General Santos mayor confident of Pacquiao win

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio said she was  confident eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao would be able to defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown against Mexican boxing champion Juan Manuel Marquez on Sunday.

Custodio said there would be a free viewing of the Pacquiao-Marquez third encounter at the 6,000-seat General Santos City Gymnasium.

But the mayor said the city government was still negotiating with the Solar Sports for a discounted price for the public viewing as the subscription rate has reportedly gone a little higher. She said that from P300,000, the current subscription is P400,000.

Custodio, who defeated Pacquiao in the congressional race in the 2007 elections, said she would be watching the fight live at the General Santos City Gymnasium.

The city government mounted  a wide screen inside the gym every time Pacquiao had a scheduled fight.

Live showing of the Pacquiao fight is free, but the city government is distributing admission tickets on a first-come-first-served basis to avoid overcrowding.

Outside the gym, several television sets are also mounted to allow those who cannot be accommodated inside the gym to watch the fight live.