Paul Barker

16.08 - They couldn't have chosen a more appropriate fighter for the Tyson/Lewis undercard. Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao was exposed to a bigger audience at that event than at any other in his career, and it was exposure he richly deserved. He turned in his usual electrifying performance, stopping former bantamweight champ Jorge Eliecer Julio in the second round, and the few minutes of effort probably quadrupled his fan base.

Not to worry, boxing purists, Pacquiao does possess a respectable amount of technical skill. But it ain't the reason his opponents are collapsing at his feet like so much dilapidated patio furniture. It ain't the reason Manila Mayor Lito Atienza declared every June 9th from here till eternity "Manny Pacquiao Day." And it sure as hell ain't the reason they've nicknamed him "The Destroyer."

Manny Pacquiao is all about power.

Twenty-six of his thirty-four wins have come by knockout; good fighters and tomato cans alike are among the fallen. Pac's two-fisted, whirlwind, go-for-broke style has positively endeared him to the people of the Philippines, and even President Macapagal-Arroyo herself was moved to declare, after the Julio fight, "I am very pleased and thrilled by the brilliant, masterful defense of the IBF junior featherweight crown by Manny Pacquiao. He is now ranked with some of the great Filipino prizefighters of yesteryear, like Pancho Villa and Flash Elorde."

Manny turned pro in '95, racking up eleven consecutive wins before getting knocked out in the third round by his compatriot Rustico Torrecampo, in February of '96. Undeterred, he got back on his horse and galloped over another fifteen fighters, knocking out all but two of them, capturing the OPBF and WBC flyweight titles in the process.

What was it Robert Frost said? "Nothing gold can stay." Pacquiao, unable to make weight for his 1999 fight against Thai Medgoen Singsurat, was forced to relinquish his WBC title before he even set foot in the ring. It seemed to have affected him psychologically, for the undefeated Singsurat went on to KO him in the third round, just as Torrecampo had. (Are these two knockout losses saying what I think they're saying about Pacquiao's chin?)

True to form, Pac clobbered his way back into contention, this time as a super bantamweight. Opponents continued to fall like front-line infantry before him; obviously his punching power had accompanied him to this weight class. He was IBF super bantamweight champion and looking for his eighth straight knockout when he squared off against the reigning WBO champ, Agapito Sanchez, in November of 2001.

What ensued was a travesty. A dark, ugly, foul-plagued mock-up of a championship bout, in which Pacquiao was subjected to all manner of abuse. Sanchez's game plan was evident from opening bell, and can be summed up in a word: STREETFIGHT. Sanchez threw everything and the kitchen sink at Pacquiao, who seemed overwhelmed and distressingly easy to hit at times. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), most of Sanchez's artillery was of the illegal variety, and the fight was ruled a draw. Personally, I felt Sanchez should have been disqualified.

Next up for Pac, of course, was his date with superstardom in Memphis - all that was standing in his way was the former two-time bantamweight champ, Jorge Eliecer Julio. From pretty much the opening bell, Pac dominated this encounter, landing textbook-perfect jabs, uppercuts, and combinations, dropping his confounded opponent twice in the second round. Upon witnessing Pacquiao land several unanswered blows late in the second, referee Bill Clancy had no real choice but to stop the carnage.

Manny Pacquiao's popularity has expanded beyond the Philippines, into virtually every country that follows boxing with the least bit of enthusiasm. The sky is the limit for this young fighter (just how young, we're not entirely sure - various sources place him between twenty-two and twenty-five years of age), providing he keeps his head on straight and stays focused. As of this writing, his next bout is scheduled for October 19 in Davao City, Philippines, against mandatory challenger Fahbrakob Rakkiatgym.