The entire Philippine delegation sat in stunned silence as soon as the official announcement was made.
Nobody said a word as China whooped it up after being awarded the hosting of the 2019 FIBA World Cup in Tokyo last Friday.
For Manny Pacquiao, who has been accustomed to winning and a vital part of the star-studded Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) group that vied for the hosting, the pain was almost unbearable.
Pacquiao was so grief-stricken that his mood changed in the final hours of Friday, according to somebody who tagged along with the famed Filipino fighter.
In fact, in the final moments Pacquiao even chatted with a caller from Manila, sounding supremely upbeat that something big was about to happen. But that wasn?t the case Friday night.
?The boss was not in the mood,? said the fellow who joined Pacquiao in Japan.
Moments before the announcement, Pacquiao was in a bubbly mood, perhaps confident that the FIBA Central Board would give the SBP the verdict.
But it was one of those nights when Pacquiao felt the pain of losing.
It was like more than ten years ago when Pacquiao?s winning streak in the US got snapped by Erik Morales.
Or maybe like the night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas one December night in 2012 when he ran into Juan Manuel Marquez?s wicked counter left that sent him to dreamland.
While the Tokyo trip was memorable, Pacquiao will probably wince when reminded about its terrible downside.
