|
 Angel Manfredy and The Lying Game
 by Thomas Gerbasi (March 27, 2003)
 Send this page to friend Give us your feedback
What motivates a fighter? A number of factors are probably at play. Some do it for the money, some for the glory, and some even claim to do it for the love of the game. But what all fighters do have in common is an ability to lie to themselves. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
See, it hurts getting punched in the head hundreds of times. So fighters have to lie to themselves to condition their bodies to take such punishment. They have to lie in between rounds when a doctor asks if they’re all right just after getting cut, bruised, and knocked to the canvas.
And when they lose, in many cases in front of thousands of spectators, they have to lie, say it doesn’t hurt inside and just keep moving on.
Which brings us to Angel Manfredy.
As far as his motivation goes, that’s easy. The lightweight contender, who ends a nine-month layoff when he takes on Moises Pedroza in a ten rounder on next week’s “Monday Night Fights” card, is a devoted Christian who will take any opportunity to tell you of his commitment to his faith. And that’s all right, you can’t fault a man for that.
But more interesting to those who watch Manfredy the fighter, is his penchant for recreating himself. From “El Diablo” to “Got Jesus” and everything in between, the Indiana native has had more resurrections than Lazarus, and here in 2003, he’s back again, a win or two away from another title shot.
Yet while Manfredy says, “This time I’ve got the truth in me,” what has made him a top-notch fighter in and around the 130 and 135-pound divisions for what seems forever (He’s only 28) is his ability to lie about his setbacks and look firmly to the future. And in the bizarro world of boxing, that’s an admirable trait.
“Can any man accept defeat?” asks Manfredy, 40-6-1 with 29 KOs. “A man that accepts defeat is finished. I’m not even looking at defeat. I’m looking forward right now, and all I can see is victory. That’s something that was lingering and was gone for three years and now it’s back. All I see is victory right now, going forward with my career, and progressing and persevering through any and everything that steps in my way.”
One of these days, Manfredy is going to put it all together and get that world title (he once held the fringe WBU super featherweight title, which he defended seven times), and it will be a long time coming for a guy who has always been a step short when it comes to winning the big one.
“I learned from my mistakes and I’ve learned, I’ve endured, I’ve persevered, and I’ve overcame,” said Manfredy. “I’m about to take back what the enemy stole from me. I’m gonna take back my world title. I’m gonna take back the HBO contract. I’m gonna take it all back. I’ll let you know now, ahead of time. That way when I do have it, you’ll see – everything I say is going to pass.”
He blames “the enemy”, and says he’ll get back what they stole. But there are no enemies, just better fighters who were better than Manfredy on a given night. Fighters like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Stevie Johnston, Diego Corrales and Paul Spadafora, ones he may never get past. But he’ll keep on plugging away and that’s what makes him tick, the desire never to give in.
“The only person that beat me was me,” said Manfredy. “I lost the love for the sport when I first came to Christianity. But I didn’t give up. And that’s one thing about a champion – he never gives up. Now I can truly say that I am a true champion and I don’t give up regardless of anything. And now I’m ready.”
He was originally ready for an IBF elimination bout with Victoriano Sosa, where a win would put him back in the running for a rematch with Spadafora. But Sosa is on his way to a title bout with Mayweather, and Manfredy is left waiting for another opportunity.
One that may present itself this summer is another rematch, this one with Arturo Gatti, who Manfredy defeated in 1998.
“I’m ready for anybody,” said Manfredy. “I don’t care who it is. It’s not my dream. It’s not my nightmare. If he wants to fight me, I don’t duck no man. I’m not going to worry about a name or a weight class. If Gatti wants to do it with me, so be it. Let’s do it. It’s not gonna make me or break me.”
Manfredy puts on a brave front, but you definitely get the impression that he’s looking for a hefty slice of redemption – not in the spiritual sense, but in a fistic one. He describes himself as “a very patient man,” and declares that “patience produces power,” but after almost ten years in the game, he has to know that his chances at getting the brass ring are getting slimmer.
You won’t catch him slip, though.
“I’m not worried about nothing or nobody,” said Manfredy. “I don’t care about who I fight, or if it’s in his backyard or inside his house. I don’t care. Bring on anybody that tries to step up to the plate and I’m gonna take care of it.”
For his family, for his god, and for himself, Manfredy keeps going, and after “getting the love back” for the sport after his second training camp with Buddy McGirt (the two did not work together for this week’s fight), he feels renewed.
He remembers that second camp in Florida.
“I was destroying everything they put in front of me and Buddy was saying, ‘They think you’re washed up. They think you’re done,’” Manfredy remembers. “I told him to keep it quiet. What they don’t know they’ll soon see. They can say what they want to say and people can criticize all they want. I can really care less. They don’t pay the bills. They don’t take care of me and they don’t take care of my family. They can say what they want to say. They’re not in the ring.”
He’s right, and in the ring, Manfredy can never be accused of giving less than 100%. And in spite of wins and losses, you always get a fight with the former “El Diablo”. But he believes his appeal goes further than that.
“I’m a man that was lost and now he’s found,” said Manfredy. “That’s what I bring into the ring. I don’t bring nothing boring. I bring a story about my life and how people can overcome and succeed in life.”
If Manfredy has found his calling and truly put aside his self-destructive behavior, then he’s already succeeded in life. But for a true fighter, that’s never enough. He wants to wear that belt and be considered the best in the world, even if just for one night.
And that is no lie.
“This is a new chapter in the book,” said Manfredy. “And the ending of the story is always the best.”
E-Mail Thomas Gerbasi at tgerbasi@mindspring.com
Thomas Gerbasi's Archives Click Here
|
