Manny Pacquiao in the Fight That Matters

Published

11 years ago

February 3, 2014

pacquiao charity 0d591 Boxers are involved in all sorts of fights. They fight themselves daily, making war on their bodies and minds to prepare themselves for the ring. They fight their sparring partners, their sleepiness in the wee hours of the morning and the ever-advancing hoard of deliciousness at the dinner table.

They fight their opponents, too, of course, and some of them even have had to fight trainers, managers, promoters, televisions networks, etc. Heck, I’ve even seen some that have had to fight fans for attention. For example, almost no one wanted to see Floyd Mayweather fight until it became apparent he might never lose.

Manny Pacquiao, age 35, has been involved in all sorts of fights during his career. He’s won most of them, and I suppose that’s the best anyone could ever really hope for when they decide to ditch the life of a commoner and head towards the ring.

But Pacquiao’s greatest fight hasn’t been against any one of the slew of world class fighters he’s shared the ring with. It wasn’t against Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales or Juan Manuel Marquez. It wasn’t Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito or Ricky Hatton either. It wouldn’t even have been against Mayweather had the two preeminent fighters of a generation squared off against each other as long hoped for.

No, Pacquiao’s greatest fight has been against the intrinsically evil practice of human trafficking, something which pervades our so-called civilized society to this very day.

Traffickers typically prey on those in poverty, and Pacquiao knows well what it’s like to be poor.

“When I was young my parents were jobless. We had no home. Sometimes we [couldn’t] even afford to have a single meal a day,” Pacquiao told CNN’s Leif Coorlim. “When you see my slippers, one is green, one is red. And they had holes. I would walk the streets to sell, that's how I made my living as a kid. I felt sorry for my mother. I wanted so badly to study. I stopped though and pursued boxing.”

But boxing’s been good to Pacquiao. Where he once had to literally put rocks into his pockets to make the minimum fighting weight as a 16-year-old, he is now considered one of the finest fighters who has ever lived. That goes double in his home country, where Pac-man is the Philippines’s most beloved celebrity as well as a national treasure. Where fighters over on this side of the world are relegated to mainstream media coverage just once or twice a year at most, Pacquiao’s ring exploits are covered almost daily by the Filipino media.

And Pacquiao has made his name in other vocations, too. He’s a singer, an actor and a congressman representing the province of Sarangani in the Philippines. It’s the latter role that Pacquiao leveraged for his fight against human trafficking.

In fact, one of Pacquiao’s first acts after being elected to congress in 2010 was to visit the Visayan Forum Foundation, a charity founded in 1991 to help victims of domestic servitude and forced prostitution. There, Pacquiao heard gut-wrenching, first-hand accounts from victims of trafficking.

Three of the rescued girls, all under the age of 12, told Pacquiao horrifying details of being forced to do things like perform sexual acts on strangers and drink their own urine. It was all recorded, of course, for the viewing pleasure of paying strangers all over the world.

The news hit Pacquiao like a ton of bricks, and he vowed then and there to use his political power to help combat the bane of human trafficking. On February 13, 2013, the Philippines passed into law the Anti-Trafficking bill Pacquiao had long championed, providing for strengthened prosecution of those who engage or attempt to engage in human trafficking, as well as extra protections for trafficked victims.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the move helped place the Philippines “among the countries that have made a lot of progress” in the global campaign against human trafficking. For his part, Pacquiao said he hopes to be remembered more for his public works than his life as a boxer.

“In boxing, I don't think people will forget me after I retire,” Pacquiao told CNN. “But I really want people to remember me as a public servant, who is good, who is a champion for the people.”

It’s been almost a year since Pacquiao helped move the ball forward for the Philippines. But the fight hasn’t ended there. Just last month, authorities rescued 15 children from the country between the ages of 6 and 15 who were forced into child sexual abuse by a group of pedophile pornographers. Moreover, Pacquiao urged the government earlier this month to be on alert for reported cases of child trafficking in Samar and ready to take action.

There is still much work to do. But Pacquiao’s work thus far shouldn’t be forgotten, and the needs of these silent sufferers of modern day slavery shouldn’t be either.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, human trafficking affects every nation in the world, and while sexual exploitation is noted as the most commonly identified form of trafficking, about 1 in 5 persons are used for forced labor.

The sheer number of victims is staggering. A conservative estimate puts the total at any one time globally at 2.5 million.

And it’s not just in the seedy shadows. It’s big business. Human trafficking generates $9.5 billion yearly in the United States alone.

