CHICAGO (JGL) – During the May 2 fight night between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in Las Vegas, Nevada, the full moon was shining very bright over Chicago sky and the rest of the United States. But nobody seemed to notice.
It was only after the fight when some Filipino Americans, who were staring upwards, did they come to notice the full moon when they were looking for answers how Manny lost his killer instinct when he had a chance to follow up as he had Mayweather on ropes on the fourth round.
The eight-division Filipino boxing champion would lose out by a unanimous decision to Mayweather, who kept his unblemished 48-0 record intact, in what was billed as the Fight of the Century at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
“Perhaps, Manny Pacquiao succumbed to the threats of the Mafia,” boxing enthusiast Marlon L. Pecson asked aloud.
But for another observer, Chicago’s Administrative Law Judge Phil Bernstein blamed Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach for Pacquiao’s loss. “When his ward was behind on points, Mr. Roach should have made some adjustments so Manny could get even, if not get ahead of Mayweather. By keeping the same playbook, Manny can never win.”
Bernstein, a boxing fan, who followed Pacquiao for a long time, said, “Manny had gotten Mayweather back up on the ropes; Roach had got to tell Manny on a way to stop Mayweather from getting away.
“If Roach cannot do this, he had to cede his coaching job to someone else who can,” Bernstein added. “If a something is broken, it should be fixed right away.”
Manny had Mayweather on the ropes for a couple of more times in later rounds, but the Sarangani congressman let Mayweather got away, too.
Mayweather, who has a four-inch reach advantage over Pacquiao, used his jabs to collect a unanimous decision. Mayweather landed 67 of 267 jabs and 81 of 168 power punches for a total 148 of 435 total punches.
On the other hand, Manny merely landed 18 of his 193 jabs while he hit Mayweather with 63 of 236 power punches for a total of 81 of 429 power punches.
Manny’s numbers are a far cry from his previous outings. Manny had landed at least 34 percent punches but with Mayweather, he only connected half as much or 18 percent punches.
Two of the three judges – Burt Clements and Glenn Feldman – scored an identical 116-112 for Mayweather while the third judge, Dave Moretti, saw it 118-110. The Journal GlobaLinks scored it 118 to 114 for Mayweather.
In the post-fight interview, Manny thought, “I won the fight. He (Mayweather) did nothing; he was always outside. …. I got him many times with solid punches. I think I won the fight. If he stayed (inside) …. just like Margarito and 24 others, we could have been up in a (good) fight.”
On the other hand, Mayweather called “Manny (as) a hell of a fighter. Now I see why he is one of the guys at the pinnacle in the sports of boxing. He is always around. He had moments of the fight. (But) I kept him outside. Outsmarted and outboxed him.
“I wasn’t getting hit with a lot of shots until I got him in the pocket. And he wound (up getting) a lot of shots. And we have to do what we have to do tonight.
“I was truly blessed. Manny is truly blessed. I want to thank fans, who supported this event. (As to the) left jab? I am calculated fighter. He is a tough competitor. My dad wanted me to do more but Manny was a tough competitor and accurate fighter.
“I worked him extremely close; all 47 fights are major key. Manny is a tough competitor a true champion at heart and came out with his best tonight. It (the more than five years) was worth the wait when history books are written.”
Mayweather expects to match fellow American Rocky Marciano’s record of 49-0 when he fights again in September.
Pacquiao now dropped his record to 57 wins-6 losses-2 draws and lost his WBO welterweight title, the WBA Super, the WBC, The Ring & Lineal Welterweight titles to Mayweather.
Tony Navarez, an employee of the 4200 Block of West School Avenue in Chicago’s north side, has been hosting a lot of relatives and friends during the previous Pacquiao fights. But last Saturday’s fight takes the cake. His watchers of the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight nearly tripled, if not quadrupled.
“We have a television set watched by Filipinos and Filipino Americans. We have a television set watched by Puerto Ricans and Mexicans. We have television set watched by mixed races. We have television watched by young and old. And another television set watched by those in between.” Navarez, a 40-something Filipino American, said.
“If we prepared variety of food dishes before, we prepared tripled, if not quadrupled this time. We just want to share our blessings with our relatives and friends as they come to our house as if we are celebrating Christmas and New Year’s Eves. And that’s fine with me. For as long as everybody will enjoy the fight, we also enjoy their company.” Navarez added.
“Tonight will not be the last as long as there is a Pacquiao fight,” he added.
Navarez is not alone in hosting fiesta celebrations in their home during Pacquiao fights.
Joy R. Estrada, married to a Puerto Rican, Polo Estrada, also welcomed their friends and relatives in their home in Chicago’s north side. “Since we are Pacquiao fans, we will not tire hosting our folks to a dinner to watch every Pacquiao fight. Coming together with our folks is one way of connecting with one another and comparing notes as we share our good and bad experiences that make us a closer and stronger community,” the Estradas said.
The Navarezes and the Estradas are just among the thousands of Filipino Americans not only in Chicago but across the United States, who pause one night to come together in watching Manny Pacquiao, their adopted favorite son, fight his way to bring honor and glory to his country.
