Greatness recognized: Greatness recognized

Boxing legend couldn’t help but be proud seeing Alex Eala soar to her career-best ranking of No. 31 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

The eight-division champion and former senator said he has been closely monitoring the professional career of the 20-year-old netter, giving him some measure of pride whenever he sees her stand her ground against the best tennis players in the world.

Eala has skyrocketed shortly after Pacquiao essayed the final chapter of his legendary boxing career.

Last year, she made a breakthrough when she beat a string of former Grand Slam champions and world-rated players en route to making a semifinal appearance in the WTA1000 Miami Open.

She sustained her momentum this year as she made a strong run in the recent Dubai Open, beating world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the Round of 16 to cement her status as the future of professional tennis.

Her exploits didn’t go unnoticed.

“Whenever I watch her play, I am so proud of her carrying the Philippine flag. Keep it up,” Pacquiao said at the sidelines of the ceremonial turnover of his historic memorabilia to the National Sports Museum on Tuesday.

In a previous statement, Eala stressed that getting mentioned in the same breath as the eight-division champion is truly flattering. She, however, humbly brushed it off, saying that it’s still a long way to go before she can sit at the table of arguably the greatest Filipino athlete ever.

“Oh my God, it’s not like that. I think Manny Pacquiao is different,” said Eala, who was born on the same year Pacquiao battled Mexican legend Erik Morales to a bloody battle for the vacant World Boxing Council International Boxing Association super featherweight titles in 2005.

“I remembered whenever Manny would fight, it felt like everybody was on vacation. Families would prepare lechon and popcorn. I think I’m not on that level yet.”

But in terms of popularity, Eala is slowly inching closer towards Pacquiao.

In fact, during the Australian Open last month in Melbourne, organizers had to put up a giant LED screen to accommodate the Filipino fans who wanted to see Eala live in action.

A few weeks later, another large group of Filipino spectators made their presence felt, loudly cheering for Eala during her stints in Doha and Dubai.

Eala, however, said she still has to work harder to get into the same status as Pacquiao.

“I learned a lot about my capabilities. There was a video the WTA put out with about 40 minutes of my best points, and when I watched it, I thought: ‘Wow, I’ve improved a lot,’” Eala said in “The Sit-Down” podcast.

“I’ve always believed in myself and believed that I could do it but being able to produce and execute gives that extra layer of self-esteem and confidence.”

Eala and Pacquiao are far from done, giving Filipinos a lot to cheer for.

After a successful stint in the Middle East, Eala flew west to see action in a pair of crucial WTA1000 events — the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Garden and the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium — for a chance to crack into the top 25 in the world.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, will be revisiting his rivalry with Floyd Mayweather Jr. as they collide in Netflix-organized encounter on 19 September in Las Vegas.

When asked about his message to Eala, Pacquiao just smiled.

“Just focus on our goal, to give honor to our country. And then, there would be more Filipinos who would give honor to our country,” he said before breaking into a smile.