MILAN— Joegin Ladon’s hapless stand against Englishman Thomas Stalker on Wednesday has resulted into a stronger longing for Manny Pacquiao among Filipino workers here.
They continued to ask about Pacquiao, with some ignorantly wondering why the boxing superhero was not fighting for his country here.
The tournament involves the finest fighters in the world but Pacquiao, reputedly the planet’s best boxer, cannot compete because this is solely for amateur boxers.
Of course, there’s a chance of Pacquiao boxing for the RP team if the World League of Boxing succeeds with an international meet open to both pros and amateurs.
“They have invited us to join and field a team,” said Ricky Vargas, president of the Amateur Boxing of the Philippines (Abap) and top executive at Smart Philippines, whose Smart Pinoy is bankrolling the RP team here in partnership with the Philippine Sports Commission.
Anyway, the craving for Pacquiao here became more pronounced following Ladon’s loss on Wednesday.
Veteran sports scribe Joe Antonio of the People’s Journal said he was besieged here by other delegation members who wanted to know more about Pacquiao.
“Is he running for president,” Antonio quoted a Venezuelan pug as asking.
“Pacquiao is also very popular in Georgia, is he very rich now?” a team official from the former Russian republic asked.
Antonio said he expects more questions about Pacquiao at the Duomo commercial area, where Filipinos roost on their off days.
