blog, boxing, sports

Manny Pacquiao helps Typhoon victims, helps himself; He offers up Rios as evidence that Pacman is not some historic video game, but still a force in the pound-for-pound championship boxing picture; Mayweather on deck? UPDATE: About Pacman’s speech

Manny Pacquiao, wet with sweat and Brandon Rios’ blood, took not just Leyte and Tacloban, but the entire country of the Philippines and lifted them up high in the ring.

It may not stop pneumonia or dysentery, but anything positive is better than the trickle of aid typhoon victims seem to  getting these days.

And Pacquiao boxing victories, the first in two years, have been in short supply.

Now that we have one, we should see Pacquiao/Mayweather now.  

Neither can wait, as time, skills, and fan interest all begin to wane.

But now things are spiking as Mayweather talks his pound-for-pound  trash with no one better to fight. And Pacquiao is finally back on track.

Both men want/need the money. 

Even Promoter Bob Arum was talking it up BEFORE Pacquiao’s Brandon Rios fight.

It’s going to happen.

Pacquiao  did show the world he still has enough gas to go 12 top-flight rounds with  anyone after his unanimous victory over Rios in Macao.

Rios was a bigger, but a slower opponent, and coming off a disappointing rematch with Mike Alvarado (who in turn was beaten by Pacquiao’s old sparring partner Ruslan Provodnikov).

Pacquiao was coming off a two fight losing streak–one loss where he was clearly robbed  (Bradley), and the other , that knockout to Juan Marquez.  I just never saw Rios in Pacquiao’s league, but there was that thought was maybe Manny was on the decline.  IT was the only way Rios had a shot.

But Saturday showed talk of retirement was premature for the Pacman.  He’s got  a lot more life than an old video game.  The quick Pacquiao dominated Rios in the hit parade, sometimes exchanging at a 3 or 4-1 clip, (3 or 4 Paquiao counterhits when Rios opened up with a punch).

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Still, there were some moments where Pacquiao just did not look nearly as confident as he’s been in the past. Even HBO commentator Roy Jones noticed something in Paquiao’s ‘body language.”  Mayweather folks may have seen that sort of thing as an edge F Jr. can exploit in a matchup. 

Junior is so much quicker than Rios who seemed to land his most effective punches while grabbing Pacquiao. If Mayweather  believes he has that kind of edge on Pacquiao, it could be the confidence boost to finally say yes to the fight without setting up all excuses on drug testing and such that have only mucked up negotiations in the past.

Pacquiao could schedule one more fight, a Bradley fight to avenge the grand theft. Or one fight against  Provodnikov, which would be a great fight (and far from a sure win for Pacquiao). But it sure wouldn’t be the same pay day for Manny.

He just had to show exactly where he is at this point. Still a good fighter, but no longer one with a “turn-off –the-lights”  KO punch.

That’s why I think Mayweather saw the fight Saturday and saw dollar signs.

The Rios fight did nothing more than re-open the negotiations for the fight we all want to see.

I bet it happens now.

UPDATE:

On the web, I noticed talk about Pacquiao’s speech (presumably from his post-fight comments in the media), saying that Pacquiao should have a translator. Absurd. Pacquiao’s facility to speak to the people is not the issue. His gift is he speaks like a regular Filipino guy. 

In the U.S. we have Joe Sixpack. In the Philippines, it’s Juan Cockfight.

Pac does show poorly if you put him up next to a polished public speaker or a professional pol who graduated from the School of Florid Colonial English with a B.S.

That’s when Paquiao’s fists do the talking.

Pacquiao might benefit from a Henry Higgins-type if Pygmalion were “Pac-malion.” But the major selling point of Pacquiao is his “man of the people” charm. He’s just like them. A regular guy who climbed out of poverty in the Philippines to achieve wealth and world-wide fame.

A translator? Let him speak the way he does. Pacquiao just needs policy folks around him if he’s really serious about doing more in public life than being the local pol who brightens peoples’ lives and fixes their potholes.

 

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blog, diversity

My first amok act in the birthplace of amok–Malaysia

When you have the domain www.amok.com, it is a special day indeed when among your first moments in Malaysia, the birth place of amok (the word does have Malay origins), is actually going amok in a tri-shaw. Actually, I was assisted by my right-hand (and left-hand) man, the ultra capable Ming. The importance of having him for both my hands is evident, especially if you look closely by my left ear. You can see Ming’s hand on the handlebars (of the tri-shaw, not my ears). Note: Ming is holding a cigarette and not some weapon. No sharp implements were brandished as we ran amok through Old Georgetown in Penang, Malaysia.

 

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blog, news, politics, race

WHISTLE-BLOWING PEOPLE POWER: THE MOVEMENT SEEMS TO BE JUST BEGINNING IN BANGKOK

BANGKOK– The chic thing in Thailand is to protest loudly for democracy by blowing a whistle on ruling class members that just tried to pass an amnesty bill to forgive themselves of their sins.

 

Its made whistles and whistle-blowing very cool in Bangkok lately, made even more so in that it actually worked.

 

The voice of the people blowing the whistle on the government was heard, halting the amnesty stunt in its tracks.

 

But that’s not all folks.

 

On Friday night, an estimated 50,000 people gathered at one end of Bangkok to hear the next step.

 

Suthep Thaugsuban, leader of Thailand’s democratic opposition group, called for an end to the current Thai government—beginning an impeachment process and signature campaign to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her top deputies.

 

As he stood at the Democracy Monumnet on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, thousands were a few miles away at the Asiatique center on the river, kicking off the  three day Loy Krathong Festival complete with floating barges of flowers and lights that will attract millions of Thais—and foreign tourists– to Bangkok.

 

It’s the conflicting picture Thailand doesn’t really want anyone outside to know about.

And the best thing that can be said are the protests and the government response has been peaceful and non-violent—for now.

Over the last few weeks, the country has been steaming over a legislative bill that would have granted amnesty to corrupt politicians dating back to 2004. The bill would have included amnesty for the exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. 

Name sound familiar?

It doesn’t help that the main force behind the amnesty bill was the current prime minister, who just happens to be the sister of the now exiled leader.

The Senate rejected the bill. And the House may still bring it up, though a coalition has said it won’t bring it back.

But opposition leader Suthep seems willing to go for broke here, and use the momentum of the people’s passion to rid Thailand of every last remnant of the Thaksin government.

Suthep told the cowed Friday night that the amnesty bill was “only the tip of the evils of the Thaksin regime.”

I was in the crowd on Friday and it all reminded me of the “People Power” of the Philippines, which I covered in the 80s. Suthep may not seem like Cory Aquino, and the Shinawatras may not be exact replicas of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos.  

But some people I’ve talked to aren’t shy to even suggest that the corruption of Thailand’s political past indeed approximates the evils of a dictator.

The whistle blowing also shows the people don’t seem in the mood to forgive.

The 50,000 at the Democracy Monument rivalling those at Asiatique may indicate that when it comes to forgiveness, the people of Thailand have something else in mind.

In the Loy Krathong Festival, people come to ask Ganga, the goddess of the river, to forgive all the transgressions of the last year as she sweeps up the floral krathong offerings.

But now that Thais have discovered that whistleblowing is real people power, they may not be so willing to let their political leaders off the hook so easily.

 

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Emil Guillermo's amok commentary on race, politics, diversity…and everything else. It's Emil Amok's Takeout!