Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya — Battle of the Cheesy Ballads

To nobody's surprise, I have a lot to say about next weekend's megafight between Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao and Mexican American icon Oscar De La Hoya. I've been watching boxing since I was a young boy; it has taken 3 decades for me to finally have the opportunity to see an Asian fighter in a mainstream "crossover" event. It's both thrilling and a sharp reminder of the painful, isolating scarcity of Asian American role models in US society. I still have never had a chance to cast a vote for an Asian American politician, which is pretty sad. 

In any case, before I say anything else (and yes, I will probably say plenty more in an upcoming post), the first truly significant fact I want to draw your attention to regarding the big fight is that, to my knowledge, this will be the first high-profile matchup in which both fighters have also dipped into careers as pop singers. Who wins the battle of cheesy music videos?

Comments

[nezua]

oh no. i'm afraid to play these.

[ZC]

Nez - LOL!

Kai - my vote for cheeziest goes to Oscar. Definitely. The preening, the soft lighting, the fake romance. Way cheesy.

[Donna]

I say Oscar too! I've had a crush on him forever, or at least a dozen years. Which is why I've never watched him fight, and possibly mess up that adorable face. Besides that, I happen to like cheesy Bee Gees songs.

[Sudy]

Cheesy is the pride of the Filipino people. I'm Filipino. I'm cheesy. I'm proud.

Manny is the cheesiest all the way home...

[Maegan la Mala]

Manny's song was way more uplifting, even though I didn't know what he was singing.

Oscar's was like every other damn Latino pop singer: candles, alcohol, tight shirts and Latina ass.

[Kai]

Nez, ZC, Donna, Sudy, Maegan, thanks for your feedback on this very serious debate topic! I remain torn myself. Manny's cheesiness is more earnest and raw, while Oscar's is more, I dunno, cliche-sexy-slick. Hmm. Will have to meditate further on this matter. ;-)