KUWAIT CITY, Nov 13: Most of the Filipinos in Kuwait woke up as early as 5:00 am on Sunday to watch on The Filipino Channel the most awaited fight between Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico. Some watched in groups while others stayed in their homes as they waited in excitement for the match. On the other hand, some Filipinos also trooped to the residence of Ambassador Shulan Primavera to watch the fight. As the first round started, everyone was anticipating a power-packed performance from Pacquiao but much to everyone’s surprise, they saw Marquez throwing a number of punches on Pacquaio eliciting dismay and a lot of whining from the televiewers. Some of them can’t help but scratched their heads in disbelief as they see Marquez punching on Pacquaio. Cheers erupted in between rounds as Pacquaio gave Marquez some of his power punches but not as good as everyone expected.

As the bell rang signaling the end of round 12, everyone in the Ambassador’s residence was silent but their faces lighted up and they all broke in cheers when it was announced that Pacquaio won via majority decision and retained his WBO welterweight title. Dave Moretti and Glenn Trowbridge gave the bout to Pacquiao, 115-113 and 116-112, respectively, while Robert Hoyle saw it as a 114-114 draw.
Pacquaio’s controversial finish elicited mixed reactions from the Filipinos in Kuwait. Some were happy of his victory while at the same time thought it was lopsided. “I may not be a boxer but it doesn’t need for one to be a boxer to see the very obvious on the TV screen. My eyes didn’t lie. I saw how Marquez dominated the match. I believe even Pacquiao knows that,” stated Mac Khalil who was happy for the win but still in disbelief.

Meanwhile, some avid Pacquiao fans can only sympathize with Marquez. “The fight wasn’t fair and square. I’m a Pacquiao die-hard fan but I’m not too happy on his victory this time. Something seems wrong. I’m just being honest and that’s how I feel. I know it would be very painful for me to accept if Pacquaio had lost, though, how painful it is, I would still go for what is right and fair,” pointed out Mario De Los Reyes. However, a number of Filipinos still believe that Pacquiao did his best and Marquez is a great fighter. “Marquez fought well. He made big movements but I believe Pacquiao did better. Maybe, some just didn’t see the jabs and punches that Pacquiao made at Marquez. . So the result is not impossible. Pacquiao deserves the win,” stated Abdulgani Abubakar who was still euphoric after the match. According to CompuBox, Pacquiao threw 578 punches and landed 176, while Marquez connected on 138 of 436 punches. Pacquiao also connected on 117 of 274 power punches, while Marquez landed 100 of 254 power punches.

“The decision of the judges is final. No matter what, Pacquiao is still the people’s champ that we Filipinos should be proud of. Congratulations to Pacquiao and thank you for bringing honor once again to the Philippines and to all Filipinos worldwide,” cited Robert Bulquiren. “Manny Pacquaio, you’re the best!,” blurted Caridad Rivera after watching the match. When the Arab Times asked Ambassador Primavera for a reaction, he refused to comment and just smiled back as he thanked everyone for watching the match at his residence. The controversial match between Pacquiao and Marquez also drew varied reactions from the netizens on Facebook and Twitter and has been the trending topic on Sunday.