Can a true fob root for anyone else? Manny Pacquiao, the first Filipino and Asian to win five world titles in five different weight divisions, fights tonight in the highly-anticipated welterweight title bout against Miguel Cotto. Things are going to get a little crazy tonight in the Philippines.
In case you still don’t know how how big a deal Manny is, here are some of his creds:
Voted #1 pound-for-pound fighter by Ring Magazine
Won 10 straight bouts, 7 by K.O.
One of two 6-division world champions
Carried the Filipino flag at the 2008 Olympic Games
GOOOO PACMAN!!!
*** UPDATE 11.15.09 ***
HE WON!!! I mean, obviously, right? In the words of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton when she visited Philippines on Friday, “Of course the Pacman’s going to win. I mean, is there any doubt?”
No, but really. The fight was amazing. Manny totally dominated Cotto, even though Cotto was not only the defending champion, but also physically bigger. Manny Pacquiao is now the first fighter to win seven titles in seven weight classes. Crazy.
In the Pacland, a.k.a. the Philippines, people everywhere erupted in celebration–much needed during the country’s disastrous period of monsoon flooding. “It was like a small respite for my townmates and it created a spirit of bonding and a little rest after the series of storms,” said Mayor Joric Gacula of lakeside Taytay township, which was inundated in the September floods.
Read more about the celebrations in Pacland here.