In fact, experts told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week that Sunday’s Super Bowl game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks in New York would be America’s biggest human-trafficking event all year. Think about that for a second. A large, corporately sponsored event only the most wealthy of Americans can afford to attend is the perfect precursor for one of the more disgusting practices in the world today.

“It's modern-day slavery,” Luis CdeBaca of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. Department of State told USA Today’s Erin Kelly.

Kelly paints a bleak picture of humanity, where dark and twisted secrets are kept hidden right out in the open.

“Human traffickers see major sporting events such as the Super Bowl as lucrative opportunities to bring in adults and children who have been forced into prostitution or are made to clean hotel rooms or work in restaurants without pay,” writes Kelly. “The victims are both Americans and foreign citizens, who are often lured to the United States by traffickers promising them good-paying jobs that do not exist.”

So it would seem the fight that matters for Pacquiao, the one he’s devoted the last four years of his life to in the fight against human trafficking, is the one that should matter for us, too.

Kelsey McCarson is a writer for The Sweet Science and a contributor to Boxing Channel. For more information on how you can help fight human trafficking, please visit the knowledge hub of the UN’s Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (GIFT).

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Kelsey McCarson

Najee Lopez Steps up in Class and Wins Impressively at Plant City

Published

18 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Garry Jonas’ ProBox series returned to its regular home in Plant City, Florida, tonight with a card topped by a 10-round light heavyweight match between fast-rising Najee Lopez and former world title challenger Lenin Castillo. This was considered a step-up fight for the 25-year-old Lopez, an Atlanta-born-fighter of Puerto Rican heritage. Although the 36-year-old Castillo had lost two of his last three heading in, he had gone the distance with Dimitry Bivol and Marcus Browne and been stopped only once (by Callum Smith).

Lopez landed the cleaner punches throughout. Although Castillo seemed unfazed during the first half of the fight, he returned to his corner at the end of round five exhibiting signs of a fractured jaw.

In the next round, Lopez cornered him against the ropes and knocked him through the ropes with a left-right combination. Referee Emil Lombardo could have stopped the fight right there, but he allowed the courageous Castillo to carry on for a bit longer, finally stopping the fight as Castillo’s corner and a Florida commissioner were signaling that it was over.

The official time was 2:36 of round six. Bigger fights await the talented Lopez who improved to 13-0 with his tenth win inside the distance. Castillo declined to 25-7-1.

Co-Feature

In a stinker of a heavyweight fight, Stanley Wright, a paunchy, 34-year-old North Carolina journeyman, scored a big upset with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Jeremiah Milton.

Wright carried 280 pounds, 100 pounds more than in his pro debut 11 years ago. Although he was undefeated (13-0, 11 KOs), he had never defeated an opponent with a winning record and his last four opponents were a miserable 19-48-2. Moreover, he took the fight on short notice.

What Wright had going for him was fast hands and, in the opening round, he put Milton on the canvas with a straight right hand. From that point, Milton fought tentatively and Wright, looking fatigued as early as the fourth round, fought only in spurts. It seemed doubtful that he could last the distance, but Milton, the subject of a 2021 profile in these pages, was wary of Wright’s power and unable to capitalize. “It’s almost as if Milton is afraid to win,” said ringside commentator Chris Algieri during the ninth stanza when the bout had devolved into a hugfest.

The judges had it 96-93 and 97-92 twice for the victorious Wright who boosted his record to 14-0 without improving his stature.

Also

In the TV opener, a 10-round contest in the junior middleweight division, Najee Lopez stablemate Darrelle Valsaint (12-0, 10 KOs) scored his career-best win with a second-round knockout of 35-year-old Dutch globetrotter Stephen Danyo (23-7-3).

A native Floridian of Haitian descent, the 22-year-old Valsaint was making his eighth start in Plant City. He rocked Danyo with a chopping right hand high on the temple and then, as Danyo slumped forward, applied the exclamation point, a short left uppercut. The official time was 2:17 of round two.

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Japanese Superstar Naoya Inoue is Headed to Vegas after KOing Ye Joon Kim

Published

1 day ago

January 24, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Japan’s magnificent Naoya Inoue, appearing in his twenty-fourth title fight, scored his 11^th straight stoppage tonight while successfully defending his unified super bantamweight title, advancing his record to 29-0 (26 KOs) at the expense of Ye Joon Kim. The match at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena came to an end at the 2:25 mark of round four when U.S. referee Mark Nelson tolled “10” over the brave but overmatched Korean.

