pacquiao vs. hatton

it's my first time to see pacquiao's fight on pay per view. last december 7, peepee was able to see it also in danny's grill. i didn't go with them because it was gerald and bheng's wedding and i was one of the bridesmaids. i had to prepare for the wedding at that time.

this morning, peepee and i saw pacquiao's fight at danny's grill. we got a reservation courtesy of kuya alvin and his friend jay. other than kuya alvin, we were with their dad, ryan, earl and macoy. we left the house at around 9:30. kuya alvin went ahead of us and we met earl and macoy at the bar. ryan was a latecomer, but good thing he got there in the middle of the last undercard bout. reservations per person costs Php450. it includes 3 beer bottles and a plate of peanuts. while the people were waiting for the main event, some people kept busy chatting with each other. some were busy taking pictures. at times, some people would react if someone got hit (most of the reactions came from men, especially during the last undercard fight, when soto was hit below the belt). after the last undercard fight, when it showed on the projection screen that pacquiao's fight was coming up, almost everyone suddenly became alive. those who used to be busy suddenly payed attention to what the commentator said. i could hear nothing but screams everytime pacquiao's face was flashed on the screen. when hatton's face was shown, everyone was booing him.

then came martin nievera's rendition of the national anthem. personally, i don't know anything about music, but based on what i heard, and based on all the pacquiao fights that i've seen, i think martin's version was the best so far. and i loved the fact that he chose to wear francis m's brand, three stars and a sun. you just couldn't see it well because martin was wearing a blazer.

then came tom jones. i felt a bit awkward when i heard him sing God Save the Queen. the last song i remembered hearing him sing was Sexbomb. and now here he is singing the british national anthem. it was a bit unexpected, but he did a fine job.

when both boxers were introduced, all the people inside the bar were so hyped up. then the first round started. i heard people saying "yakap ng yakap si hatton", which was true. and every punch that hits hatton's face was met with "oohhs" from everyone watching. when hatton dropped the first time on round one, everyone was at their feet, clapping, shouting, cheering for pacquiao. i did the same thing. everyone settled down and when hatton was knocked down on his knees the second time, everyone inside the bar was really cheering. everyone was screaming their lungs out and clapping their hands off. i even heard someone hitting the table with something hard. i guess it was easier for that person rather than clap. hehe..

when the second round started, almost everyone was at the edge of their seats, waiting for something bigger to happen. then it came. hatton got knocked down cold. he was lying on the ring, and when his face was focused, i saw his eyes rolling around. as soon as hatton got knocked down, everyone got on their feet and i saw people pumping their fists in the air. everyone was so ecstatic! i felt sorry for hatton. but at the same time, i was glad we won. my throat was hoarse from screaming. my hands hurt from clapping. but it was well worth it.