Broken tooth - SPORTING CHANCE by Joaquin M. Henson

Tetsutora Senrima looked for a dentist the night he was mauled by World Boxing Council (WBC) International superbantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao at the Ynares Center in Antipolo two weeks ago.

Pacquiao was on the verge of decking Senrima when Korean referee Wan Soo Yuh stepped in to halt the carnage in the fourth round. Senrima walked away with a broken front tooth.

To his credit, Senrima never went down. He took Pacquiao’s best shots but refused to fall. Alas, the broken tooth was lost in the swirl of Pacquiao’s vicious attack. Too bad Senrima couldn’t bring it back home for the tooth fairy.

Senrima’s consolation is he won’t scramble to pay for a new tooth. He returned to Kobe with $8,000 in his pocket. What a way to make a living.

As for Pacquiao, his teeth are all accounted for and he expects to smile his toothiest on the way to the bank for his new movie "Mahal Kita, Kahit Sino Ka Pa." That’s Pacquiao’s second flick and first with President Arroyo’s son Mikey and Judy Ann Santos.

Mikey was at ringside when Pacquiao blasted Senrima into submission. He strapped the WBC International title belt around Pacquiao’s waist after the demolition. Later, Pacquiao called Mikey "my best friend."

It’s not surprising that movie moguls are cashing in on Pacquiao’s popularity. Pacquiao’s fights on TV usually rate in the 20s - indicating high viewership — and he’s idolized by the masses. The late Flash Elorde also appeared in movies during his prime. And Olympic silver medalist Onyok Velasco gave up boxing for show business.

Pacquiao’s business manager Rod Nazario said he’s not involved in the fighter’s movie affairs. "Pinababayaan ko lang siya," noted Nazario, "for as long as hindi mag-interfere sa kanyang mga boxing commitments.

Nazario confided that the plan to bring Pacquiao to the US is still alive. But they’ll leave only if there’s an offer to fight. A vacation is out of the question. Nazario said to keep Pacquiao busy, he’s thinking of another fight on April 28, possibly against a top Thai contender. Obviously, Nazario is making sure Pacquiao doesn’t get stale or soft - there’s also the danger of too much partying now that he’s running around in show biz circles.

Nazario said he’ll jump at the opportunity of taking Pacquiao to the US to challenge WBC superbantamweight titlist Guillermo (Willie) Jorrin. He’s watched Jorrin in action on tape and he’s convinced Pacquiao will, as Two Ton Tony Galento used to say, "moider (not molder) da bum."

"Walang kapanapanalo si Jorrin kay Manny," said Nazario . "Jorrin’s a boxer with no power. Walang tatagal na boxer with no power kay Manny. Papatayin siya ni Manny."

Pacquiao’s not only a champion in waiting. He’s also a budding movie star. One can be so lucky.

Postscript. Apologies to readers who grimaced in pain spotting word errors in yesterday’s column. The errors were not mine. The corrections: "Hermie’s claim to fame in boxing is he’s batted (not ‘battled’) 100 percent in terms of negotiating world title cracks for his wards." "It was like Hermie was Santa Claus on (not ‘at’) Christmas Day." "After letting (not ‘getting’) off steam, Hermie’s blood pressure stabilized." "The search ended in a lonely Oakland motel where father and his abandoned G.I. baby son were (not ‘was’) reunited."