied later in the fight, if the KO didn’t come. I’ve learnt that you just can not write him off, even if he’s hurt and cut up.
What a great fight that was. Manny was gracious in defeat. Perhaps one more fight for Manny. The risk is that he gets hurt again, which we all don’t want to see. It’s very hard at that age to come back from those sorts of knock outs – just look at Roy Jones. He’s got nothing left to prove. His greatest moments were the wins over Barrera, Morales and Hatton. And, of course, his ongoing dual with Marquez, which will go down as one of the sport’s greates rivalries.
I don’t think there is much left for Marquez. He’s nearly 40. His was able to increase his power, but his speed and footwork were noticably diminished from the last fight. This is why Manny was able to outbox him with his speed. Another fight with Floyd might be the big pay day he wants to end his career and the chance to avenge the loss.
Both these guys are awesome fighters. However I think we must close the chapter on this episode and look to the future generation of fighters.
Good comments, Simon. I agree they both had knockdowns …. but I don’t think you could reasonably say that Marquez was giving Pac a beating by the time the knockout happened. Pac had gained the upper hand in the fifth and six rounds . . . Marquez was having trouble breathing and seemed to be tiring and Pac was chasing him around the ring and trying to finish him off.
I agree that doesn’t mean Marquez couldn’t have reversed the situation in a later round — with these two, that is always a possibility. But all three judges had Pac up 47-46 after the fifth, and I think it’s a reasonable assumption that the 6th was a unanimous round for Pac, so that would have been 57-55. Hardly insurmountable . . . . but he Pac seemed to be controlling the fight at that point.
I’m not trying to say Pac was a sure winner. I think I’m trying to say to all those people who started saying after the fight that Pac hadn’t prepared well enough, that he has too many distractions in life, etc etc — I’m saying “not so fast” …. he was winning the fight and you can hardly fault his perforance in there first five rounds and 2:59 of the sixth.
It’s one of the amazing things about boxing — how your guy can be building a lead, gaining control, and then wham — it’s over in a second. The same thing happened to Hatton in his comeback fight . . . up on all the scorecards, working steadily toward a decision victory, then wham – liver punch and he’s done.
Boxing is very cruel that way. But that’s part of the fascination. It can end instantly, but you rarely see a reversal like this. For example, when Pac got his one punch knockout on Hatton — it was already clear that Hatton was in big trouble. Not so here . . . everything seemed to be moving in Pac’s direction and then wham – it was completely, devastatingly over in an instant. Add to that the fact that none of Pac’s fans had ever seen him knocked out like that unless they had watched the YouTube video of the fight in Thailand as a 110 pounder where he went down to a liver punch (maybe .1% of the Pac fans watching had seen that) . . . . so it was just devastating on a lot of levels.
Anyway …good notes.
I totally agree with your comments. I also had Manny up and winning the 6th until the big KO punch. The momentum was definitely on Pacquiao’s side.
The interesting thing about this fight was that it was Manny who was outboxing Marquez and it was Marquez who equalized the fight with his power. Usually it’s the other way around. Marquez had won more rounds going into this fight, but Pacman equalized this by scoring knock downs. It was very evident early in the fight that Marquez had lost some speed and footwork – he wasn’t as sharp as he usually is. I think this was a combination of his age and the fact that he focussed on increasing his power. But compensated for this with accurate power punching (many people have over looked the work he was doing to Manny’s body, which had the effect of lowering pacman’s hands and leaving him vulnerable on top). Everything is a trade-off in boxing.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I think Pacman should have boxed from the outside, where he was doing a lot of damage. The KO may have come later on, Marquez may have been stopped on cuts, or he may have won on points. But we’ve seen JMM hurt and in trouble against Manny before and he always seems to find a way to get back into the fight. So from that perspective you can’t fault Pacman’s approach. Who knows… at the end of the day it was a great fight between two true champions. I can’t praise Marquez enough. He is the toughest, most intelligent fighter we might ever see. No one would want to fight this guy (apart from Floyd perhaps). His will is just relentless. He refuses to lose. Just about every other fighter would have given up in round 5. Not Marquez. What a champion, he took the punishment and knew that he would get his chance – he kept on believing. Just an unbelievable fighter. I think he’s better than Chavez, but I’ll leave that up to the “experts” to decide on.
