By Reni M. Valenzuela
Manny Pacquiao will always be a winner to me whatever happens. But for the judges to declare that Juan Marquez lost by points or by “joints” in the trilogy is something else.
For all the baby cries and shenanigans brought about by the misjudgment of the (mis)judges in the recent Pacquiao-Marquez controversial third battle, I bow low in submission, however, to rebut blaring claims by the minority who shrill in naivety. The purpose is to shed light where hushed confusion suddenly crept in the bamboozled minds of gullible believers due to the ear-splitting sound of trumpet blows from Java caves that reverberate under sinking grounds.
People who know so much about “judgment” except truth may well be served with an open mind to take heed of the points that follow:
1. One does not become less nationalistic by saying blue when the sky is blue. How else can you dissect it out of nationalism or by being scientific? Or you could end up as a perfect twin by yourself by being both “scientifically nationalistic” and less rationalistic at the same time. Moses became even more than a “son of Pharaoh’s daughter” in Egypt by escaping Egypt to begin a journey towards a bigger world of truth, liberty and righteousness.
2 The issue in the trilogy is not about race. Neither is it about Manny Pacquiao nor Juan Marquez. Both are superb boxers. They are personal friends to each other, no quarrel. The controversy revolves around a derailed orbit. After the misjudgment of the judges, the problem now has shifted to “betrayal of light” and “false nationalism” by some twisted minds being “heard” in the colony of the deaf.
3 As can be gleaned in my previous articles, I am a Filipino and an avid fan of Pacman not simply because he is a fellow Filipino, but because he is a great athlete. My admiration goes to him as a good person even if he is a Mexican, American or Japanese. The Filipino “indio” blood and gallantry runs though the veins. But despite my stand on who won the fight, I can tell the national hero, straight in the eye, what he once told all of us in tears prior to his execution by the Spaniards and some “compatriots”: “Happen, what may, I shall die blessing my country and destiny the dawn of her redemption” (Jose Rizal). But note please, I simply said I am a Filipino. I didn’t say I am blind.
4 The “judges” are the judges in the bout, not the compubox. But why some “concerned fans” keep on referring to the box as if it is the single solitary judge of the fight. The “infallible” box’s operation may be accurate as a machine, but the computer processes and produces only what the “frail human” operators feed which makes its output oftentimes subject to scrutiny. Thus it is no surprise why even a number of “glove-scratching” were mistaken to be punches landed.
5 The compubox cannot reason out because it is a mere man-made “cold device,” so it would be utterly unfair to blame “him” for all the noise that bias people continue to instigate. Blame the judges, or simply blame yourself for getting into unnecessary stress and delusion over the official verdict in the fight because man is supposed to be endowed with brains to think and judge righteously regardless of contending “shouts” by strange creatures from mountain tops.
6 The foot-stepping instances are natural occurrences in a slugfest where a southpaw and orthodox are the ones at odds in the ring for twelve rounds. Why then make a fuss over Marquez foot-stepping on Pacquiao when Pacquiao did the same thing to Marquez as shown in two separate videos. I see nothing intentional though for both boxers. It was clean from round one and no one cheated.
7 While it is correct that many people have high expectations of Pacquiao and have been extremely disappointed including myself at his performance, it is not true that such is the reason why they see Marquez winning the fight. I frankly cannot figure it out from whatever angle how the judges saw it differently even if I think a millions times that I am a Filipino.
8 Here lies the trouble with “experts.” They have become intensely focused on “rules” so much so that they have lost their senses. Jury judging is legally acceptable and part of the judicial process as the need arises in many advanced countries. They are common people from all walks of life and are randomly chosen. Jury judges know nothing much of the rules and laws where lawyers are “experts” at. Yet it is not for naught that they are being employed during court hearings in certain important cases to help determine who is guilty or not. Therefore, if I may seriously crack a pun, boxing should include juries with equal number to sit with “experts” to judge an important boxing matchup, next time around.
9 Ken Norton suffered the same fate (versus Muhammad Ali) as Marquez had his own “bad luck” in his trilogy bout with Pacquiao. But does the Ali-Norton historic farce justify the unfortunate outcome of the Pacquiao-Marquez III? Does it have any legitimacy at all in our fair and impartial assessment of the situation to absolve the judges from their misjudgment last November 12? Precedence has long been a worn out fortress to those who run out of legal and moral sanity.
10 Where in the rules of boxing or any sports do you read that a champion has an edge in the judges scorecards for a reason that he is the champion. Show me a book where it is stated that a challenger has to prove his worth overwhelmingly enough in a competition to win the prize because otherwise, the champion will retain his crown or belt even if the challenger brightly shone and won by decisive points.
Show a book where it is suggested that the popular boxer who brings in “big bucks” at the box office should be favored to win even if he is losing. Universal rule and every modern atlas or ancient scroll dictate that points for both contenders in any contest must be counted the same where one point doesn’t mean three points.
11 Things are getting messy but entertaining for many of us in this latest boxing tragicomedy called Pacquiao-Marquez III. Fans are fuming as they are carried away to take sides or switch camps because a lot of differing vested interests and “shallow voices” are getting into the picture. Thus driving some right-thinking fans to their “opinion” on account of the seemingly convincing fables and distortion they feed in media. Some are turning the issue into a war among rival television networks. Others are divided into two factions between sycophants and political demolishers. While some are plain “sipsip” and “sakay-lang.”
12 Floyd Mayweather jr. is a top boxer for this generation and a highly competitive challenger for Pacman who has just exhibited his “invincibility.” I am sad that Pacquiao lost, but I am elated that the Pacquiao-Mayweather is nearer now than ever to push through in a matter of few months. What we witnessed in the Pacquiao-Marquez III is a big confidence booster for Mayweather. Money Floyd must have been greatly encouraged to finally dance with Pacquiao inside the ring, and oh, to the popular tune of Michael Buffer’s Grammy Award-winning piece, “Let’s get ready to rumble!”
For the trillions who emailed me, there goes my reply. But for those who consented to a “voice in the wilderness,” I was deeply heartened. Such a delightful experience, still.
God bless you all!
renimvalenzuela@yahoo.com
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