Often the most compelling success stories are those that present seemingly insurmountable obstacles and the breadth of polarity before rags turned to riches. In other words, the poorer it is, the better the story. That poses a problem, ignore the hard work before you get to the success part. And the story just stops at riches.
Be that as it may, success stories are often compared to dollar signs. Given that premise, Manny Pacquiao has success written all over him. Not only is he making a huge sum in every fight, this man is legit. Three times he was named Wrestler of the Year (2006, 2008 and 2009). That obviously made him the fighter of the decade. If that’s not enough to scare every contender, he’s also named the best fighter pound for pound.
Boxing apparently became a springboard for other endeavors for this high school dropout. He ventured into politics and now represents his hometown in the Philippine Congress. Acknowledging his humble beginnings, he is seen on a weekly television show in the Philippines, where he takes on the role of an everyday Santa, handing out cash to the poor. And more recently, expressing that he now lives a Reformed life, he agreed to become the Roman Catholic Church’s Bible Ambassador to encourage parishioners to read the Bible.
Pacquiao not only stings like a bee, he’s busy like a bee too. Elsewhere, he is the first eight-division world champion. But at home, he is more than a boxer. He is your success story, considered an inspiration and proof that there is a better life even if you were born into poverty.
Now that Manny Pacquiao has made a name for himself in all the fields that matter in his home country, namely sports, politics, and show business, are we preparing for an imminent retirement? Now that you have extended your reach into most aspects of public life in your home country, it is enough for us to say that you have, in fact, prepared your activity after retirement.
The lure of a jackpot money and fame aside, it seems the only thing left for him to prove is a Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather fight. But that seems to be a long shot as time goes on. At 33, he is physically healthy, strong and in excellent condition. That’s Timothy Bradley describing his next opponent. On June 9, 2012, the world will witness the Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley fights a determined Palm Spring fighter against the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now.
Like every boxing match between two great fighters, the world will be divided on who has a clear advantage in this match. Pacquiao was less dominant in his most recent fights, and Bradley could get a point or two from fellow orthodox Juan Miguel Marquez on how to keep Pacquiao’s punches from falling.
Manny Pacquiao is definitely a name to watch out for in boxing. Truth be told, when you’ve been through so much weight division as champion each time, it would be a fool not to say that you are a name to be reckoned with. But it would appear that the People’s Champion, as he is called at home, is in fact considering retiring. He has tackled the idea himself. He finds incongruity in hitting the opponent in the face and body while out of the ring wielding a Bible.
While the news of retirement would undoubtedly make his mother happy, who has publicly begged her son to hang up his gloves on countless occasions, the champion is expected to be man enough to be true to his words. He once said that he will only retire from boxing once his trainer, Freddie Roach, believes he has slowed down and his punches diminish in power.
And we haven’t heard anything from that guy from Roach lately. And Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley would not have been signed on the dotted lines at all if that goes without saying.