MACAU, China ? By just hanging around the large Filipino contingent that is here to support and watch Manny Pacquiao goes up against Argentine-American Chris Algieri, one can get very good laughs if not grin impishly.
Like overhearing Filipino staff at the media center in The Venetian. With assurance that his name will not be disclosed, he agreed to be quoted for what is probably the punch line of the day.
In Filipino, he said Pacquiao brought with him a lot of ?bouncers.?
?Kasi sir, baon sila ng baon sir,? he said referring to some members of Team Pacquiao bringing snacks and merienda intended for the press to their hotel rooms.
You cannot blame them, members of the entourage who flew in together with Pacquiao on Monday have to be creative as they were supposed to provide for their own meals.
Then the conversation segues into some members of the Sarangani police joking themselves to start preparing for Pacquiao?s next fight as they might do the honor of singing the national anthem. Tomorrow?s assignment went to the pastors and ministers that have become a regular in Team Pacquiao.
Speaking of pastors and ministers, the joke is that they could become Pacquiao?s next trainer and bodyguards at the rate they are inching their way into the Filipino boxing?s attention and affection.
Whole section
At the weigh-in this morning inside the Cotai Arena, a section of the lower box, almost 10 rows deep was filled with Pacquiao?s family and relatives. All the children of Pacquiao are in attendance together with their mother Jinkee, now vice governor of Sarangani where the boxing champion is congressman ? a first in his 18 years of professional boxing.
Also seen waving her hands and blowing kisses to the Filipino gallery in attendance was Mommy D ? Dionisa Pacquiao ? who was in a red dress that goes along with the red polo of her boyfriend.
The Mexicans were certainly missed in the crowd at the weigh in inside Cotai Arena. Estimates vary from a low of 1,000 to a high of 2,000 who came and was greeted by Algieri who had stripped himself fully naked with only a couple of T-shirts hiding his most private parts. He twice did not make the weight limit but came back 2 hours later to be at 0.4 pounds lighter than the catch weight of 144 pounds.
His almost emaciated image prompted former GMA sportscaster now turned independent producer Chino Trinidad to call Algiere ?ampaw? ? sugared puffed rice ? hard in the outside, soft in the inside.
Now if only Algieri can prove there is more to that ampaw body of his, maybe many will be delighted to see a good fight.
Just keep your fingers crossed.