Marquez stepped on Pacquiao’s right foot before he delivered the punch that ended the fight. “Foot-stepping” was Marquez’ strategy in their 3rd bout and he did it again on the 4th bout. What a dirty fighter!
Manny has no doubt is a class of his own. I admire his courage, his relentless style of attacking his opponent and humbleness in face of defeat. He is not perfect as a person but he has his Faith which makes him stronger in times like this. God Bless Manny Pacquiao!
You have a positive attitude of seeing things. You have a great article. Very inspiring! Awesome!
Thank you,Mr.Michael Sellers for a very nice article…I enjoyed reading..and win or lose Manny Pacquiao is still our champion…and he’s very humble and admit that he’s too confident on that fight…
I cried while reading this. So reflective, so inspiring…so true. Thank you so much Sir for this piece on our boxing icon, Manny Pacquiao!:) The quote on Theodore Roosevelt’s, “Man in the Arena,” is so apt and fitting. Manny’s story should be taught in Philippine schools…values formation, character education, athletics & sports, men in uniform, et cetera.
Again, thank you MD Sellers. Best article on Manny, our humble boxing icon!:)
I really liked what you wrote here. It is such an accurate and encouraging composition of words that tells the grieving hearts what they need to hear. It just confirms the author’s precise evaluation of events and size up of a man’s character. Giving the fight by Pacquiao to Marquez proved to be the reason for a slaughter to wait for the perfect timing to pull the trigger. And people must realize how Manny would like to please his fans and the viewers even if it could mean his downfall. This article just illuminated that desire of Manny to please and make his countrymen proud.
Our trait of PLEASING others proved to be a weakness that Marquez capitalized on and he and the Mexicans and the whole world should be aware of. This article revealed the true story behind the defeat, that’s why A MUST READ especially to those who just considered the fight a mere show of force.
I never doubted the character of Manny Pacquiao, the goodhearted person that he is, never doubted his skills, and I am truly amazed at the way he accepts defeat and mistakes he made and finally, his desire to rise again. A well-written article…Simply the Best, it speaks of the Man…. we all admire!
Move forward Congressman Manny Pacquiao, a hard working son to his Mommy Dionisia. Let us not forget his beginnings. Thanks for this.
Thank you Mr. Sellers not just for this great write up but for making me realize a lot of lessons I need to value in life also. I learned a lot of “eye opening” informations & a “wake up call”. We can be more human even in this imperfect world. Thumbs up for JMM for winning the PM4, he earned & harvested his hard work. Manny woke up and continue to live that’s what matters most to me! Seeing him hurt that way in the arena really broke my heart, same as my husband.. because we are a fan and a countrymen. He is our nation’s pride and back here he will help a lot of Filipinos impacted by a super typhoon who lost their families and will celebrate Christmas feeling devastated due to loveones death. Manny is not a God to us, he is plainly our Hero!
So enlightening. Thank you for this beautiful article, Mr. Sellers!
I’m a big fan of Manny. I would even pray for him before, during and after his fight. I didn’t get to see the recent fight ‘tho. I was really sad to hear he lost this time. But I know that Manny will be fine.
I didn’t read any news about him until today. I am glad that this is the first article I read about his latest fight. Thanks for a well-written and encouraging article, Michael Sellers!
Thanks Michael. A good read
Thank you Mr. Sellers for a great article. We really cannot please everybody and they are entitled to have and express their own opinion. And I believe that nothing and no one can put a good man down, even a the strongest punch nor even a very rude comment. We will always be proud of Manny Pacquiao, and we do acknowledge that Marquez did better but let his countrymen be proud of him.
I’d just like to point out what I also watched Nacho said regarding their second fight on the HBO show. Many Filipinos “felt” that Marquez won. It’s true and I am one of those many here who thought so too despite being a regular Manny fan and a fellow countryman.
When he got knocked down, I was surprised it felt surreal, very unexpected. But I took it as it is and made no additional theory on it. It was perfect timing as the man said it himself.
I do think I.M.H.O. that a205 is one of those emotional die hard fans who go beyond what’s normal to even promote animosity/discredit. It seems to be a reflection of his inner self instead of trying to focus on the positive sides of both fighters. He should join those hooligan soccer groups and might fit there and be a happy camper.
