ICAP reserved the Carlos P. Romulo auditorium at the RCBC building and gave invitations to clients to watch the Pacquiao - Barrera boxing rematch live on cable ... albeit on the big screen. Many people showed up, since the live broadcast is pay-per-view, and the one available on regular TV and regular cable is on delayed telecast (with LOTS of advertising). Got 2 tickets and dragged my brother along.
The last time ICAP gave out tickets for a similar event, it was held in SM Mall of Asia. They must have figured out renting an auditorium is cheaper ... they have unlimited hors d'oeuvres and drinks outside the auditorium door this time. There were about 3 fights before Pacquiao and Barrera would go into the ring... which makes the food table a good idea. My brother and I unfortunately ate breakfast at Jollibee before going to Makati, so we were too full to taste the food on the table. We weren't in a hurry to get to the auditorium at 8:30AM, since we estimated that the main event wouldn't start till after 10AM.
We still got in early (maybe around 9AM). We sat somewhere in the 5th row from the screen, and we arrived in the middle of the Forbes-Bojado match.
The next match was Andrade vs. Mack. Yusuf Mack works his shoulders in such a way that it looks like a dance move. Buddy's dance moves to be precise...one way to put it - disco moves of people in their mid-40s to 60s. I knew Buddy was seated two rows behind me. I texted to him that Mack was doing his dance. Without warning I felt something tap the back of my head. He actually stood up and reached over one row just to do that! I turned around and he said (in Tagalog): "You think I don't know you're sitting there?". I was laughing for about 10 seconds. I texted the same message to Che. I think she was sitting in the loge upstairs. She replied in agreement. Although Mack started out blazing, I knew Andrade was going to win when a few rounds later I saw the glint in his eyes that said: "I could taste victory/I could take this man down". Andrade was even smiling in the last few rounds.
Luevano and Davis were next. Luevano is one good looking guy, I must say. It was funny when he faced Davis with an arched eyebrow. First impression? Luevano was very confident he'll win, but I felt Davis might pull a few surprises. I wasn't wrong. Davis had managed to press Luevano to the ropes at least once, and he sure as hell tried to keep up even after wounding his eye. It's a wonder Luevano hasn't been too distracted with trying to pull his shorts up. If you manage to watch a replay, count how many times those hands move to the hips to pull up those shorts.
Pacquiao's face was definitely more confident (and smiling) compared to Barrera even before the fight. Barrera would unleash some mean-ness in the ring but Pacquiao eventually won by unanimous decision. Barrera was more on the defensive side, and in my opinion, it was often up to Pacquiao to start the actual exchange of blows. In previous fights, ones I did manage to watch anyway, I hated Pacquiao's tendency to just charge in ... simply because his body stance leaves him open to any counterattack that could floor him. He improved with Morales, and is definitely much better in this fight with Barrera. Thumbs up to his coach... who I hope has enough patience considering that Pacquiao's recent distraction would come from his recent contract with GMA 7 as a talent.
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