Kim, raised in a Seoul orphanage, had a few good moments, but the “Monster” found his rhythm in the third round, leaving Kim with a purplish welt under his left eye. In the next frame, he brought the match to a conclusion, staggering the Korean with a left and then finishing matters with an overhand right that put Kim on the seat of his pants, dazed and wincing in pain.

Kim, who brought a 21-2-2 record, took the fight on 10 days’ notice, replacing Australia’s Sam Goodman who suffered an eye injury in sparring that never healed properly, forcing him to withdraw twice.

Co-promoter Bob Arum, who was in the building, announced that Inoue’s next fight would happen in Las Vegas in the Spring. Speculation centers on Mexico City’s Alan Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs) who is ranked #1 by the WBC. However, there’s also speculation that the 31-year-old Inoue may move up to featherweight and seek to win a title in a fifth weight class, in which case a potential opponent is Brandon Figueroa should he defeat former Inoue foe Stephen Fulton next weekend. In “olden days,” this notion would have been dismissed as the Japanese superstar and Figueroa have different promoters, but the arrival of Turki Alalshikh, the sport’s Daddy Warbucks, has changed the dynamic. Tonight, Naoya Inoue made his first start as a brand ambassador for Riyadh Season.

Simmering on the backburner is a megafight with countryman Junto Nakatani, an easy fight to make as Arum has ties to both. However, the powers-that-be would prefer more “marination.”

Inoue has appeared twice in Las Vegas, scoring a seventh-round stoppage of Jason Moloney in October of 2020 at the MGM Bubble and a third-round stoppage of Michael Dasmarinas at the Virgin Hotels in June of 2021.

Semi-wind-up

In a 12-round bout for a regional welterweight title, Jin Sasaki improved to 19-1-1 (17) with a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai (29-15-3). The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.

Also

In a bout in which both contestants were on the canvas, Toshiki Shimomachi (20-1-3) edged out Misaki Hirano (11-2), winning a majority decision. A 28-year-old Osaka southpaw with a fan-friendly style, the lanky Shimomachi, unbeaten in his last 22 starts, competes as a super bantamweight. A match with Inoue may be in his future.

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Eric Priest Wins Handily on Thursday’s Golden Boy card at the Commerce Casino

Published

1 day ago

January 24, 2025

David A. Avila

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Model turned fighter Eric Priest jabbed and jolted his way into the super middleweight rankings with a shutout decision win over veteran Tyler Howard on Thursday.

In his first main event Priest (15-0, 8 KOs) proved ready for contender status by defusing every attack Tennessee’s Howard (20-3, 11 KOs) could muster at Commerce Casino, the second fight in six days at the LA County venue.

All ticket monies collected on the Folden Boy Promotions card were contributed to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation as they battle wildfires sprouting all over Los Angeles County due to high winds.

Priest, 26, had never fought anyone near Howard’s caliber but used a ramrod jab to keep the veteran off-balance and unable to muster a forceful counter-attack. Round after round the Korean-American fighter pumped left jabs while circling his opposition.

Though hit with power shots, none seemed to faze Howard but his own blows were unable to put a dent in Priest. After 10 rounds of the same repetitive action all three judges scored the fight 100-90 for Priest who now wins a regional super middleweight title.

Priest also joins the top 15 rankings of the WBA organization.

In a fight between evenly matched middleweights, Jordan Panthen (11-0, 9 KOs) remained undefeated after 10 rounds versus DeAundre Pettus (12-4, 7 KOs). Though equally skilled, Panthen simply out-worked the South Caroliina fighter to win by unanimous decision. No knockdowns were scored.

Other Bouts

Grant Flores (8-0, 6 KOs) knocked out Costa Rica’s David Lobo Ramirez (17-4, 12 KOs) with two successive right uppercuts at 2:59 of the second round of the super welterweight fight.

Cayden Griffith (3-0, 3 KOs) used a left hook to the body to stop Mark Misiura at 1:43 of the second round in a super welterweight bout.

Jordan Fuentes (3-0) floored Brandon Badillo (0-3-1) in the third round and proceeded to win by decision after four rounds in a super bantamweight fight.

A super featherweight match saw Leonardo Sanchez (8-0) win by decision over Joseph Cruz Brown (10-12) after six rounds.

Photo credit: Cris Esqueda / Golden Boy

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