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My Thoughts on the Mayweather-Pacquiao Fight

Yesterday no one could go anywhere in the Philippines without someone talking about the “Fight of the Century.” Since everyone’s giving their thoughts on it, here are mine:

It wasn’t a bad fight.

I got to see two different styles clash and see who would win. If you came to watch two people beat each other to death then you would probably be disappointed. But one can try to admire Mayweather’s discipline and sticking to his game plan. (Yes, hug-and-run is a gameplan.)

 

Mayweather deserved to win.

Pacquiao wasn’t cheated at all. Mayweather landed more, and that’s what counts in boxing. I thought he was a bully with his clinching and forearm-ing but that’s technically part of the game. The basic fact is Pacquiao did nothing to upset Mayweather from his game plan. I had hoped that Roach would have come up with a different style for him, but nope. And that’s what we get. Because…

 

Boxing really isn’t that exciting.

The people who get knocked out in boxing are the people who take risks. If a fighter finds a way to avoid that, while winning, that’s his prerogative. It takes great skill and discipline to fight like Mayweather does. Unfortunately, it’s not very entertaining. If everyone fights that way, it’ll become a game of high-waist tag. Mayweather proved that he’s at the top of ladder that isn’t very high.

For a truly exciting sport, with real finishes, where running will get you knocked out and hugging will get you choked out, may I suggest mixed martial arts?

 

Pacquiao and Mayweather were very gracious in their interviews. That interviewer though…

Pacquiao is a given. He’s always been like that, and even more so when he became a Christian. Mayweather was surprisingly humble during the interview, and maybe it’s good that we didn’t hear what he shouted to the crowd. That post-fight interviewer was very obnoxious though. Some people online defended him by saying that he does that with every interview. I don’t get why that’s supposed to make it better.

 

Pacquiao won so much in losing.

First of all, there’s the nine-figure paycheck. I’m sure those dollar bills are a great consolation. (Don’t forget the BIR!) But Pacquiao showed heart, showed class, gave it his best effort, and never carried himself in a manner that was shameful or embarrassing. I think while Filipinos are sad about this loss, we’re proud to be represented by a fighter who fought well and honorably. Speaking of the Philippines…

 

I love being a Filipino during Pacquiao fights.

I watched in a bar with some friends from church, courtesy of Pastor Gilbert Foliente. At first, Carla and Philip weren’t going to join me, but in the end, they came along because no one wanted to miss it. The experience in the room and online was the best. It’s a real treat to be a Filipino in this generation where we can look back to Pacquiao’s fights and how we united around him.

 

Leadership Lesson: Sometimes you don’t need more. Sometimes you need to be different.

Pacquiao and Mayweather are both one-trick ponies. Pacquiao has his power flurries and Mayweather has his defensive counter punching, including the hug-and-run. But Mayweather’s trick beat Paquiao’s trick. It’s as simple as that. It was Rock-Scissors-Paper in the ring. Paper beats Rock no matter how hard Rock is or how inspirational its life story.

In the same way, leaders can’t just stick to what they’re used to or what they’re good at. Leadership is about results. And sometimes, to get the results you need, you need to do or be something different.

Philip and Carla witnessing history. Boring history, but history nonetheless.
Philip and Carla witnessing history. Boring history.
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