The greatest fight of Manny

Manny Pacquiao so completely dominated David Diaz that the outcome of the fight was never in doubt after the first round. When the end finally came in the 9th round, it sort of came like an afterthought.

Right from the very first bell, when Manny quickly asserted his mastery of his opponent, Diaz already became a dead man walking. The inevitable knockout was no longer a matter of if, but of when.

It was the best fight of Manny ever. It showcased his miraculous transformation from a haphazard boxer who, relying solely on the power of his punches, threw wild off-balanced punches on the off-chance some of them will eventually hit pay dirt.

This time, Manny was not rushing things. He was throwing well-timed, well-aimed power punches. He was deliberate in his offense, thus allowing him better opportunities to calculate his defense.

Long before Manny unleashed that short, crisp left cross to the omnipresent chin of Diaz and knocked him out, the Mexican-American was already a disfigured mess. In contrast, the Filipino ring icon looked almost immaculate, as if he had never been touched.

The fight was also one of the quietest ever. Only bouts closely fought would generate more noise, as fans on either side would scream their heads off to egg their respective fighters on. This time, the hushed sell-out crowd at Mandalay Bay all agreed it was Manny all the way.

I don't know if I am correct in this, but somewhere in the middle of the fourth round, I thought I saw Manny glance briefly at referee Vic Drakulich as if to ask him to check the badly bleeding Diaz. Apparently, Drakulich felt comfortable with blood and ignored Manny.

Again, I don't know if I am just drawing meanings from nothing, but on at least two occasions I thought I saw Manny pulling back on his punches whenever Diaz seemed defenseless or unable to defend himself.

However, if I am correct in what I saw and understood what it meant, then I believe Manny has also transformed himself into the gentleman that the great Gabriel Flash Elorde was.

If so, then I may have to correct my earlier impressions that Manny will never be an Elorde.

Great fighters are those who have the heart and courage to go toe-to-toe in a fair and square fight but who would never hesitate to extend to an opponent the respect and the dignity that he deserves.

When Manny demolished Diaz, he not only made history by becoming the first Asian to win four world titles in four different weight divisions but, more importantly, became the first Filipino to win a legitimate world title in the lightweight division.

By so doing, Manny did what the great Flash Elorde failed to do twice. In the two times that the Cebuano gentleman boxer from Bogo challenged Puerto Rican Carlos Ortiz for the world lightweight title, Elorde got knocked out, in both occasions in the 14th round.

But while I take back many of the misgivings I previously had about the style in which Manny fought, and the legitimacy of the status he should occupy in the consciousness of the Filipino nation, there is still one that I would never take back.

And this is my final immovable misgiving --- that Manny easily plays into the hands of those who want to manipulate him for the kind of money he generates for those around him. Manny has nothing to prove or earn anymore. All it takes is one mistake or accident, and out he goes.