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Monday, November 20, 2006
Pacquiao ends trilogy with Round 3 knockout
CEBU CITY -- With a knockout in the third round, Manny Pacquiao finished his trilogy with Mexican fighter Erik Morales and brought to their feet millions of Filipinos watching in Las Vegas and at home.
Filipinos young and old erupted in cheers as thousands of boxing fans watching a live telecast of the fight spread the word through their cell phones: "The Pacman won."
Sun.Star Network Online round-by-round coverage of the Pacquiao-Morales Sunday fight here
From Hanoi, where she is attending the summit of Pacific Rim leaders, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said, "My heart beats with extreme joy with another victory for the Philippines." She congratulated both fighters for "a battle well fought."
"We all gathered around in our homes and places of work, in the streets and farms to pray for Manny," Arroyo said in a statement sent via text message by her spokesman. "Manny will always be our hero, the bearer of the Filipino dream of winning the good fight in all fields of human endeavor."
"He will always be the people's champ," Arroyo added.
Pacquiao finished the Morales trilogy with the flair befitting a movie star, knocking down the Mexican three times on the way to a third-round knockout victory Saturday night in Las Vegas, in the super featherweights' third meeting in 20 months.
Monopoly
The fight was broadcast live in selected cinemas, malls and via the pay-per-view telecast, and for free in some sports centers, where people found out first about Manny's victory.
In Cebu City, the streets were quiet from morning to early afternoon, as people stayed home to watch the fight.
But past 1 p.m., after Pacquiao knocked Morales out, it seemed there was nothing else people could talk about.
Cebu City Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem, chairman of the council committee on games, amusements and professional sports, already has plans to make Pacquiao's next fight more accessible to local crowds.
He will sponsor a resolution when Pacquiao takes on Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera for the World Boxing Council super-featherweight crown for the fight to be shown on wide screens installed in the different barangays' sports complexes.
"So those who can't afford pay-per-view and entrance fees can finally see their hero live as it happens," he said.
"To his credit, it looked like Morales gave it his all, (but) he just wasn't there. The third round, he was just a punching bag for Manny. And the look on his face after he went down for the last time reflected what every Mexican watching must have been thinking: What the heck was that?"
Short
Those who paid P400-P500 at the SM City Cebu cinemas felt it was worth it, saying Manny's performance was flawless. They did not mind that the match lasted for only a few minutes.
Bohol Vice Governor Julius Herrera said Pacquiao gave a "good performance and deserved to win." He bought a ticket last Saturday, saying he opted to watch the match at SM Cinema for comfort.
"Satisfied gyud ko kay wala'y point si Morales sa third round. Weak gyud kaayo siya," said Tony Fernandez, 46, of Deca Homes, Minglanilla. He said he could not wait for the delayed telecast so he had to pay extra to watch the live telecast.
"Sulit kay Pilipino gud ta (It's worth it. We're Filipinos)," said Gil Castro, 47, of Barangay Tisa, Cebu City.
Spectators who came out of the theaters were quick to make phone calls and send text messages. Those who watched the free telecast at the SM City Food Court did not mind that the images they were watching were delayed.
"Init man didto sa among balay. Maayo diri kay aircon (It's better here at the mall because it's airconditioned)," said one spectator.
Across classes
The food court was packed as soon as Sarah Geronimo began singing the national anthem.
Elmo Repollo, 48, came all the way from Amlan, Oriental Negros. While his wife and two children were shopping, he stayed at the food court to watch the delayed telecast. He said it was by chance that he was watching the fight at the mall. They were in Cebu to light a candle for Señor Sto. Niño.
Mall employees also kept on wondering who had won.
Across town, the ballroom at the Cebu City Sports Club was festive, with spectators joking that today should be declared a holiday.
The cheers began as soon as Pacquiao was introduced.
As Morales shook his head after falling the second time, shouts broke out, while others began jumping in delight.
The club served a breakfast buffet for spectators who paid P400 to watch the live match. A businessman joked that his hunger subsided because of Manny's win.
Others said Pacquiao's fight with Oscar Larrios was more exciting because it reached 12 rounds.
Traffic
At the New Cebu Coliseum, fans lined up as early as 7 a.m. for the best seats. At least 10 policemen from the Carbon Police Station and the Mobile Patrol Group were sent there.
As the crowd fought to deal with the heat, vendors sold food, bottled water and souvenir mugs, at P150 each.
When the screen showed Pacquiao sauntering towards the ring, chants and applause for "the people's champ" filled the coliseum. Some fans took off their slippers and clapped them, the better to cheer their idol on.
Some boxing fans, though, chose to stay home.
The Baclayon family paid P1,250 to watch the live match in their house in Banilad. They invited some of their friends to watch the match with them.
They said it was also more comfortable to watch the live match at home.
Two enforcers from the Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management and an agent from the Land Transportation Office confirmed that starting at 10 a.m., there was hardly any traffic downtown.
At the Carlock cockpit along Tupas St., one of the oldest cockfighting arenas in Cebu, no match was scheduled until the Pacquiao-Morales fight ended.
"Wala gyoy tari, kay wala'y manok (No one bothered to bring a game cock this morning)," said Juanio Dugenio, a vendor at the cockpit for more than five years.
Discipline
A meeting of the Parish Pastoral Council in at least one Cebu City barangay was to start at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, but because of the fight, the parishioners moved it to next week.
For those watching the delayed telecast, the action didn't start until 2 p.m. Pacquiao's wife, Jinky, said her husband's victory in the third round was a surprise.
"I did not expect that the fight would be that quick. I expected it to last up to round 10," she told Manila Radio DzMM from Las Vegas.
Pacquiao, who has become a national icon and inspiration for his rise from poverty, said he went to the ring nursing a fever due to swollen tonsils. He said he wants to rest after the match.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama said that by winning the match, Pacquiao "has sent a message that he is the better boxer."
"He has sealed his reputation and erased doubts on his skills. No one can question that," he said.
Homecoming
He cautioned the boxing icon, though, to hang on to his humility and discipline, so he can continue to be a real role model.
"Hopefully, if he will continue to come out as what he is, as a disciplined boxer, then he can be considered as the modern hero of our time," the vice mayor added.
At a cinema in Makati, ecstatic fans jumped and cheered loudly after the third-round knockout. The dimly lit theater was suddenly aglow with the light from hundreds of cell phones, as fans passed on to friends and relatives the news via text message.
Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza, who joined hundreds of fans who watched the live feed at a sports center, promised to organize "a hero's welcome, a superstar's welcome, a friend's welcome." (MEA/RHM/JST/AIV of Sun.Star Cebu/AP)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (November 20, 2006 issue)
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