SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Manny Pacquiao’s fifth-floor suite was filled with some of his supporters, well-wishers and autograph-seekers in the early hours of Sunday following the Filipino’s electrifying eighth-round knockout victory over Jorge Solis of Mexico at the Alamodome.
Even the lobby, bar and an area near the elevator of the Radisson Market Square saw not only Filipino but Mexicans and Americans as well waiting to get the chance to sneak inside the elevator in the hopes of meeting Pacquiao.
“I have seen the adulation of the Filipino people over Flash Elorde,” said San Jose, California-based boxing trainer Ben Delgado. “But with Manny, not only Filipinos are going ga-ga over him. There are the Latinos, Americans and almost every nationality crazy over boxing.”
They all had in hand items like shirts, posters, magazines, notepads and anything that Pacquiao could affix his signature at and the maddening crowd at the hotel only began to disappear when the boxer made a dash to the airport to catch a 6:30 a.m. flight to Los Angeles.
Even before Pacquiao scored his second straight scintillating win at the Alamodome, die-hard fans had waited for him impatiently during two pre-fight events.
Pacquiao was besieged for his autograph and often posed for pictures with men, women and sometimes children as though he was the lead singer of a rock band.
Even waitresses at the Mi Tierra restaurant, a popular Mexican restaurant that has become a Texas hang-out of those with sophisticated palates, could not help but react when they thought Pacquiao was in the house.
“Where is Pacquiao?” said a curvaceous Latina. “Is he here right now? Where is he? I want to take a picture with him and get his autograph.”
It turned out that the group of people many thought was Pacquiao’s team was a bunch of guys whose boxers saw action in the undercard.
