For some brief moments the past week, I found myself wondering whether people still cared about the coming Manny Pacquiao fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. The attention that the ZTE Broadband brouhaha got was so pervasive that even at the golf course, players and caddies alike were talking almost exclusively about it.
And almost nary a whimper about the “Unfinished Business” that Manny was going to settle with the guy who audaciously got up from three knockdowns in the first round to salvage a draw after twelve.
Well, after Leo San Miguel?s testimony last Tuesday, my regular Wednesday golf game with my fellow Sundowners at Veterans was marked by the usual laments about “two putts”, “three putts” and something else- “tongpats”.
Naturally, there were spirited discussions regarding the marathon Senate hearing of the day before and while a couple of weeks ago I wrote that there was almost an equal number of sympathizers for both sides, it seems that now more are getting sick and tired of the entire affair.
Many of those I spoke to believe that all the characters in the sordid mess are of the same mold and will only trade places if ever there was a change in the presidency, which many feel is the be-all and end-all of the entire exercise in the first place.
But also a big topic was the coming fight in Las Vegas. My apprehensions were quelled as the questions, predictions and perorations finally reared its fiery head and engulfed the conversations.
A couple of friends asked if I would join them in a caf? in Makati where for P250, one could watch the fight live and without commercial interruptions and have a buffet breakfast to boot!
Another invited me to his house where he and his wife, are planning a nice barbeque lunch with beer and red wine to show off their new Blue Ray TV and satellite connection. This was the most tempting offer apart from Ronnie Nathanielsz? come-on: Fish curry amidst the company of other boxing analysts.
A retiree from the States was going around reminding everyone not to text or call him the results because he was planning to watch on free TV. He said he didn?t mind the commercials as long as he gets to watch in the comfort of his Lazy Boy, beer in hand, chicharon and peanuts on a side table. Immediately after making the rounds though, he realized he had opened himself up to the pranksters in the group. He then decided he might as well turn off his cell phone this Sunday and leave his land line off the hook, and not even answer knocks on his door!
A group was already making plans on who was going to buy the tickets for their chosen cinema and who was going to ride with whom on the way there.
So many other scenarios and so many plans all geared towards getting a vantage view of the fight that has been awaited since the issue begged for settlement the first time they fought to a controversial draw four years ago.
Everyone was impressed with the way Pacquiao looked in pictures, his face a far cry from the bloated one that he sported when he left for training camp almost two months back. His six-pack abs looked menacing at the same time reassuring.
But all acknowledged that Juan Manuel Marquez is no push-over and is a skillful and dangerous boxer. But that is the way it always is. There have been no easy fights for Manny Pacquiao and that is why his fights are always a thrill to watch.
Whether in the comfort of your own home, in the company of a couple hundred others in a raucous movie house, a friend?s hospitable home or an intimate caf?, enjoy the fight because it promises to be enjoyable.
As for me, I?ll be working for the Smart Link coverage of the fight mostly for subscribers overseas who do not have the benefit of live TV coverage. I?ll have my beer afterwards.
See you around then, and may Manny be spared from “bukols.”
