Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight night at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather wins by unanimous decision. PHOTO BY REM ZAMORA/INQUIRER/See more at FRAME
For Ferdinand Piñol, municipal administrator of Mlang town in North Cotabato, Floyd Mayweather Jr. won because he “threw 265 hugs and ran 15 miles.”
In the frustration of some of those who watched the fight at the Kidapawan City gym, they threw the monobloc chairs.
North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, who watched at fight at MGM Arena, said although Pacaquio lost, “we enjoyed” watching the game.
In Pacquiao’s home province of Sarangani, Jeffrey Abellanosa, who watched the fight at the Alabel gym, said their congressional representative should have won.
“The score did not reflect what I saw during the fight — that Manny won,” Abellanosa said.
For the Zamboangueños, Floyd Mayweather was “maru,” which meant “clever” in Chavacano. They also called the American judges “hecho” or game fixers.
John Amin, one of those who watched the fight inside the Western Mindanao Command headquarters, said Mayweather “hardly delivered a punch, and kept on running around and embracing Pacquiao.”
For Mayor Joel Lopez of Sta. Cruz town in Davao del Sur, Pacquiao and the boxing fans “deserve a rematch.”
In Tagum City seconds into the eighth round, the huge LED screen set up near the Davao del Norte Sports and Tourism Complex in Mankilam village here went dark.
It was an ominous for the thousands of fans as they failed to catch two rounds of the fight that saw Pacquiao losing to Mayweather by unanimous decision.
“It was disappointing,” said Jerwin Libre, a 37-year old habal-habal (motorcycle-for-hire) driver who was among the thousands who squeezed into the packed roofed venues near the Pasalubong Center in Tagum City.
A sports official from Western Visayas participating in the Palarong Pambansa that would officially open on Monday said he was a bit disappointed, not by Pacquiao’s loss, but by the live telecast’s brief interruption.
“Floyd was piling up points in the early rounds,” said the sports official.
Sofonias Gabonada, provincial information officer, said it was vthe cable provider, whom he did not identify, who was in-charge of the telecast.
But for many who watched the fight, Pacquiao did everything to win it.
“Mayweather kept on running away and avoiding Pacquiao,” said Ruel Dagsangan, an announcer of a Tagum-based radio station.
(With reports from Julie S. Alipala, Williamor Magbanua, Frinston Lim, Alan Nawal, Orlando Dinoy, Eldie Aguirre and Charlie Señase, Inquirer Mindanao)
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