THERE were fears Manny Pacquiao’s smaller Thai foe could be crushed and taken out of the ring on a stretcher.
But yesterday, Fahsan 3K Battery, a 2-1 underdog, stunned the fight presscon at the exquisite Discovery Suites in Ortigas when he announced he would knock out Pacquiao in their 12-round encounter in Taguig tomorrow night.
That’s incredible, considering the disparity in power, build, caliber and total worth of the two combatants.
Promoters, in fact, have been hit for staging what had loomed to be a tasteless mismatch.
Not to worry, Fahsan, in stylish blue jacket and work pants, told the Inquirer, because, he said, only he knows how to stop Pacquiao.
He claimed, very confidently, that he knows of a well-guarded Pacquiao weakness.
Fahsan vowed to jump in early, dig hard and tear at the secret soft spot to upset Pacquiao, an overwhelming favorite, in their “Yanig sa Taguig” duel.
But what could be that weakness being kept by Pacquiao who had been floored a few times in his career before he rose to be a world celebrity under Freddie Roach?
“Alam ko rin ‘yon (I know what that secret is)” Pacquiao exclaimed.
Featherweight champ
But the Ring Magazine featherweight champ said he has long turn that hidden weakness into a strength and, in fact, plans to use it against Fahsan.
“Yun ang gagamitin ko sa kanya (I’ll use it against him),” Pacquiao, who said he was only a measly pound over the 126-lb limit yesterday, announced as he walked past a parade of adoring fans at the hotel lobby.
The two fighters are expected to breeze through the scales in the official 10:30 a.m.weigh-in today at the 2nd floor of the Forbes Town Center at the Bonifacio Global City.
The name of the referee and the composition of the judges in the much-awaited main event will also be announced today.
Known devourer
Fahsan, 30, a known devourer of RP fighters with over 20 Pinoy scalps in his collection, had earlier insisted Pacquiao is not in perfect condition for their bout.
As could only be expected, the peppery Fahsan refused to divulge the alleged Pacquiao Achilles heel, which the Thai claimed he had known and observed quietly even before he came over to Manila for the first time last month.
“He would not even tell what that weakness, that secret is,” Jimmy Chachotochuang, Fahsan’s manager, told the Inquirer.
The manager however said he sincerely believes what Fahsan has been telling, adding that his fighter could indeed stop Pacquiao and turn RP boxing on its head.
He said his fighter has been excited at the great coverage the fight has generated and plans to make an earth-shaking headline with a stoppage of Pacquiao.
The Thai camp said Fahsan is bound to return to a hero’s welcome to Bangkok where Pacquiao is also celebrated as the best featherweight in the world today.
Pacquiao, 25, plans to use the Fahsan fight as a tune-up for his rematch against Juan Manuel Marquez in February.
He refused to make any prediction and instead vowed to do his best for his countrymen, mainly the victims of the recent floodings for whom he donated an initial P200,000.
He said he plans to visit the ravaged areas and console the victims later.
Also being lined-up for Pacquiao by his promoter, Murad Muhammad, who turned the presscon at the Discovery Suites into a personal road show, are multi-million dollar fights against Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.
