defeat in his much-anticipated fight against American Floyd Mayweather
Jr.
Gymnasiums and other public venues where the 12-round fight was shown
for free on Sunday lunchtime local time were quickly vacated after it
was announced Pacquiao lost by unanimous decision.
"Yes, it's a sad day for us," said Dan Godinez, a Filipino engineer in
Abu Dhabi. "But Pacquiao will still be a boxing icon, our national
hero. He is not only a great boxer but is a congressman known for his
heart for the poor."
Mayweather, 38, the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association
welterweight champion, remained undefeated with a 48-0 record.
Pacquiao, 36, is now 57-6-2 with 38 knockouts
The welterweight showdown was broadcast live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The first of the fans arrived at the mall before 5am on Sunday to grab
their tickets at Novo Cinemas and watch minor bouts before the main
fight, which started at 7.54am.
"I thought it was a great fight. I thought both Pacquiao and
Mayweather did a good job," said Louis Burrell, 37, a teacher in Abu
Dhabi who has lived here for four years.
"Congratulations to Pacquiao for going in and fighting, but because
we're Americans, we're rooting for the home team - Floyd "Money"
Mayweather, who dominated the fight from a defence stance. He landed
more counter-shots and power shots, his typical fight."
Mayweather is known for his brilliant defence and astute ring management.
Rashid Al Ali, 32, an Emirati security engineer, was another jubilant
Mayweather fan.
"Mayweather is an undefeated champion, but Pacquiao proved he was not
an easy opponent and put up a good fight," he said. "It was a close
fight, but Mayweather was a smarter fighter."
Another Emirati, Mohammed Al Messabi, said he was a Pacquiao fan, but
knew Mayweather would win.
"I love the way Pacquiao fights as he never runs away," said the
27-year-old networking and telecoms engineer. "But Mayweather is a
smarter fighter."
Wassim Amari, 29, a petroleum engineer from France, was unimpressed by
the judges' decision.
Two ringside judges scored the fight 116-112, while the third had it
118-110, all in favour of Mayweather.
"It was such a stupid decision," he said. "Pacquiao dominated the ring
and all Mayweather did was to run around the ring. He was running away
all the time, it's so unfair. People are saying Mayweather is the
best. He isn't."
Pacquiao, an eight-division world champion, is known for his speed,
footwork and combination punching.
Francis Ocampo, 60, a former airport employee from the Philippines who
has lived in the UAE for 15 years, agreed.
"Mayweather wasn't fighting. He should not be proud of his win," Mr
Ocampo said. "Pacquiao deserved to win this fight of the century."
"It's unfair," said Lina Khadra, 35, a Lebanese expat who was born and
raised in the UAE. "Manny put up a good fight and was a better
fighter. He's the best."
Her husband, Wissam, 45, disagreed.
"It was a very fair game and Mayweather also performed well.
But Mr Burrell said fans should study boxing to understand the sport.
"If you watch and understand boxing, you understand strategy and
Mayweather didn't fight an offensive battle," he said. "Mohammed Ali
had this quote: 'Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee'.
Mayweather always had this movement around the ring."
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