YES WE CAN’ RINGS OUT  IN TEAM PACQUIAO/Ronnie Nathanielsz

The monumental victory of Sen. Barack Obama in the US presidential elections has not only inspired Americans and people around the world, his message of unflinching hope has also inspired Filipino ring idol and national treasure Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao, in his widely read column in the tabloid Abante which is carried on philboxing.com says president-elect Obama’s cry “Yes we can” at a huge victory rally in Chicago Wednesday (Manila Time)  was also his battle-cry and the battle-cry of Team Pacquiao.

Pacquiao noted how many times “Yes we can” rang out during Obama’s speech and said he drew inspiration from it saying “no matter how small,  we still have a chance of winning” against “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya in their “Dream Match” at the MGM Garden in Las Vegas on December 6.

Pacquiao wished president-elect Obama “good luck and more power” pointing out that with “great power comes great responsibility.”

Pacquiao said he had so far sparred 53 rounds even as conditioning guru Alex Ariza told insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that Pacquiao sparred four rounds with Rashad Holloway who approximates De La Hoya’s style and three rounds with  undefeated Marvin “Much-too-Much” Cordova who is big, strong and fast and did even better than he expected.

Ariza said Pacquiao is relentless in training even as the WBC lightweight champion who is jumping up to 147 to fight De La Hoya said he will step up his sparring Thursday (Friday in Manila) and that he would go more rounds with four sparring partners which includes Britain’s promising lightweight Amir Khan.

Pacquiao said he has “made many sacrifices” for what is clearly the toughest fight of his career and that he has never trained and been more serious in training.

Former No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Roy Jones Jr shares basically the same thoughts as reigning  No. 1 Pacquiao.

Jones Jr said he will draw strength from Obama’s presidential triumph when he fights Britain ’s undefeated Joe Calzaghe for the Ring Magazine light heavyweight crown on Sunday, Manila Time at New York ’s famed Madison Square Garden in a fight billed as “ Battle of the Superpowers.”

Referring to Obama’s victory Jones Jr said “that made me feel so good. That made me feel so good to be an American again and I’m so proud to be an American.” He added, “this country is about change and I’m about change.”