After everything is seen, winning is defined by offense, not defense. True for Manny Pacquiao. True for anybody else. Would you like to win? Or would you like to lose? Either way, there’s one thing you’re going to do: Pay the price.
Yesterday, it was a clear decision that The Event was indeed overwhelmingly won by Pacquaio. While I share the views of many others who expected a knockout victory, I think it really didn’t matter at all. You see, some people have this habit of survival, or rather a choice of it.
Clottey chose to survive. And he did. Manny chose to thrive. And he did. What’s the difference?
People who are fond of survival think it’s a wise move to survive. They don’t engage so much. They take life too lightly as if nothing is wrong. Every time you ask them how they do they say, “I’m ok.” even though they really don’t. They thought that it’s safe to survive by not meeting new people, not establishing a new relationship, not exploring their potential, not trying something new, or not producing better results among others. They just let the day pass and survive the day they do.
Some people who are fond of thriving think it’s a wise move to thrive. They engage so much. They take life seriously enjoyable and they are keen if ever something seems to be going wrong. When you ask them how they do, they will tell you exactly what they feel. And they would promise you sooner or later they’ll be ok. They meet new people, crete new relationship and see what comes from it, try something new, and produce better results without fear. They don’t let any day pass without achieving something big or small.
Pacquiao vs Clottey is a clear illustration of of choices between winning and losing, engaging and defending. It’s a clear explanation of why and how people win in this life. Pacquiao threw more than 1,200 punches, Clottey threw more than 300. Pacquaio engaged. Clottey defended.
In those 12 rounds, Clottey stayed put. He’s not the fighter his corner expected. He simply became somebody else. He was overwhelmed by Pacquaio’s speed. Yes, he may have the power by without using and showing it, it’s not power. Several times, Pacquiao would let him engage. He’s always invited to fight but to to avail. He simply kept his defense tight.
What’s common between winning and losing?
The answer is cost. Clottey paid the price of coming up with a great defense at the expense of losing. Pacquiao paid the price of being on the offense and he won. You see we all have to pay for something whether we win or lose.
Did Clottey got hurt? Of course, he did. Or, as he claimed during the post-interview, he didn’t get hurt. But hey, he lost. That’s even more painful perhaps than physical pain. It’s emotional pain.
Next time you go out there, I suggest you engage and see what’s going to happen. Winners engage. Losers defend.
To Manny Pacquiao, here’s another salute for a job well done. It’s not always that you don’t knock down an opponent but you always win in the end. That’s the sense of it all!