Sablayan lauds eight-division legend

Boxing’s all-time great Manny Pacquiao took a trip down memory lane over the weekend when he graced the latest staging of Blow-By-Blow in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro.

It was an unforgettable trip by boxing’s only eight-division champion, who, on 22 January 1995, made his professional debut in Sablayan, winning a four-round unanimous decision over local fighter Edmund “Titing” Ignacio.

Two months later, Pacquiao was back in Sablayan and he defeated Pinoy Montejo of Cebu City also in four rounds.

“This place holds a special place in my heart,” Pacquiao, who was at ringside and seen by big crowd, said in his return visit in the municipality that played a pivotal role in his rise to stardom.

While it was Pacquiao that everyone in the venue wanted to see, the main event saw Pepito Masangkay knock out Alvin Lagumbay for the Philippine Boxing Federation super-lightweight crown.

Cignal’s ONE Sports channel is the official broadcast partner of Blow-By-Blow that is telecast every Sunday at 8:30 p.m.

Blow-By-Blow was revived by the program’s most accomplished fighter in November 2022 with the mission of providing Filipino boxers a venue to showcase their wares.

Last year, it staged its first world title fight when it held the World Boxing Council minimumweight title clash between Filipino champion Melvin Jerusalem and Mexican mandatory challenger Luis Castillo.

Next up for Blow-By-Blow is a card scheduled for 12 February in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.