Sunday, December 07, 2008

One sweet victory, one sad ending


Okay, this is a running blog. But after what happened for 8 rounds inside the ring at MGM Grand in Las Vegas today, I can't help it.

Manny Pacquiao was just marvelous. Oscar dela Hoya was taller and bigger indeed, and for that a lot of American fight analysts gave the fight to him, some even saying that it would be a KO win for the legendary Golden Boy. It seems the luster has faded, the legend has gone somewhere else.

The smaller Filipino fighter was just the better, no, the best man and he did win.

Manny Pacquiao dominated the fight against dela Hoya from the 1st round, keeping himself busy with combination punches and steady movements to avoid dela Hoya's punches.

Pacquiao showed he can stand up to the bigger dela Hoya, using his speed and agility to effectively overcome the size advantage of the Golden Boy.

All the way to the 8th round, dela Hoya still can't seem to find an answer to the Pacman's barrage of punches to his head and body. Dela Hoya looked like an old man in the ring being pummeled to submission by a more aggressive and hungrier fighter in Manny Pacquiao.

The legend that is the Golden Boy just seemed to be slowly disappearing. He appeared tired, and battered by the punching machine that is Pacman.

After the 8th round, dela Hoya did what perhaps was unthinkable for a 10-time world professional boxing champion to do, give up the fight. It was a TKO victory for Pacquiao who consolidated his position as professional boxing's best pound-for-pound fighter.

What a way for one of the world's best fighters to go.

Dela Hoya chose to fight a smaller man perhaps thinking his height and size advantage would work to his favor. Sadly, it did not. The Pacman was just too fast, too strong, and too good for a fading Golden Boy.

In the end it was sweet victory for Manny, and a sad closing episode to a once brilliant fighting career for Oscar.

To those who didn't believe Manny will win, it's about time you learn about Filipino guts, heart, and faith in God.

What matters is the run

 For the past two weeks, I have been running in my more than two years old pair of Saucony Kinvara 10s. They still felt good through several...