Sense of fair play knows no nationality

Manny Pacquiao came back to the Philippines from the United States and lashed at those who believe that Juan Manuel Marquez won their third fight, telling them “magpaka-Pilipino kayo.”

But before Pacquiao lectured anyone on patriotism, his many hangers-on should have told him that being a Filipino or a Mexican has absolutely nothing to do with calling the winner of a close fight—objectively that is.

In the first place, if Pacquiao made good his camp’s hype that he’ll knock out silly his aging Mexican opponent, then he’d not be overly defensive in claiming he won a fight which many believe Marquez won.

Pacquiao should have let his fists do the talking to knock Marquez out and there would have been no need for him to try so hard to convince people that he won.

And please, Pacquiao should stop citing the CompuBox to back his claim because there are so many boxers who have racked up overwhelming punch statistics in the CompuBox only to lose in the judges’ scorecards.  There’s nothing scientific at all about the CompuBox because their two operators (one for each fighter) can be as biased as the ringside judges themselves in crediting punches to boxers.

This is especially true if one goes by the suspicion of many fight fans that the boxing demigods just would not allow Marquez to win because it would have killed the multi-million-dollar fight between Pacquiao and the undefeated Floyd Mayweather.

Pacquiao should take a long, hard look at himself.

Congressman, enough of your nauseating claim that all of what you are doing is for flag and country. Come on, if this is true at all, why don’t you give to the poor your millions of dollars from the Marquez fight (just the Marquez fight) to show your sincerity?

After all, while Pacquiao rolls all over the United States on his Ferrari, his constituents in Saranggani, the elderly and the children especially, are writhing in hunger.

—JACOB SUAREZ,

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