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MANILA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE) – Boxing fans in the Philippines cried foul and groaned in bitter disappointment on Sunday, May 3, as national hero Manny Pacquiao lost to American rival Floyd Mayweather Jr in the “fight of the century.”
Filipinos filled gymnasiums, cinemas and bars as the Southeast Asian nation of 100 million people stopped for Pacquiao’s battle with Mayweather in Las Vegas, which he lost in a unanimous points decision.
Pacquiao himself said immediately afterward the fight that he thought he had won. Many of his fellow Filipinos back home agreed with him as they lashed out at the judges while heaping praise on their Pambansang Kamao (National Fist).
In the posh bars of Makati City, the suit-and-tie crowds of the central business district cheered as if Pacquiao could hear them. Each round of continuous, solid punches earned loud screams of approval and support. Whenever Mayweather danced away from the Filipino boxer, the crowd booed and made fun of him.
“Puro yakap si Mayweather!”
“Get him, Manny!”
But as the fight progressed, it became clear to some fans that Pacquiao may not have the upper hand.
At the end of round 12 – when everything was at stake for the two boxers – there wasn’t any shout of victory or expressions of confidence.
And when the decision was announced, with Mayweather declared the undefeated champion, there were no cheers, no booing. Just stunned silence.
Minutes later, the crowd started to get up and leave, disappointment clear on their faces.
Stunned silence
“People like Pacquiao because he’s humble. He doesn’t trash talk his opponents, he’s not arrogant. He sounds genuine when complimenting boxers who defeated him. His simple beginnings endear him to people, even non-Filipinos,” said Leng Ombao, a member of the Philippine Titans dragonboat team, who had to ask around the sports bars in Makati for several days before she got a ticket.
Ombao said the decision wasn’t entirely unexpected. She said Mayweather may not have come out as aggressively as everyone had expected, but he had landed more punches than Pacquiao. “After 3 rounds, I knew Mayweather would win. Pacquiao should’ve come out swinging in the first couple of rounds to score more points.”
In Marikina City, also in Metro Manila, cable television technician Romeo Rivera, 41, told Agence France-Presse: “Pacquiao was cheated. Mayweather didn’t land a single solid punch.”
He watched the battle on a giant screen mounted on the back of a flat-bed truck.
‘Decision was not fair’
Even the nation’s military chief, General Gregorio Catapang, weighed in with emotional comments immediately afterwards.
“I think the decision was not fair. Like Manny said, he thought he was ahead with points. Both fought carefully but Manny was more aggressive. He was hitting Floyd,” Catapang said.
In Cagayan de Oro, the thousands of fans who watched the fight broadcast at the provincial capitol grounds booed when Mayweather was declared the winner.
“Mayweather kept running and he won?” a spectator said in the vernacular.
“He kept running and ducking and not throwing punches and the crowd booed him, yet he won? The American judges protected Mayweather’s record,” said another, referring to the American boxer’s 47-0 record before the bout with Pacquiao.
In the southern port city of Zamboanga in Mindanao, loud boos echoed inside an army gymnasium, where thousands of soldiers and their relatives watched Pacquiao given the 6th defeat of his career.
“The decision was unfair. From the start, the commentators were for Manny. Everyone is disappointed,” Lieutenant Colonel Noel Precioso said as others nearby expressed similar sentiments.
In Bacolod City, where thousands watched the fight for free at the BAYS Center, Negrenses believed that because Mayweather’s win was unanimous, it was tainted.
“He was robbed [of victory],” lamented by Edgar Noquillo, 49, a driver. “Manny won. All Mayweather did was hug and run.”
Fisherman Micheal Hugo, 36, said that “the fight was rigged.” He lamented, “I betted P1,000 for Manny.”
“Pacman won. He hit most of the punches when the first round started,” he added.
Government employee Allan Dreyfus believed that Pacquiao won 9 of the 12 rounds while Mayweather only won 3.
“Two of the judges were from Nevada,” he said, implying they were biased for their fellow American.
In Cagayan Valley, there was a similar sentiment of frustration and disbelief.
The silence in a free public viewing at the People’s Gymnasium in Tuguegarao City was unusual following loud cheers for Pacquiao during the match.
“Paanong nangyaring manalo ka kung takbo nang takbo at yakap nang yakap? Kalokohan iyan,” said Sonnyboy Manggit, a tricycle driver who stopped by the gymnasium for hours to witness, and bet for the People’s Champ.
(How can it be that someone who keeps running and hugging emerges as the winner? That’s a joke.)
“Si Manny pa rin ang panalo. Siya ang totoong boxer at fighter, sumusugod,” Manggit added.
(Manny is still the winner. He is the better boxer and fighter. He attacks.)
Manggit wishes for a rematch, saying Pacquiao embodies “the Filipino dream and hope,” and hailed his humility and “exemplary character.”
For Tuguegarao Mayor Jefferson Soriano, people should just respect the decision of the judges.
“While we are still of proud of Manny, we should still accept that he is being judged by no less than those who are knowledgeable of the field of boxing,” he said.
Soriano sponsored the free public viewing in 4 venues in this city.
– with a report from Marchel Espina, Bobby Lagsa, Raymon Dullana, and Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com
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