SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The lobby and coffee shop of the Hyatt Regency-Riverwalk had a vibrant vibe Friday.
Though the buzz is nothing compared to a Manny Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas, the atmosphere on the eve of a big fight in this historic city was distinctly Filipino.
Joined by Filipinos already based in the United States, there were also quite a number who flew all the way from Manila — and a few from General Santos City — so they could all root for Marlon Tapales on Saturday night (Sunday in the Philippines) when he guns for two world titles at the Boeing Center at Tech Port.
Tapales is the clear underdog against Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev in their scheduled 12-rounder for the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight straps.
But he is not a long shot-type of underdog.
In fact, Tapales is a live one — somebody who has the ability to bite back.
Among those who took the long flight across the Pacific Ocean were Sol Mananquil and Bong Aquia, who is a diehard fan of Pacquiao.
Sol’s son JC is Tapales’ promoter.
Aside from them, there are also others who came here from Las Vegas and Los Angeles just to throw their support behind Tapales’ bold bid.
Meanwhile, Tapales is delighted to see the number of people who have been lending their helping hand to his quest.
If he upsets Akhmadaliev and becomes a two-belt world champion, the size of his support cast is expected to bulk up.
