McALLEN, Texas (MindaNews/07 Dec) — ?Pinoy ako, Pinoy ako,? shouted a 20 year-old Fil-Am when Oscar De la Hoya?s corner called it quits in the eight round of his fight with the Philippines? Manny Pacquiao Saturday night in Las Vegas, seen by close to 100 Pinoys huddled inside a house here watching HBO?s pay per view.
It was described by most of those watching the bout here as a lopsided fight, with Pacquaio landing jabs to De la Hoya?s head and the body almost at will.
Cheers and shouts began to ricochet inside the house as early as the second round when
Pacquiao?s much-vaunted left jabs started to find its range.
?Usapa na,? quipped an off-duty nurse as a visibly stunned De la Hoya continuously failed to block Pacquiao?s quick yet heavy punches.
The atmosphere inside the house looked very similar to the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. They clapped their hands, shouted and stood up as some shook hands while others did the high fives.
They also clapped in respect when after Pacquiao told De la Hoya ?you are still my idol,? the Mexican boxer answered back, ?no, you are my idol.?
De la Hoya initially was the favorite pick in the betting among the largely Hispanic-American population here in McAllen and the rest of the Rio Grande Valley deep south of Texas.
But a few hours before the fight, bets were cancelled as betting for Pacquiao gained ground. Aside from the Filipinos, who have grown to 20,000 in a span of five years, many Mexicans began rooting for Pacquiao.
Majority of the Mexicans here, however, were looking at the De la Hoya-Pacquiao fight as the bout where they can finally be avenged. At least six top Mexican boxers lost to Pacquiao in previous fights.
If the main thoroughfares in key cities of the Philippines were observed to have less vehicular traffic because many were watching the fight on television, many also here were either at home or in restaurants and bars watching the pay per view. (Merpu Roa/MindaNews)
