Sunday, October 07, 2007

SPORTS

Pinoys in Taiwan Agog Over Pacquiao-Barrera Rematch
By ALEX P. VIDAL
Filipino boxing fans working in several factories in Taipei, Taiwan are equally excited as their countrymen in the Philippines and in the United States for the Oct. 6 (Oct. 7 in Manila) rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera scheduled for 12 rounds in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Wala kaming tra-baho sa Sunday (Oct. 7) kaya siguradong maka panuod kami ng laban ni Pacquiao. Pero ano’ng channel ba? (We have no work this coming Oct. 7 so it’s already certain that we can watch Pacquiao’s fight. But which TV channel?” quipped Salvador Henares, Jr., who works in a coal-fired factory in Mail Liao, some 300 kilometers away from Taipei.
Henares said during weekend when they were free. He and his fellow Filipino workers who love boxing always talk about Pacquiao who he said is not so much popular in this Chinese country.
Henares said other Filipino fight fans working in other areas in Taiwan also talked about Pacquiao and his upcoming megabuck duel with the extremely popular Barrera through text.
“Sometimes, we share our predictions in the e-mail if not in the text message,” added Henares, a Batangueno, in Tagalog.
He predicted a Pacquio win by knockout in six rounds. “Malakas si Pacquiao at hindi kaya ni Barrera ang mga suntok niya (Pacquiao is too powerful for Barrera),” he said.
Meanwhile, members of a delegation from the Philippines traveling on a technology educational tour in Taiwan, admit that “the Pacquiao-Barrera rematch is always included in the discussions of Filipinos everywhere in the world today.”
“Nasa Taiwan tayo ngayon ngunit doon sa atin, tudo na ang pustahan kung ilang round babag-sak si Barrera,” said radio broadcaster Richard Sombero of Aksyon Radyo. “We are going to cover the fight live.”
“Pacquiao will repeat his knockout win over Barrera,” predicted Adrian Moncada, an engineer from Metrobank Group of Companies.
“Excited na ang mga Pinoy all over the world to watch the fight. Ilan kaya ang mga manood sa pay-per-view?” volunteered newspaper publisher Limuel Fernandez.
“Nasaan na kaya si Pacquiao ngayon? Nasa States na ba siya?” asked Richard Eugenio, Sr., vice president of Toledo Power Company.
In his excitement to get a pre-fight commentary from boxing analysts, an anchorman from Iloilo-based DYSI-RGMA station called up by long distance a member of the delegation just to hear from him the latest about Pacquiao’s preparations.“Can Pacquiao beat Barrera by knockout? Or will Barrera avenge his loss? what is your fearless forecast dahil malapit na lang and bakbakan?” gushed anchorman Eric John Pamplona. “Aa-bangan natin ang laban na ito.” /MP

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