Filipino Pacquiao fights for devastated homeland
Print Edition
Filipino great Manny Pacquiao will carry the weight of a nation in mourning when he enters the ring today in the first major international fight to be held in China’s Macau.
Just a fortnight after one of the world’s worst typhoons smashed into the Philippines, killing more than 5,200 people and leaving millions homeless, Pacquiao has dedicated the fight to his millions of fans back home.
Away from Macau’s glitzy resorts in the battered city of Tacloban, Susan Vergara, caretaker of the Tacloban Astrodome which was caught in the center of the storm, says the fight will be beamed live into the arena.
Some 3,000 people left homeless by Typhoon Haiyan have made the stadium their home. The bout will also be broadcast to security forces and aid workers at Tacloban’s city hall and airport.
“The Pacquiao fight gives us inspiration even though we have been suffering from the typhoon. I hope he wins,” said Vergara, 50.
Eight-weight Pacquiao, who is also a congressman from Sarangani Province, said this week the tragedy was inspiring him to succeed. “My countrymen, I want to make them happy. To bring honor to my country.”
Pacquiao will also be fighting for his career when he takes on American Brandon Rios and is seeking to re-establish himself as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.
Two straight defeats, the second a brutal sixth-round knockout by old foe Juan Manuel Marquez last December, prompted pundits and fans to suggest retirement for the Filipino.
Today’s non-title welterweight fight is Pacquiao’s first in Asia in seven years.
Among those expected to watch the Pacquiao bout will be former England soccer star David Beckham.
“This fight will mean so much to him because for a slight moment this fight is going to put a smile on the people’s faces in the Philippines,” said Beckham, who this week announced he will launch his own professional soccer team in Miami.
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