Just to be fair also, I don’t get why there are Filipinos who got hurt too much on the Manny bashers like Bieber? Every great or popular person has a healthy share of those so chill guys! 😀
Manny cried in an interview because he felt he let us down(morning show in phil)..A true icon.
the truth is in one of the interviews pac cried that he made his country down(mornign show in phil)..
GREAT ARTICLE AND YOU ARE A GREAT WRITER….YOUR ONE OF THE BEST…..THANK YOU FOR THIS….
Fabrienne – Spot on!
A205 – Peace Bro!!! Filipinos don’t hate Marquez, we admire him very much. In fact half of the Filipinos were saying in local tv Marquez should have one the 3rd fight. But that doesn’t diminish our loyalty to “our people’s champion”.
He made us proud during his triumphs, he made us even prouder in his defeat!
Pinoys are still Proud of you Manny in Victory and in Defeat…A True Warrior …When you absorb the Punch you fell FORWARD because thats the direction of your LIFe…You will Rise Again because in defeat you are Man enough to accept it and thats what we are proud of…Mabuhay ka Manny…
great article, sir. winning and losing is part of life however winning and losing “great” belongs to only a few – those select few who have the right attitude during the worst of time. personally, i have wins and loses but can not be considered “great”. thank you and keep up the honest perspective.
This article was the most encouraging message I have ever read my entire life.
Everytime I fall, I’ll remember Pacman, shrug the dust off & move-on.
Assallam allaiquom rahmatullah.
Even in defeat, Manny did not failed to made us proud of him once again.
Showing courage and sportmanship, we are more proud of him than when won a fight.
Great article Mr Michael D. Sellers..
Thank you so much Mr. Sellers..I really appreciate it. I am a fan of Pacquiao due to his generosity to the poor and being a humble guy. I was so depressed with his lost, but after I read your article my spirits gets high once again. I knew Pacquiao was winning before the KO..Pacquiao said he was told that one of his team member heard that Marquez trainer will throw the towel on the 7th round, but Pacquiao wants a KO for the satisfaction of the viewers and there you go….””????
A205 = Ignorant!
To the writer, Mr Sellers:
Thanks for taking the time writing this article. It lifted our spirits and we realized there is something to be proud of despite losing.
A lot of us were affected by this since Pacman is one of the few things we are proud of as Filipinos.
Thanks again!
Michael, thank you very much for highlighting the ironic victory in defeat when it is taken with dignity and respect. His courageous acceptance of the competition’s reality is a stellar example worthy of recognition, which you did in this post.
What he was thinking as he got up, smiling: “Easiest 25+ million I ever made.”
“For now, their anger towards Marquez will consume them.” – a2052535@rmqkr.net
I think it’s the other way around. A few moments after the bout, this hashtag #SufroComoLaEsposaDePacquiao was trending on twitter worldwide. JMM’s fans are so consumed by anger towards Manny that they had to make fun of Mrs. Pacquiao’s anguish upon seeing her husband prone and motionless on the canvas. I have yet to see one comment of such vile nature coming from Manny’s fans in any of matches where he won.
I salute you Mr Seller.
great article mr. sellers. you described certain things about the fight that I have to admit I didn’t consider. the whole Filipino nation truly felt the ‘defeat’ Manny had. We felt the great blow since every Filipino always look forward for Manny’s win everytime he steps up on the ring. There’s this thing called ‘symbol of hope and pride’ that Manny give to every Filipino. This probably is the thing that a2052535 cannot understand and would probably never will. We don’t see Manny as God becoz we Filipinos are God-fearing people and we know that we should never lift anybody to that status that only God deserves. Manny just gives Filipinos so much pride and hope, such that his wins are every Filipino wins and his loses are every Filipino loses.
So to mr. a2052535, as a Filipino and a boxing fan, I’m not discrediting Marquez for his win because he deserves it. But to say that Manny’s fans are so poor losers (refusing to admit that he can be defeated) is an insult. Manny deserves the credit he was given to him since he has shown so much character specifically in a moment when his defeat was a major one. Truly, not every athlete, as Mr Sellers had mentioned, has the guts and humility that Manny had shown. Don’t you think you were the one who has the ‘hatred’ issues and not us, Manny fans…
I feel good reading this article. Very positive and encouraging. For Manny Pacman Pacquiao you are still our number one and our people’s champ. I know He will never give up in all walks of life because he has heart after God’s own heart. But Manny cannot serve two masters’ at the same time he needs to give up the other its either the politics or the love of bOxing.
