Pacquiao Defeats Broner via Unanimous Decision

The Philippine pride, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao retains world welterweight title after winning via unanimous decision over Adrien Broner in a match held at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, January 20,2019. Pacquiao dominated Broner in a gruelling 12 rounds of the match. Final judges’ scores were 117-111, 116-112 and 116-112. 

Not long ago, Pacquiao also won the WBA (Regular) welterweight championship against Lucas Matthysse  via 7th round TKO in a bout held July 15, 2018 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur. His current boxing record is 70 fights with 61 wins, 7 losses and 2 draws. 

Pacquaio’s Rags to Riches Story

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao, mostly known as “Pacman” to boxing enthusiasts and “Manny” to the general population,  is probably one of the most famous Filipinos that the world knows nowadays and put the Philippines on the map. He is an inspiration among Filipinos, an embodiment of hard work and determination that pays off.  Every time he has a fight, the streets are clean and crime rate is almost zero. 

Pacman hails from General Santos City, also GenSan and known as the Tuna capital of the Philippines. He is fourth among six siblings. His parents separated when he was on 6th grade so their mom tried to raised them all by herself. After completing his elementary education, he left home at the age of 14 and tried his luck in the big city of Metro Manila. He did all sorts of menial jobs and even slept on the streets. 

According to Manny, he did boxing not as a sport but to earn some money to help his mother support his siblings. With that in mind, he persevered until he became one of the most awarded and decorated athletes of all time. He is one of ESPN’s pound for pound champions, having won eight (8) division world titles. 

But with the heart to serve and give a better quality of life to Filipinos, he entered politics. After serving two (2) terms as a congressman in his hometown, he is presently serving as a senator. More than being a boxer and politician, he is a philanthropist with an estimate of $200m given away as donations and charity works. His estimated net worth is $190m as of 2018.

Miracles do happen. Dreams do come true. Being poor does not mean one must die poor. Hard work and persistence will set you free from the shackles of poverty. But it is faith that will take you to the very top.___ EMMANUEL D. PACQUIAO before the Oxford Union

Some Manny Pacquaio Trivias

• He wanted to become a Catholic priest as a child,
• His nickname Pacman is a portmanteau of his name PACquaio-Manny, not from the popular arcade game character. 
• His favorite actor was Bruce Less. He admires the actor’s agility and speed and Pacman used to imitate him by punching and kicking a banana tree near their house.
• When he was about 9 or 10 years old, he had a fight with a group of schoolboys defending his brother. He won.
• His quick feet and persistence were inspired by his first time to watch a cockfight.
• His first encounter with professional boxing was when his uncle brought him in James ‘Buster’ Douglas and Mike Tyson in Tokyo–a fight in which Tyson lost.
• His first job was scraping off rust at a metal yard then later worked at restaurants to wash dishes or clean kitchens in exchange of food.
• In his first professional boxing career, he was paid $2 per fight.
• His wife, JInkee, was a beauty consultant for skin care products in a shopping mall in GenSan. Currently, they have five children.
• He resented his father for quite sometime for killing Manny’s dog on the same day he left for Manila. 
•  He donates one million pesos to a hospital in GenSan every time he has a fight.
• He is featured in boxing video games including Fight Night Round 2, Fight Night Round 3, and Fight Night Round 4.

Let’s discuss with aimtalk teachers;

1. Have you ever watched a boxing match? What can you say about boxing as a sport?
2. Pacquaio is one of the Filipino icons in sports. Who do you consider as Japan’s sports icon? What do you know about him/here?
3. What characters do you think a sportsman or athlete should have in order to succeed?

Vocabulary

unanimous(adj): agreed by all the people involved

gruelling/grueling(adj): very difficult and tiring

embodiment(n): someone/something that is very typical

pay off(v): has a good result

hail from(v): have been born in a particular place

menial job: the job which is boring, needs no skill, and is not important

persevere(v): continue trying to do something in a very determined way in spite of difficulties.  (n: perseverance)

philanthropist(n): a rich person who gives a lot of money to help poor people  (n: philanthropy, adj: philanthropic)

the shackle of something: the limits which is put on your freedom and happiness by something  (shackle : handcuffs)

agility(n): ability to move quickly and easily