MACAU ? The big fight atmosphere was felt even on our flight to Hong Kong. The Filipino overseas worker seated beside me said that he will watch Manny Pacquiao?s fight before returning to his job in the Middle East.
Huge images of Pacquiao, Chris Algieri and China?s star Zou Shiming decorated Macau?s Cotai Strip. The Filipino presence was strong ? media, ring officials and Manny?s entourage. An assortment of Pinoy dialects could be heard just walking around the Venetian and the other neighboring hotels.
One of the Sheraton?s Filipino employees told us that four hotel floors were occupied by our countrymen.
Thai boxer Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym got a lot of attention because of his slight resemblance to Pacquiao. An hour before the official weigh-in, a group of Filipino women inside the Sheraton did yell ?Si Pacquiao!? when they saw him.
Algieri got a taste of the Pinoy crowd when he was booed as he stepped on the scales. His trainer Tim Lane, was in fight mode even during the rules meeting. Lane got into arguments with Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach, WBO Asia-Pacific VP Leon Panoncillo and WBO President Francisco ?Paco? Valcarcel. It was one of the more ?interesting? rules meeting and hand wrapping arguments that I witnessed.
I got a chance to hear the pre-fight insights of Recah Trinidad, one of the pillars of Philippine sports writing.
Another Filipino boxer opened the festivities - Jerwin Ancajas had an easy third round knockout in against Fadhili Majiha of Tanzania.
When it was his time to fight, Onesongchaigym got decked twice in the second round against Zou Shiming and lost to scores of 119-106 from Luis Pabon and Salven Lagumbay and 120-106 from Levi Martinez. Zou finished the fight with a cut above his left eye and a hematoma on his left eyelid.
Algieri could not live up all of the pre-fight hype. He spent the entire twelve rounds on his bicycle and hit the canvas six times ? once in the second, twice in the sixth and ninth and one more in the tenth. Pacquiao?s corner pleaded with their fighter to forget about being a nice guy and go for the knockout but it is hard to finish an opponent who just wants to survive. The scores speak for themselves - Levi Martinez - 119-103, Patrick Morley - 119-103, Michael Pernick - 120-102.
Mother ?Mommy D? Dionisia had her own fan base and was surrounded by a ?selfie? mob.
THE PINOY OFFICIALS BEHIND THE SCENES
Filipino fight fans recognize the names of Atty.Danrex Tapdasan, Salven Lagumbay, Edward Ligas, Tony Pesons and Arnie Najera; ring officials who have become fixtures not just in big fights in Cebu City but in small cards across the Visayan islands. Together with Larry Balanay and Romar Kristoffer Embodo, they have blended well with Thai, Chinese, American and Australian boxing officials to form the Professional Boxing Commission of China headed by WBO VP for Asia-Pacific Leon Panoncillo.
There were a few fans who had photos taken with the ring officials when they got out of the Cotai Arena. I guess the presence of Hollywood celebrities rubbed off on everyone.
Top photo: Pacquiao and mini-Pacquiao, Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym of Thailand.
THOSE WHO DIDN?T MAKE THE TRIP
Hermie Rivera sent a photo (above) of boxing writers who like him would have wanted to make the trip to Macau - William Bill Dwyre, L.A Times, Rebecca Bryan, Agence France Presse, Comedian Par Excellence and Norm Freuheim (Arizona Republic)
Hermie gave a fearless forecast of a sixth round KO win for Pacquiao and he came close.
CANTONESE FARE
An army marches on its stomach and our work was fueled by four days of feasting on Chinese cuisine.
Comments
Share your thoughts on the above article by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..