The Anthem Philatelist

“He finds gaps,” said Emanuel Steward after Manny Pacquiao stopped Miguel Cotto in the twelfth round. Those three words mirror the words of a far older, far more legendary war tactician: Sun Tzu. “Strike at their gaps,” The Art of War asserted two thousand years ago, “attack when they are lax, don’t let the enemy figure out how to prepare.” The second knockdown of Cotto illustrated this theory. Cotto, a conventional boxer-puncher, was hit in the fourth round by an uppercut from the left side that went inside and underneath his guard. Pacquiao found a gap, capitalized on the momentary carelessness of an onrushing opponent, and spent the rest of the fight exploding every potential solution Cotto thought he had. “When you are going to attack nearby make it look as if you are going to go a long way,” Sun Tzu said, “when you are going to attack far away, make it look as if you are going just a short distance.” Pacquiao seems to be moving out when he’s coming in and coming in when he’s movin...

Whether he wins or lose in his next fight, Pacquiao has already established himself as one of the greatest boxers of all time. It is not the number or quality of the fighters he defeated that made him great but the way he demolished these fighters. Any memorabilia from this great warrior would surely become a cherished possession in the not so distant future. Our children would be very thankful on inheriting something from "The Man" from Gensan.    Thus, it was a pleasant surprise that Jinky, my pretty college history classmate and friend based in the United States who also had friends close to Manny, volunteered (thru Facebook) to have an Everlast glove autographed during Pacman's pre-Hatton fight propaganda in Las Vegas. Here in this picture, is Jinky with Freddie Roach signing the glove and with Manny in a group picture. Thanks Jinks, I will never forget to tell my grandchildren you were the one who had the gloved signed.   A win against Shane Mosley in his p...