Dionisia, Imelda Papin's 'showdown' in Vegas
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 11/16/2009 6:02 PM
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MANILA – The “Firepower” clash between Filipino boxing icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Puerto Rican fighter Miguel Cotto is currently the talk of the town in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Manny’s spiritual adviser said prayers had helped the boxer in his quest for his 7th world title.
“Nagmistulang lisa na tiniris si Cotto, sapagkat nanggaling siya sa misa at galing siya sa confession. That made Manny the super duper greatest boxer in the whole world,” said Fr. Joey Faller.
Among his supporters and fans, Pacman’s mother, Dionisia Pacquiao, was perhaps the one who prayed the hardest while Manny faced one of his toughest opponents.
She prayed nonstop for an hour inside her hotel room. And the power of prayers seemed to have worked. Manny went on to win the WBO welterweight belt.
Dionisia was ecstatic after Manny emerged victorious again. She even gave this piece of advice to Cotto: "Tanggapin na niya ang pagkatalo niya, sport lang."
During the Manny-Cotto “Firepower” showdown, Dionisia said her son was in total control of the game, but she admitted that he also had a hard time fighting the Puerto Rican boxer.
Manny remained brave all throughout the fight because it is not in his blood to surrender, she added.
Despite her son’s successive wins, the Pacmom though still wants Pacman to retire.
Dionisia is calling on Manny to quit boxing now, saying she doesn’t want to see him get hurt again. She argued that he has already earned more than enough money to support his family.
"Ako ang nasasaktan kapag tumitingin sa mukha niyang namamaga,” she said in a separate interview on "Umagang Kay Ganda."
This is not the first time that the so-called Pacmom has asked her famous son to retire. Her fear for Manny’s safety further grew after the fight of Filipino boxer ZC Oliveros “The Dream” Gorres.
Gorres underwent an emergency brain surgery Saturday in Las Vegas following his unanimous decision victory over Colombian Luis Melendez.
On the morning after the fight, meantime, Team Pacquiao attended a Thanksgiving Mass at the Mandalay Bay Hotel’s function room.
Reports said Pacman might appear in Willie Revillame's show in Las Vegas before he visits Gorres.
Ako at si Idol
Meanwhile, Manny’s victory is not the only reason Dionisia is on cloud nine these days.
Dionisia’s second trip to the US became even more memorable after the Pacmom met her idol, Jukebox Queen Imelda Papin, in Las Vegas.
They even did a duet of Papin’s hit “Bakit,” which is Dionisia’s favorite song.
“Alam mo kung may time lang talaga, mapo-polish naming mabuti kaya nagmamadali lang kami kasi napakaraming engagement. So, triny ko 'yong kanyang boses and it came up nice,” Papin said.
Even producer Oscar Parell said he was impressed by Dionisia’s voice.
“Ang galing ng pagkanta niya. Kabisadong kabisado niya ang mga kanta ni Miss Imelda Papin. Tsaka ‘yong boses niya may vibrato talaga,” Parrel said. With a report from Bev Llorente, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau
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