As I type this now I am inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, sitting next to fellow Examiner Dennis Guillermo.
It goes without saying that the crowd at the MGM is really starting to heat up. At the moment we are in the 10th round of the Yuri Foreman-Daniel Santos fight, but everybody’s attention is towards the Miguel Cotto-Manny Pacquiao showdown.
On the first televised bout of the evening, Alfonso Gomez won a hard fought technical decision over Jesus Soto Karass, and Cotto was shown sitting ringside on the arena’s overhead projector. The champion from Puerto Rico looked very calm, wearing headphones and nodding to the camera. Cotto’s presence elicited a wild roar from the crowd. Moment later Pacquiao was shown walking to the ring and the Filipino contingent was equally as loud.
As I type this it approximately 7:25 PM, Pacific standard time and we are less than two hours from the night’s big fight. So far I would estimate that roughly 12,000 people are loud and present. So far people have been filing in at a healthy rate and the electricity in the air is starting to rise. It goes without saying that things will be out of control when the main event jumps off.
The Filipino and Puerto Rican fans have made this a memorable event while also showing just how rare the sport of boxing is. Pride and country will be on the line in due time and I have a feeling Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao will give us an evening to remember.
