Pinoys enamor at Marcelito Pomoy and how he wowed the big stage of America’s Got Talent. This crowd-drawing singer’s journey going there was like the path Ginebra walked in getting to their championships starting 2016, as detailed last issue.
He’s got a taste of how retain his loyal fandom after he won the 2011 Pilipinas Got Talent by appearing on local shows, especially on ABS-CBN which aired the contest.
Just like Ginebra did by playing with the “never say die” attitude since it was born.
But what got Pomoy to that really big stage was what sports personalities usually term “breaks of the game” in the form of an “ordinary” solo performance of “The Prayer” uploaded in YouTube.
Just like how Ginebra ended 37 years of championship inconsistency, getting “only” eight titles in that span, and quickly added four more in just four years because they found a gem in Justin Brownlee while ordinarily performing their duty of replacing their injured original import.
See story: Marcelito Pomoy needed “breaks of the game”, just like Ginebra and Pacman did, Part 1
Here’s another Filipino icon that Pomoy would consider looking up in terms of his path in reaching the top and staying there:
“Roach” and “Ledwaba” breaks fall unto Pacman’s lap
Manny Pacquaio’s career path started the same as Ginebra’s.
He was able to retain a loyal fan following by consistently displaying his gift of being able to floor opponents in the early rounds and having the endurance to remain competitive if the fight goes through 12 rounds, a trait that most boxing fans enjoy to see in fights.
He did find some success early in his career, registering 32-2 with 22 knockouts and winning the WBC Flyweight belt.
A stripping of his title for failure to make the weight followed by a disappointing loss to Boonsai Sangsurat inside the ring off a body shot led his handlers to believe that conditions at that time likely would lead a career pinnacle of winning titles just around Southeast Asia.
That was when his management decided to shoot for the stars. They left Asia and took a chance by infiltrating the US boxing scene. Empty handed and without a solid plan on hand, they flew to California pursue a search for a new trainer.
His first “break of the game” came in the form of finding the perfect trainer who would look out for his interest.
Pacquiao’s legendary story goes on to tell he and his team just walk in Freddie Roach gym practically uninvited in 2001, was granted a round of sparring, and presto, found a new trainer.
The Pacquiao Team was having a struggle with their stay in the US and was prepared to go home for a fight offered to him when another fateful incident took place that finally to put big things in motion.
His second “break” came in the form of an unexpected title shot in a fight a lot thought to be just a sparring session for the champion.
Mexican Enrique Sanchez, who was to challenge Lehlohonolo Ledwaba for the IBF super bantamweight belt on June, 2001, suffered an injury, and Pacquiao who was the nearest available replacement, was invited to take his place on short notice as they were about to pack and go back to the Philippines.
We all know what happened next and how quickly the string of success stories ensued: from dethroning the Mexican trio of Eric Morales, Marco Antonio Barerra and Juan Miguel Marquez in the prestigious Featherweight division to facing legendary boxing icons Oscar Dela Hoya and Floyd Mayweather in the Welterweight division
Breaks pushed their careers over the top
It was certain that all three, Pomoy, Ginebra and Pacquiao, were possessing qualities that have potentials of attracting huge audiences.
They simply couldn’t have a string of successful breakthroughs until normal circumstances occurring in their careers became “freakish interventions” to push their successes to another level.
It should not take long for Pomoy to enjoy the perks that Ginebra had since the tandem of Brownlee and Tim Cone arrived and what Pacquiao had since teaming up with Roach, if he makes the right choices.
Wishing three things for Pomoy in his new found success:
(1) Get his English speaking skills into good running condition [We all love to see Pomoy’s wife by his side as the interpreter but he should take a minute to see what level Pacman’s stardom reached when he was able to do interviews with foreign media on his own];
(2) Retain his freedom to perform for his YouTube fans and post videos of his performances [I think he is humble enough to realize that the “The Prayer” live performance on Wish 107.5 that generated the humongous views has a lot to do with the opportunities accorded to him now]; and
(3) Find his Freddie Roach, a manager who has genuine care for his welfare and who will even push him to develop his talent more [Roach was instrumental in making Pacquiao’s right hand as good as his left and somewhat played a secondary role as a lookout for Pacman’s overall welfare during their partnership].
Of course, we’d all loved if he retained his humility. His fan base had been consistently expressing their love for this trait of his. I do too.
By: ARMANDO M. BOLISLIS
Photo by: Gilbert Rossi / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) lifted from from Wikimedia commons