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Filipino boxing idol Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao has done his country proud again.
Yesterday, he clobbered Ghanaian Joshua Clottey before more than 50,000 fans at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas to retain his World Boxing Organization Welterweight title.
Three judges scored in favor of Pacquiao who dominated the 12-round fight. Two judges scored the fight 119-109 while the other, 120-108.
It was the first time that Pacquiao defended his WBO title after he defeated Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in November 2009 through a technical knockout.
Yesterday?s fight, however, lacked the fury and excitement in his previous fights against Briton Ricky Hatton, American Oscar dela Hoya and Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera.
Pacquiao dominated the entire fight. But he had to contend with body punches because Clottey was busy covering his head with his arms when he was not throwing counter punches.
The people are clamoring for a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. but that has to wait.
Pacman will be busy campaigning for the May 10 polls. He is running for congressman in the lone district of Sarangani province. It is his second attempt for a congressional seat.
The first was in May 2007 elections when he ran for congressman in South Cotabato but ended up badly beaten in the polls by Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio who won by a margin of about 37,000 votes.
If his dismal defeat shows something, it only reflects the disagreement by many over his decision to enter politics. Critics were harsh in their predictions: the boxing career of this seven-division world boxing champion would be put at risk by politics.
But in the end, it is the voters of Sarangani who will decide if they want Pacquiao to represent them and carry their voice in Congress.
In the same way that the moviegoers had shown their sentiments toward Pacquiao?s acting career when his movies such as ?Pacquiao: The Movie,? ?Anak ng Kumander? and ?Wapakman? bombed in the tills.
But every time Pacquiao steps into the ring, traffic in all major thoroughfares in the country stops. Even criminals take a break from committing crimes, as they join the rest of the nation in watching Pacquiao blaze himself to victory.
The country has seen a lot of boxing greats but only Pacquiao has been able to unite the nation in every fight. And every Filipino exudes in pride every time the referee raises his hand in victory.
Pacquiao has nothing else to prove. He has defeated every boxing great in his class category.
But next time, his camp should select better opponents for Pacquiao??someone worthy of his stature as a world-class boxing champ and not just someone of Clottey?s caliber.
It will be like feeding the hamster to the lion much like what happened yesterday.
