I'm not much of a boxing fan... I don't see why sportsmen would actually train hard and get stronger only to allow themselves to get beaten to a pulp. However, I admire two of the Philippines' best boxers. Whenever they have a fight, it's about the only time that the country gets together as one nation. The crime rate goes down, traffic jams are non-existent and there's a modicum of peace that blankets the land.
Brian Villoria was born and raised in the West Honolulu district of Waipahu which is a blue-collar sugar plantation area of Hawaii. He just recently received international attention after winning the World Flyweight Championship bout last Saturday in Las Vegas beating opponent Mexican Julio Miranda on a unanimous decision. The 30-year old champ had trained long and hard to win the hotly contested championship belt.
Out of this win comes a timely gesture from ESPY awardee and 8 title boxing champ Manny Pacquiao who sent Villoria a congratulatory greeting via taped interview. Manny's road to greatness was no less an easy task. All he ever wanted when he was a little boy was a sturdy roof over his head and a heavily-laden table so he wouldn't have to see the moon through the thatch roof of their hut as he went to bed hungry. at age two, they moved to Saranggani. He would walk five kilometers to school with only a banana for lunch. Both he and his brother were ridiculed for being poor. He would hike six kilometers a day to the nearest shore to help fishermen haul nets to shore only to be given a few pieces of left-over fish. He would keep one or two for the family meal while he sold the rest to earn some money.
Mommy Dionisia would do laundry and clean homes and roast peanuts for her children to sell to provide for her family after their father had deserted them. Dropping out of school at twelve, he would be a roving one-man store selling all sorts of wares from bread, peanuts, water. At fifteen, he stowed away from General Santos to come to Manila and train as a boxer... the rest is history... He has a total of eight World Boxing Organization Titles and belts to boot. He is a multi million endorser for international brands of sportswear and consumer goods. He is a TV/ movie personality. And just recently, he is representative of the province of Saranggani in the Philippine Congress.
It just proves to show that no matter what your station in life is, patience, hope, determination and hard work can help you rise up over adversity. He is currently the richest congressman in the country with wealth generated from his own decent means.
Two different boxers with two different backgrounds. One a Fil-American, the other a grass-roots proviciano at heart. Two hearts passionate about the sport of boxing. Both of them Filipino. Both reaching for their own niche in the sun. To top it all... both succeeding and making us proud...
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