Just what I needed. Thanks a lot Mr. Sellers, you relieved my
pain.
Who says that Pacquiao fans don’t give credit to Marquez’s performance last night? I do, and thousands of Filipinos do. Just look at Filipino FB pages and you can see that despite loyal to Pacquiao, we have been fair in giving credit to Marquez’ performance and skill.
Anyway, Pacquiao brought Filipino pride up around the world, and on his defeat, Filipinos will be by his side as we owe a lot to him, an icon, the pride of the Filipino people. And most Filipinos accept the fact that however big you are, you are not exempted from going down too. That’s sports. That’s life.
Very well said sir. I guess nobody could say it better. Yes, Manny is indeed a class all by himself – winning hearts even in defeat.
Nice to read articles like this. It somehow took the pain inside me. 🙂
I’m baffled by the show hatred to Mr. Paquiao and the rest of his fans.
You are an awesome observer and writer, Mr Sellers.
Very well said! Mabuhay!
Thanks, Mr. Michael Sellers, for truly understanding the heart of Manny Pacquiao and of the Filipino fans. Thanks so much for this wonderful article. 🙂
Wow! A very nice article. Manny you are still the man!
Manny is a great champion who just showed the world how to be a GREAT loser… he teaches everyone pride in winning and humility in losing… I hope most people including me will learn something from this as this is supposed to be the REAL essence of SPORTS….
Excellent article, Mr. Sellers. You summed up everything about Manny Pacquiao and his fight against Marquez. It was a great chess match so to speak. One wrong move caused him to fall face down on the canvass. On my seat, I was dumfounded and unable to grasped what had just happen. But reality set in momentarily and came to think that it was boxing after all. The sports where surprises and upsets take place. Lack of training, conditioning, or old age have nothing to do with what happened last night. It just wrong move at the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s all. Pacquiao needs to do a tactical adjustment in his fifth fight with Marquez.
What a perfect article in an imperfect world of journalism. It gives a wider understanding of a great man who knows how to humbled himself in moments of triumphs and success in as much as showing class and humility in moments of setbacks and defeats. Thanks a lot Michael, keep it up. And thank you Manny, you are not perfect but still you are one of a kind
I agree on Michael Sellers. Thats true humility on Manny. For a2052535@rmqkr.net, dont base your judgement on Manny just because your an avid fan of JMM. Just read the article many times and surely you will understand what Michael is telling you about.
With all due respect, you need to look up the definition of humility, then have someone objectively read your essay. You refuse to give Marquez even a shred of recognition for his hard work, ring intelligence, and heart (fighting with a broken nose). You attribute everything Marquez earned last night to Manny being overconfident, the aggressor, moving forward, etc.
This is why Manny lost. His ego is so massive, his false modesty so enormous that he nor his fans are able to see his flaws. When you build him up to be perfect, he is unable to train and correct himself. This is going to be difficult for you to take, but there wont ever be a Pacquiao-Marquez 5, because there doesn’t need to be.
He used to be a great fighter, before he believed he was a god. It’s hard for you to see him as a man with flaws because you worship him, but he is human. He always was human.
A205 wrote
Well, let’s deal with the easy part of this first. I think I gave Marquez adequate credit when I wrote: “It was a punch that reflects Marquez’ unique counterpunching skill set; his intelligence; and his strategic approach to boxing.” But your point is well taken and I’m going to edit this by adding in: “He trained hard, focused hard, and looked for and found just the kind of opening his style and strategy called for.”
A205 wrote
We can just agree to disagree on this. For me, a person with the massive ego you describe would not have reacted the way Manny did to such a crushing, humiliating reversal of fortune. It takes natural, genuine humility to react as he did. That’s my opinion and of course you don’t have to agree with it, but at least I’m basing it on a specific action in a moment of huge personal stress, even crisis.
Two weeks ago Ricky Hatton was leading on all the cards and got felled with a massive punch, and in the post fight interview he was beside himself, abjectly disappointed and crying.
Earlier in the day yesterday the quarterback of Army, who came within a hair’s breadth of finally beating his nemesis Navy, and was reduced to sobbing and tears.
