PHILIPPINE BOXING: HOW IT CAN FLOURISH AFTER PACQUIAO RETIRES

July 25th, 2010 | by Carl Guevara

His legacy has already been established. He is already considered to be one of the greatest fighter who ever lived. With or without fighting his greatest rival, his legacy has already been cemented. If we talk about boxing here in the Philippines, the Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is a Demigod. Time stops, crime rates go down to zero, and even the Abu Sayyaf from Mindanao brings fighting to a standstill whenever he fights. Countless accolades have been bestowed upon him, locally and internationally. He has placed our country on the map once more because of his accomplishments. He has already achieved more than any man could ever dream of. You name it, he’s got it. What more could he ask for? Personally, I think there’s still one more thing left that he MUST do before hanging up those gloves.

Every Filipino loves his rags-to-riches story. For everyone who dreams of becoming successful, he’s their inspiration. But in a couple of years from now, Manny Pacquiao, the Pound-for-Pound King and Fighter of the Decade, will retire from boxing. That fact is quite inevitable given that he’s turning 32 this year and there are no more big fights ahead of him. He may stay a little longer, but I believe he won’t allow himself to fight just for the sake of money. He wants to walk away from the sport as the best. His accomplishments will never be duplicated nor be surpassed. Maybe in a couple of decades from now, someone can at least try, but that will be a long shot.

Given these facts, we can now ask, what’s left for Philippine boxing? Is there anyone that could fill that outrageous hole once Pacquiao retires? As of now, I believe there is no one. That’s why I feel the one thing that Pacquiao MUST still do is ensure that our country will be continue to be represented in world-class fights. As of this writing, we only have three world champions in Manny Pacquiao [WBO welterweight champion], Donnie “Ahas” Nietes [WBO Strawweight champion] and Nonito Donaire Jr. [WBA super flyweight champion]. There are a lot of promising stars from our country, like the cousins Eden and Marvin Sonsona, as well as Bernabe Concepcion, that need to be developed and trained properly. This is the one last thing that Manny Pacquiao must do in the sport of boxing.

Given his influence in the sport, Pacquiao must first look for great trainers. If he needs to support them financially, so be it. Secondly, try not to rush his fighters, as was the case with Bernabe Concepcion’s title challenge against Juan Manuel Lopez. Give proper training and support to all aspiring Filipino boxers and maximize their experiences before having them engage in title shots. Third, give them maximum international exposure. I know it will be hard on him financially, but there may be no better person that can do it except him.

These are some of the things I believe Pacquiao must contribute before retiring from the sport that has brought him fame and fortune. It’s a sacrifice on his part, but I think this will be his greatest contribution to Philippine boxing and will leave him a more meaningful and lasting legacy.

For questions or anything you want to discuss, you can write me atcguevara@fighthype.com. You can also follow me and my articles atwww.fighthype.com and of course here at filipino.fighthype.com.

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