Fight of Champion World Walterwiegh Championship between Pacquiao and Matthysse.Seen Malaysia Prime Minister and Philippines President Tun Mahathir and Duterte watching the fight. Picture by -Ahmad Zamzahuri
BUKIT JALIL – An ardent advocate of non-violence, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad expressed interest in taking up boxing after catching the Manny Pacquiao-Lucas Matthysse welterweight final here today.
The prime minister had flown back from a development briefing on Sarawak in Kuching this morning just in time to catch the Filipino defeat the Argentinian in a seven-round total knockout bout to win the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight crown.
“Had the pleasure of hosting President Duterte and my big boss @chedetofficial for the Manny pacquiao’s boxing match.
“Tun said he doesn’t like violence, but when i told him that mayweather earned USD250Million from 1 match, Tun said he will leave politics and pick up boxing,” Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman tweeted after the match, referring to Dr Mahathir.
The 93-year-old Dr Mahathir was most likely joking about becoming a boxer, but his attendance at the Axiata Arena in the Bukit Jalil Stadium nearly snatched the spotlight away from the WBA match and its two contenders.
But he wasn’t the only politician in the limelight there. First to arrive was Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, followed by Syed Saddiq, Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu and Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
Syed Saddiq@SyedSaddiq
Had the pleasure of hosting President Duterte and my big boss @chedetofficial for the Manny pacquiao’s boxing match.Tun said he doesn’t like violence, but when i told him that mayweather earned USD250Million from 1 match, Tun said he will leave politics and pick up boxing
And it turned out that champion Pacquiao is a big fan of Dr Mahathir too.
“Firstly I’d like to thank them both for being in the stands to witness my fight,” the 39-year-old Pacquiao told a news conference later, referring to both Dr Mahathir and Duterte.
He thanked the Malaysian government for hosting the match here and praised the facilities and atmosphere, promising to return for more boxing matches.
“I’ll be looking forward to more boxing matches here in Malaysia,” the eight-division boxing champion said.
Pacquiao was also excited that he managed to exchange a few words with Dr Mahathir after his fight.
“I’ve already spoke to the prime minister and the equipment we used in Kuala Lumpur for this training will be donated to the government.
“We’re in talks to promote boxing in Malaysia and we’re going to start it real soon,” he added.
Pacquiao triumphed over Matthysse in a technical knockout after two minutes 43 seconds in round seven.
– https://www.malaymail.com
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