Manny took a horrible setback with a smile and grace. If his modesty was false, it wouldn’t show through in a moment like that. If it was false, then his true narcissistic self would come out — and nothing like that happened.
You mentioned Marquez skill, but you attribute the victory as a mistake of Pacquiao’s overconfidence rather than what it truly was–an honest accomplishment of Marquez. You can’t to view the fight objectively, which is often the case with Filipino fans.
You refuse to see Manny as a fighter who simply did not train hard enough, did not fight hard enough, and simply could not defeat his opponent. You’re trying very hard to rationalize the loss as something so precious that Marquez wishes he had it. You even go as far as to put words in Manny’s mouth:
“It was a rueful smile, an honest smile that said “he got me, didn’t he?””
But this I expect from Pacquiao fans. What I have yet to understand, and maybe you can help, is how the fans can have the audacity to call him humble. The man wears a shirt that says “Manny Knows”. His previous two fights, whether or not you agree with the judges, were beneath the performances he used to give earlier in his career, yet he never admits to being bested. Timothy Bradley’s family received numerous death threats after the fight–and Manny’s refusal to even acknowledge the fight was close fueled the rage.
If you still don’t want to give credit to Marquez, and want to attribute this victory as an oversight of Pacquiao’s, at the very least, attribute the mistake to being that Manny’s own ego got the better of him.
“I don’t tell [Manny] what to do anymore. He tells me what to do.” –Freddie Roach (HBO 24/7)
You seem to have some real anger toward Manny. I explained my take on it, and judging from the way the Facebook shares are climbing, my view is resonating with some.
As for the two previous fights . . .do you seriously believe Bradley beat him? I dont’ know anyone who does. That was the most wildly ridiculous decision I’ve ever seen. And how did Pacquiao respond? Did he storm out of the arena like Marquez did after PM3? No, he stood there, said “I respect the judges”, and “it’s boxing.” You have to be really relentless in your hostility toward Pacquiao to NOT see that as evidence of sportsmanship, respect, and humility.
As for PM3, yes — his performance was off. But he had plenty of legitimate reason to believe he won the fight. He was the aggressor, he was ahead on all the compubox statistics (a reversal from PM2), and the judges rewarded him for taking the risk of being the aggressor. There was no call for him to “admit to being bested”. He wasn’t.
He was bested last night, though. And he admitted it with grace and humility.
I don’t want you to think that I completely reject the notion that there’s some ego there with Manny Pacquiao. Of course there is — you can’t rise to the level he has without having an ego, nor can you be one of the most popular athletes on the planet for 10 years and not have it affect you. But none of that means you will handle a bitter disappointment with grace.
As for Marquez’s character, I give him a good deal of credit. I am impressed with his intelligence, his ability to make adjustments during a fight, and his work ethic is terrific. He also seems like a sane, family oriented person who really cares about his wife and kids and their future. There is much to like about him.
There is something fundamentally more appealing about Pacquiao’s “happy warrior”, attacking style. Marquez is very cerebral, and his “lie in wait and launch a counterattack” approach is a bit limiting, because he doesn’t just go out and make things happen — he waits, then he reacts — which he did last night with devastating effect. But it doesn’t make me warm to him the way I warm to Manny. Nor did his behavior after the third fight (storming out of the arena, refusing to do interviews) impress me.
But that’s sort of the point, isn’t it. People are only human. Marquez is a good man — a dedicated, hard-working boxer — and yet in that moment of extreme disappointment he couldn’t control his anger and he lost his cool.
That happens to people. But it didn’t happen to Manny in the equivalent situation (the Bradley fight). Nor did it happen last night.
Give Manny just a tiny little break — he doesn’t deserve the extreme hostility you’re firing at him.
There’s no hostility toward Manny. He and his fans refuse to give credit to Marquez where credit is due, and despite this, he is being credited with showing humility, class, and courage.
I’ll end this debate with a quote from Manny Pacquiao himself about last night’s fight:
“They also saw my performance, aggressive. I have beautiful performance. Really lucky punch, “
This is the exact opposite of someone gracefully accepting defeat with humility and courage. This sounds like a man whose own ego refuses to allow him to admit when he is bested. I do hope someday that Filipinos will let go of their idolatry of him and accept him for the man he truly is. For now, their anger towards Marquez will consume them.
