Recently, in the Oprah Winfrey Show, Lance Armstrong, the incredible seven time winner of the Tour de France cycling tournament, the most grueling competition in the sports world – shocked millions by confessing publicly that he used an array of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) in winning all seven events. Previously, he had repeatedly denied doping allegations.
It’s turned out to be a December to remember, a month of tragedy and defeat, but also of triumph and promise.
The defeat of Pacquiao in the fight against Timothy Bradley was not really painful. Like the 80 out of 81 international boxing judges, Filipinos knew in their minds and hearts that their idol did not really lose that fight.
Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao took time out from his hectic training schedule to visit an American teenager who is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor.
Autographed boxing gloves of Manny Pacquiao and two basketballs bearing the signature of Miami Heat’s Filipino-American coach, Erik Spoelstra, raised funds in an auction on Nov. 26 that US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas Jr. sponsored for a Baguio group fighting domestic violence.
“Sometimes scorers of fights are incompetent. Sometimes they are more than incompetent, they are corrupt…..The bottom line is if you are an honest man…Pacquiao won that fight….It’s an injustice to the sport, it’s an injustice to the fighters and an injustice to the fan base,” commented well respected ESPN boxing commentator Teddy Atlas.
“Pacquiao lost?” my son asked, a look of disbelief on his face. Now, my panganay is not really boxing fan. His reaction was based not so much on disappointment, but surprise.
Asian gay and lesbian leaders have reached out to Filipino pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao in an effort to foster positive relationships.
Even at 101 years old, Otto Jensen showed little sign of slowing down. The former boxer from Denmark, an avid fan of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, still ran a photography studio and often could be seen crossing the street in front of it to get to a senior center he frequented.
So after some confusion, it’s now clear: Manny Pacquiao doesn’t want to put gays to death.
Minority Leader Danilo Suarez on Wednesday agreed with Saranggani Representative Manny Pacquiao’s scathing remarks against President Barack Obama’s support for same-sex marriage.
The Yuchengco Philippine Studies Program (YPSP) at the University of San Francisco launches From Pancho to Pacquiao: Philippine Boxing In and Out of the Ring, a book that examines the economic and social contributions of a marginalized minority, Filipinos and Filipinas, to the history of boxing in the United States and the world.
