AFTER six years of waiting and speculations, swinging from hope to despair among fans, fiesty jabs on social media between both camps — the dream boxing bout will finally come true on May 2, 2015. Our Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. will fight in the ring to answer the nagging question among boxing aficionados: Who is the better fighter?
Mayweather himself posted a picture of the signed contract on his Shots account last Friday afternoon, Feb. 20, while Manny Pacquiao confirmed the May 2 fight through an ABS-CBN News interview.
In his post Mayweather wrote: “What the world has been waiting for has arrived. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao on May 2, 2015 is a done deal. I promised the fans we would get this done, and we did. We will make history on May 2nd. Don’t miss it!”
“The fight is on. Let’s get it on. I’m excited. The fans deserve it. So, thank you,” the Pacman said.
In an interview with ABS-CBN Sports Correspondent Dyan Castillejo, Pacquiao said he welcomes the title “underdog” in this long-awaited match, with Floyd Mayweather bragging he is undefeated after all. Always humble, the Eight-Division champ Pacman assured kababayans and his fans that he will train hard for this boxing event of this age.
“I need at least six weeks to get Manny ready for the fight,” Pacquiao’s coach Roach said. This, as Roach admitted in a report by FightHype that he thinks “Manny Pacquiao no longer has the killer instinct he once had.”
Why did it take six years for this megafight to happen? In an exclusive report by Balitang America’s Las Vegas Correspondent Bev Llorente with Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter said clashing egos and people wanting to have a say in the terms and conditions of the fight got in the way.
As boxing fans, including Filipinos all over the world, have started preparing to head to Vegas to watch the historic fight at the MGM Grand Garden, Arum told Llorente that the arena ticket would definitely go as much as $5,000 (or Php 220,000) in prime ringside seats. This price tag is definitely something only the rich and famous can afford.
Meantime, ordinary mortals like you and me may organize viewing parties with friends and family and watch the megafight together via pay-per-view, the price of which, Arum said, will most likely skyrocket as well.
With only 10 weeks to go before the showdown between the Pacman and his arch rival Mayweather, kababayans share musing on social media:
“It does not matter to me if Pacquiao becomes absent in Congress again, so long as he defeats Mayweather!”
“Sana nasa malapit sa ring si Aling Dionisia para makulam niya sa tingin at daliri sa Mayweather!”
Magreretire na kaya si Pacquiao pagkatapos ng laban na ito sa laki ng kikitain niya rito kahit 60% ang share ni Mayweather at 40% lang sa kanya sa partihan?”
Magiging makatotohanan kaya ang laban at hindi scripted na magtatapos sa ‘tie’ para may aabangan pa ang mga tao. sa totoo lang, ang boxing ngayon ay parang palabas na lang at hindi na tunay na sport!”
“Pacquiao!!! Go Pacman! “
* * *
Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
