Is Manny Cursed?
In Bradley bout, superstitious Pacquiao faces 16th fight curse
April 12, 2012 1:31pm
Manny Pacquiao, since losing his first fight against Rustico Torrecampo in 1996, has lost after every 16 fights. The congressman's last loss was against Erik Morales in 2005, and his match against Timothy Bradley is the 16th fight after that loss.
Marv Dumon of examiner.com pointed out that Pacquiao has lost every16 fights since suffering a third-round knockout against Torrecampo in Mandaluyong City 16 years ago. In 1999, sixteen fights after his first loss, he suffered a third round knockout against Thailand's Medgoen Singsurat, which led to him losing his WBC flyweight title.
The pattern did not end there as 16 fights thereafter in 2005, Pacquiao faced Erik Morales for the WBC and IBA Super Featherweight titles. Morales ended up winning via a unanimous decision.
Loss to Rustico Torrecampo on February 9, 1996
Streak of 15 wins from April 27, 1996 to April 24, 1999
Loss to Medgoen Singsurat on September 17, 1999
Streak of 13 wins, 2 draws from December 18, 1999 to December 11, 2004
Loss to Erik Morales on March 19, 2005
Streak of 15 wins from September 10, 2005 to November 12, 2011
Timothy Bradley - win or loss? June 9, 2012
Odds makers may not be so affected by the pattern as Pacquiao is still heavily favored to win the bout. The same cannot be said of the People's Champ, who is famous for being superstitious, not to mention visibly prayerful.
Pacquiao goes through certain routines before each fight. He prefers riding his old Lincoln Navigator from his home in Los Angeles to Las Vegas instead of flying. He also chooses to stay at Mandalay Bay. The Sarangani Congressman also only wears Cleto Reyes gloves, and when this was not followed, he ended up losing to Morales.
Pacquiao also believes getting his blood samples while in the middle of training and a few days before the fight would weaken him.
Belief in superstitions is prevalent in any sport. Michael Jordan wore his college shorts under his Chicago Bulls uniform for good luck. In tennis, Serena Williams bounces the ball five times before her first serve and twice before her second serve for successful service.
Locally, pool legend Efren "Bata" Reyes refuses to shower or wear his dentures during tournaments, while Powerade's Gary David kisses the image of his wife and the names of his two kids, which are tatooed on his shoulder, before taking freethrows. — Reneé Fopalan/JVP/HS, GMA News
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