The time did come for Cebu

Like a great movie that draws prolonged hours of talk after it’s over, last week’s boxing spectacle aptly called “The Time Has Come” has done exactly the same. Whether it was on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, trending was the name of the game for the best boxing event in the country in a long time. Pictures, tweets, stories, news reports and personal commentaries flooded the web with nothing but praises and kudos for a great night of boxing. While it may not have been perfect, I dare say it was close enough to a 100% rating. It may even go down as the best in history, but I’m sure many of our historians will balk at this.

What made it great? What made it tick? Ironically, while the boxing on the ring did its job of entertaining the crowd and showcasing the boxers, it was a case of the other stuff, the “little” things that made the event a spectacle. Nonito Donaire, Mark Magsayo, Jason Pagara, Geo Santisima did their job of showing a worldwide audience why Pinoy boxing is here to stay. That was already a given that was a sure thing. But just like the best brands in the market, it was the total experience that made “The Time Has Come” truly become a time for Cebu to shine. This experience started with the crowd support which was amazing and uniquely Cebuano/Bisaya. Estimates ranged from 20,000 to 30,000, depending on your source of information. Whatever the count, the Cebu City Sports Center grandstand was filled up, while the areas right beside the ring on the ground were also full. I say the crowd was very Cebuano or Bisaya because the way they acted naturally and weren’t plastic. We are known to be “bugal-bugalon” and it showed. When the lead singer of the Manila-based band asked if the crowd wanted to hear another song, many in the crowd shouted back, “Boxing na lang. Boxing na uy.” When the fight between Peter Fleming and Miguel Angel Gonzales turned out to be “dry” and lacking in action, a person started singing the Philippine national anthem with full gusto, hoping to get the main event going. And when the boxing on the ring was hot and intense, the crowd was on its feet, cheering for the local hero. When Magsayo went down and was in trouble, the crowd chanted “Magsayo” repeatedly to give him that much-needed hometown backing. I’m pretty sure this had a big impact on Magsayo recovering and winning by technical knock-out. When Donaire had Zsolt Bedak in trouble, everyone was standing and cheering their hearts out for the Filipino Flash. “Tiwasa na. Pa tulga na na. Knock-outi na kay manihapon na mi.” These were genuine and natural reactions up there in the bleachers. And the weather; it couldn’t have been more perfect for an outdoor event. It was a warm summer night under the light of the moon and clear skies. While the heat of the daytime was intense, the summer night was just fine.

Managing the crowd wasn’t easy, but the presence of police, bouncers, security guards, ushers and marshals took care of this. People were guided to their designated color-coded sections in an orderly manner. Traffic management outside the sports center was also adequate and efficient. Vehicles were directed to the designated parking areas and re-routing was implemented smoothly. I have yet to hear of major complaints about traffic jams around the area occurring before and during the fight even if traffic jams are now “normal” in the area. An off-the-ring host served to fill in the gaps in between fights with ambush interviews and updates as he engaged the crowd. A Manila jazz band entertained the crowd before the main event while a local all-girls group performed on the ring earlier in the night. The downside was that the band was nowhere to be found after the Donaire-Bedak fight ended when they should’ve led in the celebration/fiesta style (complete with fireworks). I hope they do this the next time out or bring in a DJ to spin some “boxing/house” music. Another impressive break from the SOPs for VIPs was not allowing politicians to go on top of the ring before the main event. With the onset of elections, it wouldn’t have been proper to allow it. The chanting of “Duterte” was clear from the crowd, but this was a natural reaction from fans and not something they forced. And this didn’t last long, too. All these little things seemed to have worked together to make the time come for Cebu.

“The Time Has Come” has proven again that Cebu can and should host more international sports events and no longer go for those of the lower type. This is Cebu pride at its best. Remember the two friendly games of the Azkals? That, too, filled up the grandstand. But we all know our major problem, don’t we? We don’t have a legitimate world-class sports stadium for these big events. The irony of it all is that our sports leaders, government officials and private developers don’t seem to be interested in investing in such an undertaking. It’s sad that our infrastructure has not kept up with the our passion for sports.

But don’t let that be major obstacle to dreaming big. “The Time Has Come” proved that we can do it with the CCSC. It was an experience of a lifetime and something that you shouldn’t have missed. Can we count on having another one next summer?

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Time-out: Enroll in the BEST basketball clinic sponsored by Milo. The clinic will be conducted May 16 to 21, 2016 at the SHS-Ateneo de Cebu Mango Avenue Campus Gym. For more info, check out the Facebook page BEST Center Sports-Cebu or call/text 0908-818-7784 and 0923-342-8193.