When will enough be enough?

Is he seeking fame and glory?  Does he want power and greatness?  Is he in dire need of money?  Does he really have to fight one more time?  These questions can be answered by anyone worth his knowledge on the living legend of Philippine boxing, Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao.

Fighting professionally for more or less 20 years, and with an impressive 57-win, 6-loss, 2-draw record, Manny Pacquiao indeed is famous and is glorified by peers, fans, haters, schemers and freeloaders alike.  His generosity and simple manners endears him to the masses that many times, Manny is generous to a fault.

As to power, he is, for quite a while now, on a demigod status wherever and whatever location Manny is in the country.  He has a seat in the House of Congress but that seat badly needs some warming as since 2014, even his shadow is rarely seen in the hallowed halls of legislation.   His entourage rivals that of the resident of a palace along a murky river.  His greatness is rightfully earned by methodically putting opponents to a painful and unplanned nap.

Even a bazooka can’t penetrate his wallet.  He’s number two on the Forbes’ top 100 list of the world’s highest paid athletes earning $160 million for the year including endorsement deals from Nike, Foot Locker, Butterfinger and several other local products from deodorants to pain killers.  PacMan has several business concerns mostly in Mindanao and Manila, so Manny never, ever worries about money.

I would very much like to see Manny retire from boxing.  For his safety and well-being, he doesn’t have to fight anymore.  He has nothing else to prove and he can have all what he wants, both living and non-living things.  Even his mother and wife asked him to stop fighting already.  Personally, the scheduled April 2016 bout is just to fatten some more the already bloated bank accounts of promoters.  If they were really concerned about the safety of their ward, they could have asked for a postponement of that fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr., knowing fully well that Manny had a shoulder injury.

Will Manny be like the Manny we knew some five years back? He’s 36 now, and among elite athletes, especially in his chosen field, his age is better off sitting on the sidelines, cheering and mentoring protégés.  Yes, his work ethic is beyond question but there is an obvious decline in his punching power.  He last KO’d an opponent in 2009, with Miguel Cotto as the willing victim.  He lost three of his last six fights.

Heaven forbid, Manny could suffer a serious injury considering that Terence Crawford, a rising boxing star and just recently turned 28 is on the shortlist of opponents.  You don’t have to be a scientist to figure out what a 28-year old boxer in his prime can do to a 36-year old fighter.  Is this not enough?

But all things point to another “last” fight and Manny should and must insist to Bob Arum that he will be fighting in April on home soil.  The 50,000 seat Philippine Arena will burst at the seams if that happens.  His millions of diehard Filipino will forever immortalize Manny if he does his farewell fight in the country.  And if this pushes thru, May 9 will be a waltz to the number one spot in the Senate race.

We don’t need to have a visa and travel to Las Vegas to cheer for Congressman-soon-to-be-Senator Manny.  The last time I checked, Bulacan is not yet claimed by China so we don’t need passports to go there.  I suppose we’re so used to the worsening Cebu traffic that going to the venue through the NLEX or SLEX won’t be a problem.

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People had been clamoring for change in this republic.  Let’s cut the bullcrap already.  Just look at who’s sitting in power.  For all intents and purposes, like his late mother, he has no corruption issues and is straight as an arrow but he let himself get surrounded with scoundrels and their hidden agendas.  The senate and congress?  We elected into office coup plotters, plunderers, convicts, comedians, actors and entertainers.  What change are we talking about when the country’s highest law-making body is already a circus.  Putting a boxer into the act won’t hurt.

So, when will enough be enough?