Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

What was it like watching Manny Pacquiao battle Ricky Hatton?

I was not in Las Vegas to witness the fight. We watched it via a live feed at the Mag.net Cafe located at the Bonifacio High Street. Thanks to Nike Philippines we saw the bout minus the barrage of advertisements seen on free TV. Watching it via a live feed was like watching it live. Fellow Filipinos cheered with every punch Pacquiao landed on the Briton. As expected, some people booed when Hatton entered the ring. I felt that same tension and anxiety before the fight started.

During the pre-fight, we managed to talk to a British fan. He declared, “If Manny gets close to Hatton, he’ll be dead.” But as it turned out, the fight was too short. Still, Pacquiao was able to unleash 73 punches (Hatton had 18 landed). As witnessed by millions of viewers worldwide, Hatton got knocked out eventually in the last 10 seconds of the second round.

Later, we saw the British fan whom we talked to earlier. His tone was now different. We approached him again to ask for his reaction. He jokingly declared, “He’s the best! Manny for president.”

For a few hours leading to the fight, the country was in a standstill. We almost forgot that just a few days ago, we’ve been hit hard by news of the swine flu, now aptly called A (H1N1).

As we recalled the day that has passed–and the reaction of those who watched the fight via live feed, it was clear that no matter where you are–in Las Vegas or in a roomful of fans watching the fight via satellite or cable–we all reacted the same way when we saw Pacquiao land that strong left hook to the jaw of Hatton. In fact, I almost broke a plate while filming the reaction of the Pacquiao fans at Mag.net cafe.