By: Sean Crose
There’s no doubt about it – it’s good to see Manny Pacquiao back. Watching him run through the California hills is a pleasure – entourage and media in tow, the runners’ feet softly crunching over the gravel as they focus on the business at hand – getting the 46 year old Paquiao ready to face Mario Barrios on July 19th. It’s also good to see Pacquiao seeming to fire on all cylinders during a media work out at the Wild Card Gym, his training headquarters for decades. Lastly, it’s nice to hear and see the Filipino legend being interviewed again in the lead up to a fight. Despite his viciousness in the ring, Paacquiao outside the ring comes across as a humble, polite, and confident individual to speak with.
While some fighters like to put on show, Pacquiao is, and pretty much always has been, a man of quiet focus when it comes to plying his trade. Yet, he’s been a politician in his native Philippians, along with being a singer, inspirational figure and overall celebrity, but Pacquiao’s claim to international fame is boxing. That’s what the world sees him as, a boxer. He clearly sees himself as one, too, as he nears a high profile return to the ring this summer. Yet, after years removed from the professional fight game, Pacquiao isn’t favored to beat Barrios is a few weeks.
For one thing, WBC welterweight champion Barrios is considerably younger than Pacquiao, who is now closer to fifty than he is to forty. And while it’s true that Pacquiao is impressive in training camp, there’s no guarantee that it will translate into a winning performance against the determined Barrios. The thing is that Pacquiao is a bit like Mike Tyson before him: People will always see him in his prime rather than in the present. This can be a tough pill swallow. No one likes aging, and people want to be admired for who they currently, not for their former selves.
That might be part of the reason for Pacquiao’s return to the ring. That and perhaps the fact that he appears incredibly conditioned for his age. The guy LOOKS in fighting shape. Whether or not he will be is a question yet to be answered. On July 19th, the truth will be known. Not that it will impact Pacquiao’s reputation either way. Besides, at the moment at least, the man seems to be truly enjoying himself, which is nice to see.
