Monthly Archives: March 2010
Pacquiao VS Clottey: The Worst Manny Pacquiao Fight I’ve Ever Seen
Harsh? Maybe so but that is how I saw that fight.
You see, I was supposed to write what happens to the Philippine scene whenever Manny Pacquiao fights – the streets become empty, no vehicles moving about, people gathering to the nearest house with cable TV and is open to people; the Philippines just comes together to watch Manny Pacquiao fight in an attempt to bring home another victory – a proof would be the zero crime rate that is reported at the end of the fight day.
But that all changed when the sixth round came.
And this is the first Pacquiao fight, in a long time, that I cared to watch on cable TV. We don’t have cable TV at our house so we just go to my cousin’s place to watch it. Usually, I just stick with the free TV broadcast. Boy, was I disappointed!
Though, I am not a very big fan of boxing. Neither am I a big fan of Manny Pacquiao but I care enough to watch.
The Event started at around 12:30pm here in the Philippines.
During the first round, Manny already started attacking but Clottey wasn’t – he was on his solid defense mode. The scene was about the same during the second round. That didn’t come as a surprise to me. Maybe, he was tryna assess Pacquiao’s strength and was tryna figure out how to fight him.
But when the third and fourth rounds came and the scene was still the same, I was like, “Are you kidding me?! Are you still tryna figure out how to fight Manny?”
I remember him saying something like,
Manny will not attack me. I will attack him.
Where did that go?
I cared to watch this fight as much because I thought that it was interesting enough because Clottey was deemed as a strong fighter but he can also be a dirty fighter.
One of the people on Manny’s side was warning him about Clottey’s tactic of stepping on his opponent’s foot. But that still wasn’t avoided.
Before the seventh round started, if I heard it right, Clottey’s coach told him,
“Let’s take chances. Open.”
I thought that would bring the fight to life.
So, when the seventh round started, Clottey threw a few punches. He started fighting more but, once again, we were all disappointed when he switch back to total defense mode.
When the eight round ended, the round where Clottey did a low blow, and he still wasn’t fighting as much as he should, I already had this thought: “This fight is not gonna end in a TKO victory by either of them. Most probably, this will end in a victory by unanimous decision in favor of Manny Pacquiao.”
Two more rounds came and ended with the scene on the ring being just about the same.
By this time, I already thought, “This guy [Joshua Clottey] is not going for the win. He’s going for survival.”
Before the 11th round started, Clottey’s coach was caught saying,
You know you have the power to knock him out. You have the strength. Take chances, man.
But Clottey did not man up to it. I’m thinking his coach was also tired of watching him stay on the ring in total defense.
When the 11th round ended, there was some sort of commotion. We all thought the fight was already being ended but it went on.
Before the 12th round started, Clottey’s coach was telling him to breathe. Maybe, he was already about to break down.
But just before the fight ended, there was a headbutt. Was that really inevitable?
So, yeah, just as I thought, The Event ended, around 2pm, in a victory by unanimous decision in favor of Manny Pacquiao.
No, I should put it as, the fight ended with Manny Pacquiao trying to give a great show and Joshua Clottey trying to survive Manny Pacquiao.
At least, Manny Pacquiao tried to fulfill what he said in one of the press conferences,
We’ll try to give a great show.
And we all left disappointed.
Update: March 15, 2010
Today, when I was getting some water, one guy from our neighborhood told me that he can’t stand to watch the fight that he’s turned off his TV by the eight round.
I was like, “I bet all those people who paid $700 just to watch that boxing event were dismayed.”
When Noynoy Aquino Starts to Appear Desperate
Hey, have you seen the latest Noynoy Aquino campaign ad?
Well, I have. And I hate it. Can I say I loathe it?
I found it on YouTube:
Why do I hate it?
Maybe for a few reasons. But to name one very important reason…
I thought I’ve heard people saying that Noynoy Aquino’s only claim to fame is that his mother is the Icon of Democracy, Cory Aquino, and his father is the assassinated leader, Ninoy Aquino.
And also, I thought I’ve heard him defend himself against it and say that he will not be using the names of his parents in his campaigns.
Well, maybe I heard wrong.
Maybe, he manned-up to it by accepting that allegation and used his parents in his campaign.
Even my mother was very disappointed.
She was like,
Now he has already used his parents.
Diabetes and Heart Disease, World Kidney Day
I got interested in this event because I’ve lost someone very important to me because of diabetes and almost lost another cuz of heart disease. And as it is, kidney failure is a very bad complication of diabetes.
However, instead of thinking the negative, I chose to think the positive and this is one way how I can help people be aware of the health problems associated with it.
What you can do to make a difference!
- Get tested: If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family history of these conditions or kidney disease, you are at risk. See your doctor and get screened. The National Kidney Foundation offers frequent free kidney health screenings across the country.
- If you are in the US:
- Volunteer: The Foundation welcomes volunteers of all ages and interests. Contact your local NKF office to sign up.
- Join NKF: Thousands of health care professionals, patients, donors, recipients and their families benefit from the educational information, guidance, support and advocacy opportunities provided by the membership in the National Kidney Foundation and participation in the NKF “People Like Us” Take Action Network.
- Support NKF: You can help make a direct or memorial gift, participate in a Kidney Walk or NKF Golf Classic Tournament in your community, donating a vehicle to Kidney Cars, attending a fundraising event, or making the NKF a beneficiary of a planned gift.
And here are some tips to keep both your kidney and heart healthy:
- Don’t smoke.
- Control your blood pressure.
- Eat a proper diet.
- Maintain a healthy body weight.
- Have your physician test you for both heart and kidney disease.
Women: The Front Line Against Hunger
“People often ask: What can be done to defeat hunger? My answer is simple: empower women, because women are the secret weapon to fight hunger.” – WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran
In a modern 21st century world, the discrimination against women is still evident. Ironically enough, women produce 60-80% of food in developing nation – giving food to most of the population that displays hostility against the women. And yet, 60% of chronically hungry people are women and girls.
The facts state a lot about it:
- This year, 60% of WFP beneficiaries will be women
- An extra year of education increases a girl’s income by 10-20%
- Women produce 60 – 80% of food in developing nations
- Eight out of 10 people engaged in farming in Africa are women and six out of 10 in Asia.
- In one out of three households around the world, women are the sole breadwinners.
- A lack of iron in women’s diets leads to an estimated 111,000 maternal deaths each year.
- When income is in the hands of the mother, the survival probability of a child increases by about 20 percent in Brazil.
And as the WFP exec has stated, women are the secret weapon against hunger – I couldn’t have said it better.
Pandora's Box 