Rolling with the punches

Of all the movies I watched as a kid, few made a greater impact in my life than Rocky – the classic boxing film that made Sylvester Stallone a Hollywood icon. I’m sure any guy my age would confess to the same idol-worship. How could he not be our hero? Rocky movies dominated our growing up years. From 1978 to 1990, from Rocky to Rocky V, we enjoyed watching Stallone’s face get pounded and disfigured. And we cheered him on as he won against all odds. We saw him transform from a slurring, bumbling, underachieving loser into a slurring, bumbling, heavyweight champion – and then evolve back again into a slurring, bumbling loser, this time with permanent brain damage. If that’s not entertainment, I don’t know what is.

But seriously, I personally think Stallone is a genius. Not only did he act in his Rocky movies. He wrote and directed them. And while most critics dismiss the Rocky series as trash, no one can deny that Stallone created a big empire with that role – and that he is far richer than most of those film critics. Moreover, he made boxing more popular, especially among people who otherwise might not have been interested in it. At that time, boxing was almost synonymous with Vegas, gambling, and violence. Stallone exposed the drama in boxing. After Rocky, boxing was no longer viewed simply as a barbaric sport where two people try to punch each other out for money. Boxing became many things: a way out of poverty; a test of the human spirit against adversity; a lifestyle sport; and a symbol of the ups and downs of life itself.

And I guess that’s the reason why boxing is so popular especially in this country. It has come to symbolize what we go through in life. I talked about this recently with a good friend of mine, Mike Ochosa, proprietor of Punchout Gym, a boxing club located at Mereic Bldg, along Tordesillas St. in Salcedo Village, Makati City. We talked about how boxing is so much similar to the game of life, especially in the Philippine context. Sometimes we get punched. At times, we feel like we’re "reeling on the ropes," or like we’re about to be knocked out. And sometimes, no matter how many punches we throw, we can’t seem to hit our target. When we get lucky, we do manage to get some punches in here and there. And, just like in life, sometimes we win, other times we lose. And sometimes we’re saved by the bell. When that happens, we Pinoys love to say, "Di pa tapos ang boxing!"

Boxing, Pinoy-Style

To a certain extent, I feel that we Filipinos are like boxers. We’ve been fighting for as long as anyone can remember. We sparred with the Spaniards, tangled with the Americans, wrestled with the Japanese, struggled against martial law, clashed with Marcos, collided with Estrada. We’ve fought every possible adversity – from natural calamities to oil crises, to incompetent governments and low food supply, to terrorist attacks and kidnappings, sharp price increases, to pollution, etc. Name it, we’ve fought it. To this day, we continue to fight and fight... and fight.

Interestingly, despite having gone through so many bouts in our history, it seems like Filipinos haven’t really learned the art of war. After all these years, we haven’t improved our boxing style much. I said to Mike, "We Pinoys have always been defensive boxers, no? We take whatever adversity is thrown at us. We’re like Rocky in the first 14 rounds. We just offer our face to the opposition and we allow our heads to get banged up like a punching bags."

"Yup, that’s true," Mike replied. "But you know, you gotta hand it to us Pinoys. We’ve learned to roll with the punches." I looked at Mike and then said, "You know, I’ve heard of that boxing term before but I’m not sure what it really means. What does it mean?"

"Rolling with the punches means you allow yourself to get hit but not fully," said Mike. "You lessen the impact of the blow not by ducking – but sort of leaning towards the direction of the blow – so much so that the punch literally rolls on your face rather than it landing directly on your face with full force."

Mike added, "We Pinoys have learned to master that skill. We get punched all right and yes, we do get hit, but we are able to lessen the pain a bit by being flexible and resilient. Like this new EVAT law. We’re feeling the hit, yes. And yes, there’s some pain. But with our flexibility, we Pinoys will find a way to make sure that the punch just ‘rolls’ on our face. We won’t let the EVAT punch, or any adversity for that matter, knock us out."

I smiled at Mike and said, "That’s a nice analogy, pare." I sipped my coffee and thought for a bit. "But you know what, though, I long for the day when we’re no longer on the defensive end. I wish that we finally become like Rocky in the 15th round – we take the offensive. I’d love to see the day when we are the aggressors – that we’re the ones throwing the punches – and everyone else is rolling with our punches. You know, like South Korea and now, China. They’re dictating the tempo of the world economy. They used to be so nothing. And now they’re controlling the fight. And the bullies like Japan and the US are backing off."

Mike smiled back and said, "Pare, it will happen. I believe it will." Man, I wish every Pinoy was like Mike.

Then Mike asked, "Another round?"

I playfully punched him and enthusiastically said, "You’re on!"

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Thanks for your letters! You may e-mail me at rodnepo@yahoo.com. By the way, if you guys are really serious in trying to lose weight and stay in tip-top shape, try the Punchout Gym. You may call and inquire at 813-1404.