The decision was unanimous.  Manny Pacquiao defeated Joshua Clottey (from Ghana) after 12 rounds and basically cemented in our minds what everyone knows already: the Pacman is still the best pound for pound boxer in the world today.

Many Pinoys were actually looking forward to more than just a win but a knockout.  And it was something the Manny could have delivered had Clottey punched more than hid his face behind his gloves (hehehe).  But still, a win is a win and again, our “Pambansang Kamao” brought peace in the streets of our country (at least for the duration for the fight) and brought pride and glory to our country.

The Answers community was certainly abuzz during the Pacquiao-Clottey fight.  Now that Pacquiao is at least $15 million richer, Izah asked “If you were on Jinkee Pacquiao’s shoes, how would you spend Manny’s money?”  We all know Jinkee has a soft spot for designer items like Hermes, Chanel and Louis Vuitton bags, I wonder what you will be spending on most if you had that kind of money.

Another interesting question that was asked was about the rendition of the national anthem by Pinoy YouTube sensation Arnel Pineda.  Cyberbaguioboy asked “Should Filipino and Journey frontman Arnel Pineda be penalized for his rendition of the “Lupang Hinirang?“  This became an issue because the National Historical Institute is filing a complaint against Pineda for singing his own interpretation of our anthem.  Arnel Pineda’s version was certainly very “Journey” (hehehe) but do you think he should be penalized for singing it that way?

And the final question (and most likely the one in the minds of everyone) is, “Should Manny Pacquiao retire after his boxing match with Joshua Clottey?” (another great question asked by Izah).  It seems like the best move for Manny right now is to retire at his peak but there’s just this one issue that seems unresolved: Floyd Mayweather Jr.  The boxing world still wants to see the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world in a match that is expected to be the richest fight of all time.  What are your thoughts on this?

As you answer those questions, let’s all take time to be thankful for the victory that Pacquiao has brought home.  Congratulations and mabuhay ka Manny!

(Flickr photo by Glorius)

It’s amazing to witness history happen before your very eyes.  Yesterday afternoon, November 15 Manila time, Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquiao gave the most compelling performance of his life by beating Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight championship and an unprecedented seventh world title in different weight classes.

I can safely say that every Filipino right now, whether living in the Philippines or elsewhere around the globe believes that Pacquiao is the greatest boxer of our generation.  And it’s not just us Pinoys who believe this sincerely.  This recent win cemented Manny’s place in history and people like Bob Arum and various sports historians, analysts and reporters are in agreement that Pacquiao is a cut above the rest.  As Martin Rogers of Yahoo! Sports said, “It’s been a while since current fighters were talked about in historical terms, but that’s the level to which Pacquiao is taking his performances…”

But ever the humble sportsman, Pacquiao amidst all the success and glory he received, shared the honor to his country and countrymen, saying we were all part of that historical moment.  He thanked everyone who prayed for him and thanked God for the strength and the blessing he received.

Miguel Cotto was a tough match and as I remember someone tweeting about this immediately after the fight, it’s not that Cotto did something wrong because his boxing skills and sense were top notch, but it’s just that he didn’t have a solution for Pacman’s speed and power.

A few days before the fight I asked the Answers community how they think the fight between the Pacman and Cotto will end and 121 of you shared your thoughts, analysis and predictions on the fight.  Sean G had the closes answer, he predicted an 11th round TKO and he explained that Cotto won’t be knocked out but will probably be too badly bruised to finish the fight.  Now that we know already how that ended, many people are asking who Manny should fight next.  Different names have come up like Juan Marquez, Shane Mosley and of course, Floyd Mayweather Jr.  That’s why I posted this next question to the community, “Who do you think Manny Pacquiao should fight next and why?” Share your thoughts and let’s see who gets to face the Pac-man in his next bout.

