Please, no mas Manny

For Manny Pacquiao, pay-per-view-boxing has become the one-time hero’s cash machine.

But PPV shouldn’t be like an ATM. Especially if the hard-earned cash is coming out of our pockets.

Just days after the Pac-Bradley 3, a placeholder fight with more value as a paid workout, Pacquiao forces are sending out trial balloons for a next fight.

As singer Toni Tennille in her new tell all about life with the Captain might say, “Do it to me one more time?”

I don’t think so.

Pacquiao declared himself retired at the end of PacBradley3, telling reporters he was essentially going off where the carabaos roam, back to the Philippines to run for the Senate.

When I heard that I was glad. I’ve been calling for his retirement for years. If he truly wants to lead his people, he’d better have a functioning brain. That would give him an advantage over most of his opponents. So I was pleased to hear he was looking to serve his people.

But as we all know from Pacman’s comments from February, he only means some of his people.

And not the gay ones.

If you’ve forgotten by now, you’ll recall Manny’s intolerant remarks towards gays. The comments on social media were said non-ironically, and with full Biblical-authority.

Said the Pacman:

“I rather obey the Lord’s command than obeying the desires of the flesh. I’m not condemning anyone, but I’m just telling the truth of what the Bible says. The truth from the Bible is what changed me from my old ways. 1 Corinthians 6:9 “[9] Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men.” God Bless everyone i love you all. “

It’s not the first time Manny has gotten into this sort of mess.

Meanwhile, as the world moves toward tolerance and away from ignorant discriminatory stances, Manny has forgotten about the pass he’s gotten from just about everyone on previous homophobic eruptions.

And all because people were willing to look past it, and go along with the affable, joking Pacman charm.

Not this time.

After these new comments, his sponsor Nike bailed on him.

Even HBO, which was involved in the PPV, was critical of Pac.

And while the Philippine Catholic Church defended Manny, good old Pope Francis in his latest writing, issued the week of the fight, was far more tolerant of gays than either the Philippine Church or the boxing champ.

For me, when fight time came, there was no question” Pac Bradley 3?

No thanks. Not on PPV. The bigot doesn’t need my money. (I did see Kristina Wong, an Asian American performance artist in San Francisco though).

So imagine my surprise when now there’s talk of a Mayweather 2.

Promoter Bob Arum told TMZ that it’s “close to 50/50 but probably leaning more toward the fight happening.”

A year ago, I was all amped up for PacMay1, as were more than 4.4 million others who bought the PPV fight and gave its producers in excess of $400 million.

And for what? To see Mayweather run away from Pacquiao? To have Pacquiao reveal he was fighting hurt?

You thought Mayweather liked to run from Pacquiao in the ring? Nothing like another nine-figure payday to make Mayweather reverse course and run even faster toward Pacquiao.

But really, does boxing deserve your hard earned money? Wouldn’t you rather see something less contrived?

My suggestion? Go away and come back a heavyweight.

If Manny really wants to be a politician worth his salt, he should go back to school. Learn something. Fill his head. Then he’d be as smart and obnoxious as a college sophomore reading the Great Books for the first time.

At least they’d be top of mind, and he could quote from them and sound like he at least went to UST.

Pac is a leader. And I used to think he could do it on charisma alone. But his anti-gay remarks are distressing, and his Bible-thumping intolerance an ignorant turnoff.

Man of the people? With his millions, he’s the Filipino Donald Trump and Ted Cruz rolled into one. The Manny of late doesn’t get my vote in the ring, nor the ballot box.
Speaking of ballots, if you’re an overseas voter in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’ll be moderating a panel on the Philippine Presidential election featuring surrogates from the campaign.

It’s a lunch program, but the public is welcome, Saturday April 16^th at 1:30 pm.

Edna’s Ichiban

120 Hazelwood Drive

South San Francisco

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist and commentator who writes from Northern California.

Contact him at www.amok.com

www.twitter.com/emilamok

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