That Manny, ‘The Pinoy Peppercorn’, Pacquiao will LOSE to ‘Old Hombre’ Marco Antonio Barrera, this coming Sunday, is as unbelievable to most Pinoys as the possibility that Jessie, ‘The Young Oldman’, Robredo, will lose a Mayoralty Fight, is to most Nagauenos. Of course Pacquiao, the odds-on favorite, is expected to repeat that 11th round T.K.O., only this time, a bit earlier, like, let’s say the 5th round. After that very ‘uplifting’ fight, where Barerra’s butt kissed the canvass several times, before his brother threw in the towel, Manny went on to establish himself as THE FILIPINO BOXER to reckon with, and the best and most exciting pound-for-pound boxer IN THE WORLD! By winning all of his succeeding ‘Big Time’ fights, Manny earned millions of DOLLARS which have been wisely invested in a Mini-Supermart, and several hectares of land where he keeps his prized imported Fighting Cocks. The mansion he built in GenSan juts out, among all the other houses he had built for his mom and siblings, as a ‘monument’ and a convincing ‘testimony’ to one man’s utter determination to rise above his very humble beginnings by dint of hard and HONEST to goodness ‘blood, sweat, and tears’!

        The accompanying ‘perks’ of Victory, though, have somewhat succeeded in ‘tempting’ Manny away from that ‘road less travelled’ and led him to, reportedly, gamble some of his hard-earned money in high-stakes Pool Games and Cockfights, where he has, invariably, lost! The biggest ‘Losing Game’ of his relatively young life came when he was ‘tempted’ by some opportunistic and fair-weather friends to enter the ‘Dirty World’ of Pinoy Politics, where he lost millions which could’ve benefited his ‘dirt poor’ ‘kababayans’ instead. Of course, it’s his life and his money, and he can do what he wants. He has even tried the MOVIES and has, only recently, become a ‘gossip item’ along with sexy star, Ara Mina, although, I suspect, just for movie promotion purposes only.

        That Manny’s training for his coming fight is but a shadow of the Spartan training for his past ‘underdog’ fights, just might be proven true, should he lose (God forbid!) on Sunday. Instead of the usual training a month before at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, Manny trained amid the ‘klieg lights’ and his jostling fans in Cebu, where his all important CONCENTRATION wasn’t quite 100%! Add to that his recent ‘Movie Star’ status which, most definitely, must’ve caused him to ‘divert’ a big percentile of his concentration from his training. Who wouldn’t be ‘diverted’ by the frontally voluptuous Ara, with her flowing jet-black hair and rambunctious hips? That his Trust Rating with wife Jinkee might no longer be 101% is now subject to debate!

        Another factor which could spell defeat for our undisputed Boxing Hero is the possibility that Marco Antonio Barrera, the fighter past his prime and on the verge of retirement, just might resort to DIRTY TACTICS just to survive! I myself saw him ‘treacherously’ hit a kneeling Juan Manuel Marquez at the BACK of the head during their recent Championship Fight which Marquez still won unanimously, despite such tactics! An ‘accidental’ head-butt or below-the-belt hit just might spell the difference in a fight that just might come under the ‘influence’ of the ‘Mafia’, as a ‘Pacman’ LOSS would bring in dividends almost THRICE their bets on the ‘Baby Faced Assassin’! Thus, despite assertions on the contrary, a ‘TRILOGY’ with a mind-boggling million dollar pay-off just might be in the offing!

        Just as in Politics, where MONEY is one of, if not the greatest, consideration, most people would only want to place their bets IF the cards are stacked IN THEIR FAVOR! A situation which would make any game or contest really drop-dead BORING! But then who, in his right senses, would want to join a contest, if the prospects of losing are so high despite all the back-breaking and mind-boggling preparations?

        The ‘Pacman’ is still, relatively, in the Prime of his boxing career. A ‘shocking’ loss wouldn’t be as bad as the Political Loss he suffered in GenSan. Something which several cases of his favorite San Miguel Pale Pilsen can easily help him ‘forget’. The only problem is that it’s not only his name and money that’s at stake. Not even just his Championship Belt. What’s more at stake in Sunday’s Big Game is our Filipino Pride and Integrity as a People known for fighting our hearts out, against all odds, head-butts and below-the-belt hits notwithstanding! To our boxing idol, Manny ‘Pacman’ Paquiao, LOSING is not an alternative! But should he lose, I am pretty sure, like most Filipinos, he will LOSE WITH DIGNITY! Of course, the streets will once again be bare, bars and Restos, and Pinoy homes all over the world will be buzzing with prayers as our Champion launches his ‘Rocket Punch’ and rocks The Assassin’s jaw with such a decisive finality that will put all doubts to rest as to who is the real, undisputed, King of the Mandalay Ring! Mabuhay si ‘Paquiao’! Mabuhay ang Pinoy! Yesss! WE ARE READY TO RUMBLE!