But whoever it is, that will have to wait because right now it’s time to celebrate!  Congratulations again Manny Pacquiao!  You are truly the pride of the Philippines.  Mabuhay si Manny, mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

As Kevin noted, not only did the Pac-Man beat dela Hoya, he battered him into retirement.  Surprisingly, Manny came into the fight a 2-1 underdog, with many people expecting he will have a hard time, maybe even lose against the taller, bigger dela Hoya.  Pacquiao had to move weight classes up to face dela Hoya, having fought only once as high as a lightweight and 75 percent of his bouts at super bantamweight or lower.  Dela Hoya had fought at super welterweight or middleweight for most of his career.  But as we all saw, size wasn’t a factor.

This wasn’t the first time this happened in boxing.  Chad G asked this in Answers and evalistinho shared to the community other boxers that did what Pacquiao did, jump 2 weight classes to face an opponent.  Of course before the fight so many of our community members asked who will win, Pacquiao or dela Hoya, rjjsuperman was one of them and Ruddiger gave a fairly good answer – it depends on how much Oscar really wants to win but Manny can win the fight.  However, Ruddiger thought Oscar will win and he was proven wrong.

I asked the community what they thought will be the biggest factors for the Pac-Man to beat the Goldenboy and jun2lorie shared the best answer – speed, power and heart to fight.  And he added that Manny was still growing into his natural weight, which means it’s not going to be an issue if he had to move 2 weight classes up.  Indeed this was what Manny displayed last December 6 before a crowd of 15,000 in Las Vegas, Nevada, before everyone from every corner in the planet watching.  He dominated every round and nowhere during the fight will you think that he was the underdog.

Clearly Manny Pacquiao had established himself as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the whole world.  This is something that all Pinoys know already in their hearts, Manny just needed to prove it again to the world.  So what’s next for the Pac-Man?  Environment Secretary Jose Atienza Jr was quick to advice Pacquiao to concentrate on boxing and not delve into politics.  As you all know, Manny ran for a congressional seat last year and lost badly.  Now that he’s in the peak of his boxing career, I wonder if he will consider another run for public office.  Our Yahoo! Philippines Frontpage Editor asked this question to the Answers community – after proving he is the best boxer in the world today, should Pacquiao consider getting into politics now?  What do you think?  Share your thoughts now and let the world know what Manny Pacquiao’s next move should be.

Photo by Nitro101

Last Sunday was another historic day for the Philippines and all Filipinos everywhere.  Before the eyes of millions of people around the world, our “Pambansang Kamao” Manny “the Pac-Man” Pacquiao brought glory and honor to every Filipino by knocking out boxer David Diaz of the US in nine rounds in Las Vegas, Nevada to take the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight title and becoming the only Asian to win four world boxing titles in different divisions.

I’m sure every Pinoy was rooting and praying for Manny to win.  I asked the community a few days before the fight who they think will win the match.  Of course, I know Pinoys would root for the Pac-Man (although there were some who thought Diaz would win, tsk, tsk, tsk) but wanted to find an answer that would give a fair analysis of the match.  Yangyang gave the best answer citing speed as the crucial factor and Manny’s advantage.  True enough, in the post-fight interview, Diaz said, “It was his speed, it was all his speed. He boxed much more than I thought he would.”

Manny has accomplished so much in the boxing ring many are saying he’s probably the best boxer in the world today.  Well23 has an open question right now (you might want to share your thoughts) asking that question and many are saying he is the best right now.  Christian Anderson on the other hand asked what else can Manny do to become the best boxer in the world and Mrraraavis thinks Manny should beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. first (who is retired now) because many consider him to be the best.  Maybe that’s why Leander thought of asking the community if a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight still a possibility, and Prince thinks so, saying it will be a very interesting match of super offense versus super defense.

We don’t know yet what’s next for Manny (GaNdA T. R Viii is suggesting that we make him our torchbearer in the upcoming Olympics) but one thing’s for sure, Manny has won not just his fights in the boxing ring but the hearts of every Pinoy and every boxing fan around the world.  To our “Pambansang Kamao,” congrats Manny, saludo kami sayo!