Bobby Pacquiao, the younger brother of World Boxing Council superfeatherweight champion Manny Pacquiao, gave credit to his opponent, former world champion Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez, whom he defeated via a split decision on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
In an interview over DZMM’s Radyo Patrol Balita, Pacquiao thanked his fellow Filipinos and President Arroyo for the prayers and support before his 10-rounder fight.
“Nagpapasalamat po ako sa lahat ng sumuporta sa amin sa mga fans ko sa all Filipinos, lalo na sa Pilipinas, kay Pangulong Arroyo, the mayor in General Santos , nagpapasalamat po ako sa lahat ng Pilipino (I thank all those who have supported me, the Filipinos, President Arroyo and the mayor of General Santos),” he said.
Pacquiao admitted that he was nearly running out of steam during the latter part of his fight with the Mexican.
He gave credit to his opponent, adding that Hernandez is a tough fighter.
“Hindi po (siya) basta basta kalaban at pinag-ano ko po talaga, pinagdasal ko po at nagpapasalamat po ako sa taas na binigyan po ako ng lakas, ang lahat ng makakaya ko para maipanalo ang laban, ginawa ko po ang lahat para manalo (He is no just a so-so opponent that’s why I gave my all. I prayed hard and I thank God for giving me the strength. I gave my all to win),” he said.
Pacquiao, who entered a 2-1 underdog, won by split decision in his ten-rounder tiff with Hernandez, who was former International Boxing Federation super featherweight world champion.
The younger Pacquiao started out strong in the first, scored a knockdown in the second round, won the fifth and had to rally in the last three rounds of the 10-round contest to get the nod of judges Duane Ford (95-93) and Chuck Giampa (95-94).
The third judge, Robert Hoyle, gave Pacquiao the first and second round and awarded the rest to the American-El Salvadorian Hernandez, 97-92.
The younger Pacquiao endured a ferocious body attack and had to summon his vast reserves of strength gained from a rigorous training regimen to score the biggest victory of his life.
A predominantly Latino crowd showed shock and disbelief when the verdict was announced in this tightly-fought match that saw Hernandez scoring mainly in the final 30 seconds of every round to steal some of the rounds in the judges’ scorecards.
Both protagonists showed puffy faces and aching bodies in a toe-to-toe battle that was well-applauded by fans.
Pacquiao improved his record to 25 wins, 10 losses and three draws.
