Cheers, Pacman!

I just have to mark this glorious event.

Manny "The Pacman" Pacquiao TKO'ed Erik Morales!

Before the highly anticipated faceoff, Cel and I made fun of the two preceding boxing matches. With intense scrutiny, we 'analyzed' the pugilists based on their...well...appearance. Maybe it's a complex science known only to our kind but it somehow worked for us with unerring precision. Our bets won, with their black-and-blue opponents pathetically running for cover.

Then came Erik and Manny. I thought they were a study in contrast. Whereas Manny projected a gung-ho attitude, Erik had a quiet and brooding air about him. Cel and I couldn't decide who would win based on our 'matrices'. We concluded that they were equal.

I couldn't stand the first few rounds because Manny was being assaulted by Erik's more precise jabs, uppercuts and hooks. Whatever. Manny was being hit from everywhere and it looked as though his footwork was fumbling. But he managed not to get nasty cuts in the face, which was some consolation.

Then Round 6 came and the tables turned. Suddenly, Manny, still bouncy and seemingly unfazed by all the bulls-eye hits, delivered. And deliver he did, just what his gazillion Filipino fans would fall on all fours to see - hard-hitting blows, pun intended to Erik of course. One commentator's cutting observation: desperation comes in the form of rubbing the leg. I saw Erik's legs being massaged and I literally understood. He also looked so beat and tired.

Thanks to Manny's deadly left hand and I daresay his kababayans' unflagging support, Erik saw the stars before the tenth round ended.

I bet everyone in the Philippines is rejoicing.

Cheers to you, Pacman. May you always be hungry. :)