MVP’s Smart, fearless forecast: Pacquiao beats Mayweather

MANNY Pacquiao will win!

Manuel V. Pangilinan, chair of telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), made the fearless forecast on Friday after his brief Skype call to Manny Pacquiao in his Los Angeles home.

“We have to stay optimistic and sanguine about his prospects. All of us are praying that he wins, and he will win,” declared Pangilinan.

The executive called Pacquiao at 11 a.m. (Manila time) on Friday to personally express his support, in line with the #SugodManny campaign of Smart Communications Inc., the mobile communications unit of the PLDT group.

The initial conversation was supposed to be just a test call with the actual talk to begin at 11:30 a.m., but the two went ahead with their informal exchange as Pacquiao had not yet eaten his dinner.

It was 8 p.m. on Thursday in Los Angeles when the two Mannys talked.

First was about KIA win

The light and friendly discussion that lasted for just about 10 minutes began with Pangilinan, the country’s biggest sports patron, talking to Pacquiao about basketball and how the Talk ‘N Text team had been beaten by Pacquiao’s KIA Motors.

Talk ‘N Text is gunning for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup against Rain or Shine and as of press time, the two finalists were scheduled for game 5 of the best-of-seven series.

“Bilog ang bola (The ball is round),” Pacquiao, playing coach of KIA Motors, said with a laugh.

Keep your cool

The two also talked about trashtalking during basketball games and how it was not wise to let tempers flare. Pangilinan advised Pacquio to keep his cool in the face of trashtalking from the camp of his bitter rival, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao then thanked Pangilinan for the PLDT group’s continuing support and asked if he would go to Las Vegas to watch the fight between him and Mayweather—touted as the “Fight of the Century”—live.

Pangilinan smiled and said he would likely not be able to go to Las Vegas as he did not have “millions of millions of millions of dollars,” using the same words that Pacquiao used during a talk with celebrity TV psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw.

Having second thoughts

But after the talk with Pacquiao, Pangilinan said he had changed his mind and would check his packed schedule to see if he could find the time to watch the much-awaited fight.

He added that he would also have to check if he were willing to spend so much on a seat with a good view of two of the world’s best pound-for-pound boxers.

“I am having second thoughts. I might reconsider. Pero yung presyo ng ticket, ang mahal pala. Wala akong perang ganyan (But the price of the ticket is so costly. I don’t have that kind of money),” said Pangilinan, regarded as one of the highest paid executives in the Philippines if not in Asia.

Pangilinan also assured Pacquiao in their talk of his continuing support and that his group would be around in case a second match between Pacquiao and Mayweather would be scheduled.

Fight in Manila?

“Gawin natin dito (Let’s hold it here),” said Pangilinan, who also suggested that the fight be held at the Philippine Arena.

Pacquiao said they could talk about it when he gets back to the Philippines, where they could have dinner together.

Pangilinan joked that it should be Pacquiao’s treat. Pacquiao gave his trademark wide smile and said, “Walang problema (That won’t be a problem).”

The chair of PLDT also teased Pacquiao about his constant jogging in Los Angeles as part of his strict training regimen.

“Takbo ka nang takbo diyan sa LA. Baka pagbalik mo dito, tumakbo ka pa rin (You keep on running in LA. When you come back here, you might still be running),” said Pangilinan.

Pacquiao joked right back and said he just might do that with Pangilinan’s support.

All prayers for Pacquiao

Pangilinan, whose group has been supporting Pacquiao since 2004, told the Inquirer later that he was just teasing Pacquiao to put him at ease since he (Pacquiao) already had a lot on his mind and that the fight represented much more than just bragging rights.

“Manny himself feels that this particular fight is beyond the fight itself, and is important to him and his country,” Pangilinan said.

Their brief conversation ended with Pangilinan reiterating his support. He also told Pacquiao that everybody home was sending him prayers for a big win.

Smart encourages Filipinos to express their support for Pacquiao on Twitter using the hashtag #SugodManny. They can also use the hashtag when posting their knockout moves on Instagram, for a chance to win Manny Pacquiao-autographed boxing gloves and T-shirts.

The company also launched a web page dedicated to the Pacquiao-Mayweather battle—smart.com.ph/sugodmanny—where people can get blow-by-blow updates about the once-in-a-lifetime fight.

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