Optimist's Corner
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Manny Pacquiao   Who is Manny Pacquiao and What Can We Learn From Him? Most of us know Pacquiao as a boxer and didn't know where he actually
come from? Many articles here in the web starts the story of Pacquiao as
an Amateur boxer who turn to a Pro. Many articles in the web narrated
Professional boxing fights of Pacquiao but none of them give information
of his early life. Here's the early life of Pacquiao and I know after
reading this you will be able to learn how to be determine to fulfill
your dreams in your life. Manny Pacquiao's parents were separated when he was young. They were left by his father to his mother, Dionisia. Dionisia has six children, two of them are from her previous husband. They have a small sari-sari store (sari-sari is a Filipino term for small store). They sell 'pandesal' ( a Filipino bread which is a good mate for coffee). Dionisia notice Pacquiao's boxing ability when he was in grade 5. She can see her son practicing in the basketball court and sometimes in the street. Pacquiao plans to be a priest but because of poverty and he knows that her mother cannot afford his education, he focus himself to become a great boxer. In their town, he met a friend name Abner Cordero who is a promising boxer at that time and always join the Philippine National team. Abner was trained by his father Dizon Cordero. Pacquiao approach Dizon and ask for help to train him in boxing. Dizon agreed and Pacquiao always visit Dizon's small house just to practice. Dizon said that Pacquiao is really interested to learn boxing. He can actually remember that during that time, Pacquiao doesn't have rubber shoes. After 1 month of training, they traveled in Saranggani and Pacquiao won the fight. This is where he begin to learn the boxing. He fought 30 times under Dizon's assistance and soon he went to Manila. Pacquiao left a letter to his mother regarding his situation in Manila. Pacquiao was very happy because at Manila he can eat rice three times a day unlike in his hometown, General Santos City, where he can only eat once a day. Pacquiao always wrote a letter to his mother most especially if he has a fight in 'BLOW BY BLOW'. BLOW BY BLOW is weekly television show in IBC 13. His mother together with his brother go on other downtown appliance store just to watch TV because they don't have TV. It was December 25 when Pacquiao was first seen in BLOW BY BLOW and on his first appearance he won. Days had passed, Pacquiao was living with his so-called Tita Cora and can call his mother through the phone. Pacquiao went back home in General Santos City. And when he went back to Manila, he was accompanied by Buboy Fernandez, his neighbor and his childhood friend. Buboy Fernandez act as his trainer and buddy. So what lessons can we learn from Manny? To use our heads, to think, to analyze, to train, to listen to trusted counsel, to know that the lack of height and reach is not always a disadvantage, to turn a disadvantage into an advantage, to be wise and take advantages of all the opportunities presented to us without being greedy. That, knowing we can take so many punches as a people all we have to do next is embark on the slow journey to success that he did. That we can set the tempo of our lives and not be underdogs anymore — ever. Working hard and discipline. We know Manny had to undergo weeks of heavy training, especially out of the country where he is far from his family. If we're hungry and determined to achieve our dreams, then we should put in hard work and discipline. Paying your dues and determination. Manny did not achieve his status as a "Pambansang Kamao" overnight. It started years ago during his amateur days. He fought for his dreams (no pun intended). Success takes time. Even with the previous losses, Manny stood up and fought again another day. Creating a strong team. While Manny is the one on stage, his success is partly due to his dedicated team that handles his training. The team takes time to study the fighting style of the opponent, consistent with what Sun Tzu said about knowing the enemy. In business, the strength of a company depends on its human resources. Reinventing yourself. The Pacquiao I saw in today’s fight against Diaz is a totally different one, a far cry from what I saw when he was still an amateur fighter and even during his first few international fights. In this fight, Manny has shown the form of a true great champion. He was patient. He dances and moves around the ring. He throws great combinations. I still had a hard time seeing his fist even on slow motion during the 9th round, when he knocked-out Diaz with a power left. I was pleasantly surprised seeing Manny’s transformation in terms of defense. I’m no boxing expert, but I could see a different style of defense this time around. Diaz had a difficult time because, among other reasons, Manny would be gone by the time Diaz fist hits the air. Manny simply danced his way out of Diaz’ reach. What’s more impressive is that Manny would leave a “pabaon”, a jab or a strong blow while floating away. He connects while in the process of evading the punches of Diaz. It was the greatest form of Manny I have ever seen. That makes you proud as a Filipino. Manny, who hails from a modest background, is one of the rags-to-riches story. The beauty about Manny's success is the fact that it gives pride for the Philippines and the Filipino communities anywhere in the world. It shows that the Filipinos could compete with anyone in the world. |
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