TO no one's surprise, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III came out victorious in the main event of Boxing for a Cause: Laban Para sa Nasalanta on Sunday at Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
The top cop's hands were raised by default after a symbollic 10 count, as his scheduled opponent Davao City acting mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte no-showed the fight.
Still, the event was a blockbuster, drawing hundreds in the stands with P300,000 being raised from ticket sales. Donations also amounted to P16M, all of which will be used to help those affected by the recent calamities.
Duterte, who flew to Singapore and previously said that he has other matters to tend to on Sunday, argued in his recent Facebook Live that he didn't really challenge Torre and only said that he would maul the police chief if they fought.
READ: Looks like no boxing match is happening from Torre-Baste brouhaha
"Hindi naman kita hinamon. Ang sinabi ko lang talaga, pag nagsuntukan tayo, mabubugbog kita," said the son of former president Rodrigo Duterte, while also offering to reschedule the fight on Tuesday.
Nonetheless, the card proceeded as planned.
The undercard - which featured boxers from the PNP Boxing Team and Alas Fitness Gym had three-round, two-minute matches - saw Glen Borja win via majority decision against Christian Tulayao, Abdul Sherif Dimas outlasting Daniel Baltazar via majority decision, and Raymundo Sumugat besting Loyd Francisco via majority decision.
The other promoted fights between Niño Basco vs. Daryl Sobretodo and Troys Octaviano vs. Jefel Abrinica also did not push through.
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