Boxer joins Christmas party at Philippine embassy in Beijing

J.R. is a boxer from the central Philippine island of Bacolod. He was in Beijing last month to be a sparring partner for a Chinese boxer getting ready to fight in Japan for the world flyweight title.

He is about 1.6 meters tall. His hair is clipped like one of those you see on army crew cuts with a Mohawk touch.

The boxer appears to be in his early 20s and has the look of a movie star. I forgot to ask his last name.

He is deeply brown and slim. J.R. wore an athletic jacket over trimmed jeans, his hands jammed into the pockets to keep his fingers warm and shielded from the chill of the Beijing winter.

We were chatting for a few minutes in the small garden at the Philippine embassy during the mission's Christmas party one weekend in December.

"I'm going home on Dec 24," he said in Tagalog, the main language of the Southeast Asian country.

For many Filipinos, being home on Christmas Day, Dec 25, is a bit of a sacred duty.

The Chinese go home to their provinces and villages during the Lunar New Year to be with all the members of their extended families in January or February.

It is the same case for Americans during Thanksgiving and Christmas, with tens of thousands jamming the roads and airports to go home from, say, New York to Arizona or from Los Angeles to Maine.

This overwhelming desire to be home is true for Filipinos at Christmas time, as a deluge of expatriates endure monumental traffic jams in Manila and then fly out to families scattered from Ilocos Norte on Luzon island (in the north) to Zamboanga city in Mindanao (south).

J.R. appreciated the offer of being a sparring partner in China, where boxing is becoming an increasingly popular sport.

He said fighters in China are learning the intricacies of the fight game, mastering the footwork and the ability to throw combinations on their heels against rivals during a bout.

The footwork of a boxer is really not normal when compared with the way ordinary people walk.

Boxers roll on the balls of their feet, trying to find balance while flicking a jab or a cross.

The fighter then pivots in the other direction to set up another punch or a combination of punches.

That may take the form of a right straight or an uppercut to the body, all the time rolling sideways.

A person walks forward. A boxer glides.

"My best punch is a right straight," J.R. said.

He is already looking forward to 2020.

"Next year, I fight an eliminator in Dubai, I think, and if I win, I qualify to fight for the world title," he said of a possible shot at a flyweight crown.

J.R., like all boxers from the Philippines and probably across Asia, reveres Manny Pacquiao, the only eight-division world champion in the history of boxing and considered one of the greatest fighters in the sport's history.

"He (Pacquiao) is different from other Filipino boxers," he said.

"The others (Filipino boxers) who win titles are not as disciplined so they do not last long."

They get a bit lazy and lose after winning their titles, the money and fame seemingly going to their heads.

For now, J.R. clutched a meal stub at the Christmas party and made his way inside to take part in the festivities and grab a late lunch.

Children dressed in festive colors sang Christmas songs while the audience of around 300 tried to go along, partly swaying in their seats with the tune from the loudspeakers.

The mood was cheerful, but there is always a certain wistfulness from faces away from their countries during Christmas.

It is the look of someone missing home.