Boxing fans wanted a KO from Pacman

AIR FORCE personnel taking a break from packing relief goods at the South Harbor in Manila celebrate after boxing champ Manny Pacquiao is declared the winner against challenger Brandon Rios. INQSnap this page (not just the logo) to view more photos. KIMBERLY DELA CRUZ

Manny Pacquiao next opponent had better beware. He’s back and in good fighting form.

This was the resounding opinion of many Malabon residents who went to see a special live screening of the boxing match between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Brandon Rios in Macau, which Pacquiao eventually went on to win.

Police said some 5,000 people flocked to the Malabon Amphitheater and the nearby Oreta Sports Complex where the city government had set up large screens.

The two venues were not jam-packed as the audience could choose whether they wanted to view the fight in the open-air amphitheater or the darkened sports complex.

Despite the empty seats, the atmosphere was electric in the two venues. The crowd, composed mostly of young male adults and teenagers, erupted in frenzy as the undercard matches drew to an end and the main event got underway.

The cheering became even more intense as Pacquiao was shown on the screen in his dugout, talking to football superstar David Beckham, until the time he emerged into the arena and when the Philippine national anthem was sung.

Once the fight started, the men would shout, “Boom” and “Oompf” as Pacquiao landed punches from the get-go. “That’s the Pacman we know,” someone in the audience shouted after a strong first round for the people’s champ.

And while Pacman was impressing the audience, they grew anxious as the rounds went by. “We want a knockout,” a man shouted from the bleachers, a statement met with approving cheers.

But the knockout punch never came. Still, at the end of the 12th round, people cheered and applauded as some started to leave, confident that Pacquiao had done enough to score a win. Another round of applause and cheers went on as his unanimous victory was officially announced.

Outside, people chatted about how this was a good victory for Pacquiao.

“He was fast this time around. That really helped him win this,” a short dark man with a wiry frame said to his companion.

“Rios looked like a punching bag! This looked just like a training session for Pacquiao,” another man said as he walked out of the sports complex.

A knockout was also what a crowd of 500 at the Bernardo Park covered court in Quezon City was hoping for early on in the fight.

Ram Magtarayo, 45, thought that Pacquiao could have sent Rios facedown on the canvas. “Maybe he pitied Rios,” he remarked, referring to the American pug’s visibly swollen face after the match.

“Even if it is not a win by knockout, it is still a win. Everyone is still happy,” he said, beaming.

“He [Pacquiao] is very good but Rios is just too tough,” May Ranes, 31, told the Inquirer, adding that it was her first time to watch Pacquiao fight.

She said she found it a fun experience, particularly whenever Rios would stick his tongue out at Pacquiao every time a heavy punch landed on the American boxer’s face.

“It was funny,” Ranes added, saying it did not matter that Pacquiao failed to score a knockout. “What is important is he won again. I am proud of him,” she stressed.

In Makati City, organizers of the Legazpi Sunday Market had decided not to hold a free screening of the boxing fight. Instead, they decided to conduct a garage sale to help survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in the Visayas region.

So instead of a huge screen, there were 10 vehicles with their trunks propped open, holding a variety of goods like accessories, suits, shoes and clothes that were all for sale.

“We think this is more important than the Pacquiao screening [which we have…] every time [he] has a fight. But this time, we wanted to use the space for the typhoon victims,” Rosanne K. Hugo, manager of the Legazpi Sunday Market, told the Inquirer.

All proceeds from the garage sale  dubbed “Trunks of Hope” will go to typhoon victims through the Philippine Red Cross, she added.

One of the garage sale participants, Jennifer Javier of Random House Bertelsmann in the Philippines and Indonesia, said she decided to sell preowned and “preloved” items, including an evening dress she bought for 100 euros which she was now selling for just P50.

“This is a good way to help. We have already donated stuff. But there are things you can’t donate like party dresses and a fancy pair of shoes,” she added.

At the affluent Barangay (village) San Lorenzo in Makati, a free showing of the fight between Pacquiao and Rios was held at the San Lorenzo Park with some viewers chanting:  “End it now,” during the last few rounds.

Robert Lucero, 65, said the outcome was proof that Pacquiao remained a fast boxer. “The speed was there but the power for a knockout was gone,” he observed. Still, he said he enjoyed the fight.

George Aquino, another resident, quipped that as long as Pacquiao’s opponent was soundly defeated, he was OK with there being no knockout. With reports from Jeannette I. Andrade and Niña P. Calleja