Proof Many Agreed to non-title Fight

GENERAL SANTOS CITY—Magandang araw po ulit sa inyong lahat, mga minamahal kong kababayan, tagasubaybay at kaibigan. Sana ay nasa mabuti kayong kalagayan saan man kayo naroroon. Good day once again to all my beloved countrymen, friends and followers of this column. I hope you are all doing well wherever you may be. Matapos kong bigyan ng go-signal ang laban namin ni Miguel Cotto sa Nobyembre 14, 2009 sa MGM Grand Garden Arena sa Las Vegas, kailangan kong tapusin na ang mga maraming bagay na dapat matapos bago ako sumabak sa matinding training sa Setyembre. After I gave the go-signal for my fight with Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 2009 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, I need to finish a lot of things before I start intense training in September. Tinanggap ko ang laban at aking haharapin si Cotto sa timbang na 145 pounds dahil alam kong siya ang may pinakamalaking potentsiyal na makapagbibigay ng magandang laban para sa mga fans ng boksing. Alam kong marami ngayon ang gustong makapanood ng magagandang laban pero sa kalendaryo ng sport sa taong ito, parang walang masyadong interes ang mga manonood. I accepted the fight and I will face Cotto at 145 pounds because I know that he has the biggest potential to give a good fight for the fans of boxing. I know that many fans today want to see good fights but it seems to me that there is not much interest in the fights calendared this year. Nabalitaan kong marami sa mga boksingero sa panahon ngayon ay nagkakaroon ng mga injuries at dahil na rin sa mabagal na takbo ng ekonomiya ng maraming bansa sa buong mundo, minsan, hindi natin maiwasan mag-isip na pwede palang magkasabay ang dalawang ito. I have heared that many boxers these days get injuries, and because of the economic recession happening in many countries around the world, sometimes we cannot help but think that it is not a coincidence that these two things happen at the same time Nalaman kong iyong ilang mga malalaking laban sa mga susunod na buwan ay hindi masyadong tinatangkilik ng mga fans at mahina ang bentahan ng mga tickets dahil na rin siguro sa ekonomiya at sa pagsunod ng mga fans sa kani-kanilang mga iniidolong mga boxers. I also learned that the big fights in the coming months are not being patronized by the fans and the ticket sales are sluggish. These may be due to the current state of the economy as a result of which the boxing fans follow only the boxers they idolize. Tinanggap ko ang alok ng laban kontra kay Ginoong Cotto dahil alam kong ito ang gustong mapanood ng mga fans, dahil ang style namin ng idolo ng Puerto Rico ay lubhang kapana-panabik at suguradong hindi boring. Dahil kaming dalawa ni Miguel Cotto ay inaasahang magsasalpukan sa simula pa lamang ng tunog ng bell, alam kong dudumugin na naman ng mga fans ang laban na ito at papanoorin ulit ito ng maraming tao sa buong mundo, hindi lamang mga kapwa ko Filipino. I accepted the challenge to fight the gentleman Mr. Cotto because I know that this is what the fight fans want to see, because my style and the style of the idol from Puerto Rico are absolutely exciting to watch and definitely not boring. Because Cotto and myself are expected to collide at full throttle from the opening bell, I know (translator: geez even in his article Pacquiao keeps using his "you know" cliche, in the Philippine there is a TV commercial where all he says is "you know") that fight fans will once again pack the venue to see this fight, and people all over the world, not just my fellow countrymen, will watch this fight. Alam ko rin at nakita mismo ng aking mga mata na maraming fans mula sa Puerto Rico ang sumusuporta at sumusubaybay kay Cotto gaya na lamang ng huli niyang laban sa Madison Square Garden na aking napanood na live. Napanood ko at na-experience na ang mga Puerto Ricans ay para ring mga Pilipino sa pagbibigay ng suporta at pagmamahal sa kanilang sariling mga kababayan. Mainit din nila akong tinanggap at binigyan-puri, kaya mataas ang respeto ko sa mga fans galing ng Puerto Rico. I also know (translator: geez that word again) and I have seen with my own eyes that there are many fight fans from Puerto Rico who support and follow Cotto, like his last fight at Madison Square Garden which I saw live. I saw and experienced that the Puerto Ricans are like the Filipinos in the way they support and love their fellow Puerto Rican. They also received me warmly and respected me, so I have a high respect for the boxing fans from Puerto Rico. Walang championship belt ang napagkasunduan sa laban na ito dahil sa catch weight na 145 pounds, 2 pounds na mas mababa kaysa sa 147 welterweight limit. Pero kahit na walang belt na nakataya, mas mahalaga pa rin na paglalabanan namin ni Cotto ang pagiging No. 1, pound-for-pound at siguradong umaatikabong bakbakan ito, walang takbuhan at walang atrasan o habulan. Championship belts will not be on the line in this fight because of the catch weight of 145 pounds, 2 pounds lower than the 147 welterweight limit. However, even without belts on the line, what is more important is that Cotto and I will fight for the No. 1 pound for pound title which guarantees an active fight, no running, no retreating, no chasing around. Sa mga susunod na buwan, hihingin ko ulit sa inyo ang lahat ng suporta na aking kakailanganin upang maghanda at mag-train. Sana, sama-sama ulit tayo sa pananalangin. In the coming months, I will again ask for your full support which I will need to prepare and train. I hope that we will all be one once again in our prayers Hanggang sa muling Kumbinasyon. God Bless Us All. Until the next Combination article. God Bless Us All. Translations taken from another thread by Burnoksan