Pacquiao and the Three Blind Mice

I fully agree with the statement of a TV reporter that no crimes happened in the Philippine yesterday when Manny Pacquiao fought with American Timothy Bradley. But the greatest crime was committed in Las Vegas when the judges of their fight robbed Manny Pacquiao of his clear victory. I also agree with promoter Bob Arum when he said that everybody who watched the fight saw who really won it, except the “three blind mice”.

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But the sightless mice were the ones chosen to judge the boxing match that was viewed by millions, not only in Las Vegas, but all over the world. And many of the outspoken ones who dared publish or tweet their indignation over it, were of the same mind: “The Three Blind Mice” had robbed the world’s greatest pound for pound boxer and to me, it must have been because they were all Americans like Bradley, and Manny Pacquiao was not. Also, I agree with someone I overheard at the L’Fisher Hotel where we watched the fight, who grumbled that, naturally, the Americans will not let anyone beat their countryman – look what happened in the American Idol contest, where a white American competed with a half-Filipino half-Mexican contender.

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There seems to be something in that because the present administration of the U.S. is facing a lot of problems as well as an election, so any “defeat” by a citizen, especially if it in a competition with international significance could be a minus in votes. Sounds crazy, but somehow logical, too. No? Immediately after the fight all you could hear were the words “shocked”, “stunned”, “disgusted”, “unbelieving”, etcetera of the outrageous decision of the “Three Blind Mice”. A local athlete – should he be named? – even suspects a Mafia hand in the results. I recall reading an article once that revealed the alleged role of the Mafia in the Academy Award bestowed on Frank Sinatra. That was showbiz – do its tentacles reach and coil around sports, too?

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Filipinos should not be worried that they may be called poor losers by other nationals. Tweeted comments and messages from all kinds of people, all slammed the decision of the Blind Mice, because they had seen clearly how Pacquiao was beating up Bradley. The compubox recorded 253 hits for Manny and only 159 for Bradley. And as Manny himself said, he was not even hurt, they were only jab-jabs. But we all saw how he pummeled Bradley, so that he himself looked shocked when he was declared winner. We all saw his facial expression then. Oscar de la Hoya was right in saying, that Bradley should have given back the championship belt to Pacquiao after he was declared winner.

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There also seemed to be so many strange incidents that diverted from the usual rituals that Pacquiao observes before his fights. I recall during the few times I was in Las Vegas for the fights that during the holy mass the morning before, Manny always had Mayor Bing L do the first reading. But Bing said that when he got there (this time) he was told that lawyer Romulo Macalintal was already the one who will do it. So our friend, Fr. Marlon Be-of, who always says the mass, told Bing to do the second reading nalang.

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Then when Bing was in Pacquiao’s quarters just before the fight, ready with his Flag, some U.S. Navy officers came in and told him they were assigned to hold both the U.S. and Philippine Flags, so they took it. But when Manny found out, he insisted that his men look for the flag but they could not find the officers. Luckily they found another one, much smaller, without a pole, which is what Mayor Bing held when Pacquiao came in. Later, he said, Pacquiao’s manager, Michael Koncz was the one who looked for the Navy man who hedged and said he would return it later, until Bing insisted that it was his flag, he had brought it from his office in Bacolod, and was bringing it home.

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Well, as sportsmen and analysts said yesterday, it was the sport of boxing that got a black-eye in that fight. Even basketball stars like Shaquille O’Neill expressed indignation at the result. And would you believe? Even the dad of Floyd Mayweather, himself a boxer in his time, said Pacquiao was the winner of that one. And the humble Pacquiao summed it up when he said, “I respect the decision of the judges, but I am 100 percent sure I won that one”. And guess who left the area in a wheelchair after the fight? Timothy Bradley is an even better actor than a boxer.

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Meanwhile, friends and relatives of Milagros Araneta Villasor, widow of the late Justice Guillermo Villasor will be saddened to hear that she passed away in Manila on May 29. A tireless civic leader and educator she headed several national organizations and was an acknowledged member of the academe. Her remains will arrive in Bacolod today and will lie in state at the Oratory of St. Nicolas of Tolentine of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos until June 16. Please pray for her eternal repose.*

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