Follow Philippines Immigration and Philippines News: On the morning of November 24, 35-year-old Philippine national treasure and boxing champion Manny Pacquiao won the WBO International Welterweight title at The Venetian Macao's Cotai Arena. After a full 12 rounds, he defeated the defending champion and former American world champion Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios by a wide points margin (120-108, 119-109, 118-110). After a year of setbacks following two consecutive professional losses, he has reclaimed the championship, signaling the return of the king.
As the most anticipated main event of the day, the title fight between Pacquiao and Rios marked Pacquiao's comeback after a year of silence following two professional defeats. It also stands as the most high-profile professional boxing match ever held in China. On that day, almost all the spectators came for Pacquiao, and more than half were Filipino fans; this is Asia, and this was his home turf.
This match held great significance for both Pacquiao himself and the Filipino people. As a national treasure, Pacquiao had previously stated that he would dedicate the victory to the people of the Philippines who were suffering from the typhoon. After the match today, Pacquiao said, "This match today is very meaningful to me. I know many people traveled specifically from the Philippines to watch me fight, which was not easy for them. Today's victory is dedicated to them, and to the people of my country who are being ravaged by the typhoon."
To prepare for this match, Pacquiao, who is also a congressman, was unable to visit the disaster areas. However, he said his heart is with his people: "Although I was in the middle of the match, I was concerned about the disaster in my country almost every moment. Because I was competing, I had to ensure my training, so I could not rush to the disaster area immediately. As a congressman, I feel very sorry about this, but I have already sent my staff to the disaster area to visit those affected as soon as possible."
Pacquiao said that after handling his post-match commitments, he would return to the Philippines as soon as possible to visit his fellow citizens affected by the disaster.
