Venue set for Torre vs. Baste charity boxing match — but will it happen?

What began as a fiery online challenge may soon erupt into a public spectacle, with gloves on.

On Thursday, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III wasted no time as he headed straight into training for a potential charity boxing match against acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte.

Speaking to reporters after his practice session at the PNP gym in Camp Crame, Torre revealed that preparations are already underway, with the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila being readied as the venue—should Duterte accept the challenge.

“The Rizal Memorial Coliseum is actually already set. A ring is already being set up there for Sunday,” Torre said. 

“I’m ready anytime. Now if he’s not there, we will just continue with our activity of giving ayuda to our kababayans,” he added.

Meanwhile, Torre admitted that age has taken a toll.

“I’m old, and according to my trainer, my stamina isn’t what it used to be. I also don’t punch as hard anymore,” he told reporters when asked about his readiness. 

Despite this, Torre expressed hope that a charity boxing match would still push through, emphasizing the need to raise funds for victims of recent flooding caused by the typhoons and enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat).

Torre stressed that he was stepping up not to prove physical prowess, but to show commitment to a worthy cause.

“I am no longer strong, but to give our kababayans entertainment so we can have some sort of credibility in showing up, I made some refresher on what I used to do,” he said.

While he did not confirm formal boxing experience, Torre shared a memory from his time as a cadet at the PNP Academy.

“When I was still a plebe (at the academy), I experienced being punched while my hands were tied on my back. So, I am just thinking about it as part of the preparation,” he said.

The 54-year-old PNP chief was responding to a challenge issued by Duterte, who called him out for a fistfight during his podcast last Sunday.

Instead of backing down, Torre accepted, proposing that the event be turned into a charity boxing match.

The two have a tense history: Torre, then head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), oversaw the arrest of Duterte’s father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, last March.

Earlier on Thursday, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said that an executive from a resort-casino hotel has expressed willingness to host the proposed charity boxing match between Torre and Duterte. 

“A credible source told me last night, the CEO of a popular resort casino hotel, a well-known philanthropist, is willing to open their ballroom for the ‘charity boxing match’ between Nick Torre and Baste Duterte,” Lacson wrote on X (formerly Twitter) post. 

Lacson, himself a former PNP chief, also expressed hope that the match will push through.

“For the sake of the many poor flood victims, let’s do it!”

Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Benhur “Jonvic” Remulla voiced full support for Torre, should the boxing face-off proceed.

“I’m backing our PNP chief. Well, it depends on Vice Mayor Baste if he’ll go through with it, but we’re already preparing a ring. It’s for a good cause,” Remulla said in Filipino during a radio interview. 

Remulla described Torre as a man who never backs down from a challenge.

“I told you, he’s like a bulldog—no, a pit bull. He doesn’t back down. He’s very masculine,” Remulla said. 

However, Remulla expressed skepticism about the match pushing through.

“Hula ko, wala naman mangyayari diyan. Ano lang yun, kantyawan lang. Yung freedom of speech niya at lahat, allowed naman yan (My guess? Nothing will come of it. It’s just tease Duterte can exercise his freedom of speech and all, that's allowed),” he said.

Still, he criticized the Davao mayor’s behavior, especially his use of profanity against the PNP chief and the public challenge to a fistfight.

“I think he should conduct himself in a better manner. Cursing the PNP chief and challenging him to a brawl is simply wrong,” Remulla stressed, adding that as a public official and son of a former president, Duterte should set a better example, especially for the youth.

“Mayor ka pa naman ng pinakamalaking city sa Mindanao, anak ka ng dating pangulo, mataas ang tingin ng tao sa yo tapos maghahamon ka ng suntukan? Anong sasabihin ng mga bata na kung galit ka suntukan na lang tayo. Parang doon ako nababahala (You’re the mayor of the biggest city in Mindanao and the son of a former president. People look up to you. What message does it send to kids if you resolve conflict with fists? What will these kids say: that if you’re angry let’s have a fist fight. That’s what worries me),” he lamented. 

Remulla echoed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call for disputes to be resolved legally and through due process — not through violence.