Malaca?ang yesterday called on Filipinos to support boxing icon Manny Pacquiao when he battles Mexican Oscar Larios in their 12-round super featherweight match on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that it is very important for the Filipino people to give their full moral support for Pacquiao. There would be pressure on Pacquiao, who is considered to symbolize the Filipino people, to win because he is fighting on home soil, he said in a Malaca?ang press release.
However, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has yet to confirm whether she will be at ringside to support Pacquiao in his bout, Ermita added.
Arroyo is set to return to Manila on the day of the fight from a one-week official visit to the Vatican, Italy and Spain.
Pacquiao, an adopted son of Bacolod City, is using the Larios fight as a buildup for his megabuck third showdown with another Mexican legend Eric Morales whom he stopped in their second fight early this year. Morales won their first fight by unanimous decision.
Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia has ordered the installation of TV sets at the City Hall grounds, Bacolod Arts, Youth and Sports Center, Burgos Market, Central Market and Libertad Market for the public to watch the fight.
Pacquiao is an “adopted son” of Bacolod City.
Meanwhile, Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella said Larios played underdog yesterday when the two fighters were presented during a press conference promoting the fight.
It is all psychological warfare for Larios, Puentevella said, predicting that Pacquiao will take a short route to victory.
Puentevella, who attended the press conference yesterday in Ortigas, based his prediction on the fact that Larios had to exert more effort to gain weight so he would not get overmatched in his 130-lbs showdown against Pacquiao, who is more comfortable fighting in the same weight category.
Also fighting on Sunday are Sibulan-born boxer Jimrex Jaca, who boosted his stock when he won in the undercard of the Morales-Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas, and Negrense Gerry Pe?alosa. Both boxers are fighting Mexicans in the event dubbed “Mano-a-Mano” Philippines vs. Mexico. *CPT