Taken from: http://breaking-newztrends.blogspot.com/2012/12/pacquiao-gracefully-accepts-defeat.html
How many times have I heard Manny say: “I am lucky.” ? You’re ascribing a meaning to it that isn’t there in the way he uses the word.
To both of you, I don’t know if you’ve been to the Philippines.
Mr. Pacquiao is a human being. He has good and bad attributes. But I think he has done more good to his country as a boxer and as a person… and he’s using his own resources. I don’t know him, but I think he’s a good person and a very humble one like most Filipinos.
to mr seller and to a2052535, both of you have your own points there… i do thank you mr seller for the kind words you said about manny. and to you a2052535, you are wrong when you said that we Filipinos and manny’s fans are mad at marquez, we are not…no one can deny that we felt devastated when we saw what happened,seeing manny face down and not moving and clearly a loser, we were mad not because of marquez but by the way he lost the fight! we recognize the fact that marquez won. we are not dragging him down. if you will just see our local news, you will hear people say things like :”its ok, thats life, better luck next time”; “we were with him when he was winning and we will still be with him today”;
no one was saying that marquez just got lucky or anything the way you think what “lucky” means… for us, it simply means that this time, it was marquez’s time to shine… when manny was winning all those fights he had, we always say: “he is such a very lucky man”…we never said that he won because he trained and focused and fought really hard because its already given. boxers and all athletes are training so hard all their lives and working hard and are focusing hard etc etc…its the basic requirement for all athletes. and they all do that and keeps on winning and losing all the time.. lucky means “time to shine” when it comes to sports. you are the only one who thinks like that. i dont know what issues you got about manny but its not the way Filipinos think and feel about what happened…
Another word on the “Manny Knows” T-Shirts. It was, as I thought, a Nike campaign that is an homage to a famous campaign from 20 years ago entitled “Bo Knows” designed to honor a sportsman, Bo Jackson, who was seen as having a wide range of talents (he played pro baseball and football, the last person to do that).
Here’s the link: http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/manny_knows_tees_highlight_nikes_pacquiao_line_for_third_marquez_fight/7782673
iamkhay wrote:
Exactly. We’ve all heard Manny say “I am lucky” after his own victories. There was nothing disparaging in what he said about Marquez. It was his time to shine.
The “Manny Knows” shirt is something to do with idiots like you who make fun of him. As you know, Manny P. doesn’t speak English as great as you, on his interviews he always starts his sentences with “you know”.. this has been his signature and became his shield to people that spoof him… now you know!
Also– regardng the “Manny Knows” T-Shirt, Manny has a deal with Nike for promotion. Nike ran a promotional campaign for another of their super-talented sportsman, Bo Jackson, called “Bo Knows” and it went on for years. I’m not sure exactly where “Manny Knows” comes from, but my guess is it’s Nike doing something that people in the US at least will recognize as a reference to the highly popular and successly “Bo Knows” campaign. So . . . . there’s that aspect of it as well.
Hi A20,
Congratulations to JMM! He deserved it. He worked and trained really hard.
I just want to help you understand what this article is about or at least how I understood it. Imagine if you have a child or even a brother or a sister who lost in a game and is feeling down. What will you do? Of course, you will try to console him/ her. You will try to make him/her feel better. It doesn’t mean you’re trying to belittle the accomplishment of the other team or player, You are just trying to lift his/her spirit up.
I think this is what the writer is trying to do. He’s trying to encourage the readers to see things in a positive light. That despite the loss, we still have something to be proud of.
Enjoy and celebrate your victory, you deserve it but please don’t rob us the right to console and encourage ourselves. That is our right.
It seems that you are the one who’s bitter and it doesn’t make sense because you already won. I don’t understand what you want to do. Do you want us accept or state how evil Pacman is? You know that’s not gonna happen. We are loyal to Manny and that is not going to change, win or lose.
Well said, Fabrienne!
Wow. Very, very nice.
Frankly,I know nothing about the sport of boxing, but I’ve known Michael Sellers for a lifetime. His description of a courageous boxer deserves recognition of an exceptional person-to rarely seen in today’s life! Right on MIchael! You caught the essence of individual greatness Michael!
Wow! I enjoyed reading it. I feel proud for Manny. Thanks for writing this very inspiring and eye-opening article. 🙂
Great article!