As Pacquiao the boxer, I had seen footage of his earlier fights, including his earliest recorded fight when he was barely 18 years old, and he did not impress as having the makings of a future champion. He had the aggressiveness but not the quickness that he displayed in his later fights. The tactics and strategies he learned from his mentors and trainers had served him well, but this was to be expected of any boxer who grows with more fights. In his last 3 fights, the hand and foot speeds of Manny were particularly impressive. He is able to counterpunch from the inside and easily sidestepped to avoid getting into a corner. The power of his punches are something his opponents are aware of and will want to avoid. And his stamina to last easily 12 rounds is a given. All these are products of training, learning, and hard work which Manny has been religiously doing. His dedication to learning and training is legendary and it is paying off. It is also a tribute to his coach and trainers that he is properly guided, including studying the boxing styles of all his opponents; and that Manny is a good student. As a boxer, Pacquiao is good because he trains, he studies, he learns and really works hard at his profession, like what anybody who wants to be good in any profession should do. But what really makes him unique to have conquered the title in 7 divisions and become a legend?
Beyond his boxing prowess, it is really Pacquiao as a person that has made him achieve his greatness. Raised without a father at a young age, but with an audacious and strong willed mother, he was determined to succeed at any endeavor. It just so happened that it was boxing that was the only opportunity that opened for him. As there was a weekly fight in his town, that provided some money. He had the heart and the determination to succeed at what he wanted to do, and it was fortunate that he also had enough brains to learn. This is even evident now, when he went back to school to get a diploma, when he learned how to sing, and his desire to speak better. The desire to do better is always there and he goes for it. Without confirming the rumors of his becoming a better lover, it has been said that great men had always been great lovers, but then, it had also been the great loves that had caused their downfall. Without doubt, Pacquiao has the heart for his profession and for his loves.
As to his success as a celebrity, the jury is still out on this. At 28 years old and at the peak of his celebrity status in a span of 4 years, I do not know if he can handle his celebrity status well. We can see the people around and surrounding him and speculate if these are good influences on him. He seems religious enough to have at least the basic moral grounding, a reliable and dependable wife, and his mother is still around. But, “Fame is really more difficult to handle than failure.”