What began as fiery online jabs may yet — cross our collective fingers — turn into a real-deal slugfest — gloves, venue, and all. Or, maybe, not at all.
On Thursday, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III laced up and hit the mitts, training for what could be the biggest surprise boxing event of the year: a charity bout against acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte.
And the much younger Duterte at 37 did likewise, flexing his muscles and throwing left and right crosses in a boxing gym like his life depended on it.
But, like the time he did not show up for a gun duel in Manila, Duterte appeared to give himself an out not to fight Torre.
Duterte set a condition for the fight: that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and all who won in the 2025 midterm elections undergo drug tests.
Speaking to reporters after sweating it out at the PNP gym in Camp Crame, Torre revealed the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila was being prepped for the showdown — if Duterte shows up.
“The Rizal Memorial Coliseum is actually already set. A ring is being set up 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 kababayan,” he said, referring to the reason he accepted Duterte’s challenge, which is to raise funds for the victims of the typhoons hitting the country.
Torre, ever candid, admitted that Father Time has worked his body shots.
“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 said with a chuckle.
Speaking in Filipino, Duterte told his nemesis: “Don’t worry, Torre, because I’ve wanted to beat up a monkey for a long time. If you just want a fistfight, why does it have to be for charity?”
He brushed aside the PNP chief’s use of the ongoing flood situation in Manila as a backdrop for the event, citing it as unnecessary.
“Why do you need to use the current flood situation in Manila? If you’re really serious about this, if you really want that charity and you’ve laid some conditions — let me lay my own conditions for the event,” he said.
“If you’re really serious, okay? These are my conditions. Please ask your boss, the President, and let it come out of his mouth that all elected officials should undergo a hair follicle drug test. If that condition is met, I will support your charity event — no problem,” Duterte said.
“I am no longer strong, but to give our kababayan entertainment so we can have some sort of credibility in showing up, I had some refreshers on what I used to do,” Torre said, throwing verbal jabs at the idea that this is about ego.
While Torre didn’t confirm any formal boxing bouts in his past, he did recall a rough-and-tumble initiation at the PNP Academy.
“When I was a plebe, I was punched with my hands tied behind my back. So I just think about that as part of my preparation,” he said.
At 54, Torre isn’t exactly in welterweight prime but he’s clearly willing to go the distance.
The callout began last Sunday when Duterte challenged Torre to a fistfight on his podcast. Instead of ducking the swing, Torre proposed turning it into a charity boxing match — a tactical pivot worthy of a veteran.
The two have a history outside the ring: Torre, while heading the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), oversaw the arrest of Duterte’s father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, back in March. Tension, it seems, is already in the undercard.
Fueling the hype, former PNP chief and now Senator Panfilo Lacson chimed in from ringside — er, X — saying a prominent CEO is willing to host the bout at a resort-casino hotel.
“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.
“For the sake of the many poor flood victims, let’s do it!” he added.
In Torre’s corner is Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who offered full-throated support should the bell ring.
“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 didn’t hold back with his praise, likening Torre to a fighter who doesn’t flinch.
“I told you, he’s like a bulldog — no, a pit bull. He doesn’t back down. He’s very masculine,” he said.
Still, the Cabinet official cast doubt on whether the bout will happen at all.
“My guess? Nothing will come of it. It’s just a tease,” he said. “Duterte can exercise his freedom of speech and all, that’s allowed.”
But Remulla was less amused by Duterte’s choice of words — particularly the cursing and public challenge.
“I think he should conduct himself in a better manner. Cursing the PNP chief and challenging him to a brawl is simply wrong,” Remulla said.
“You’re the acting 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? That’s what worries me.”
He echoed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s reminder that disputes are best settled through lawful means — not uppercuts.