Pacquiao, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight champion, and his wife Jinky were on the dance floor at a private birthday party of Teodora Ceta in this southern city when he was assaulted by a man later identified as Reggie Teves, said police officer Rodrigo Torrento.
The apparently unprovoked attack prompted angry onlookers to go after Teves with their bare fists, Torrento told reporters. None of the suspect’s attackers were arrested.
Pacquiao was hit by broken bottle shards but was uninjured in the pre-dawn fracas, police said. He denied having thrown a punch at Teves. Pacquiao’s wife was nearly hit by broken glass.
The suspect was apparently drunk, said Senior Police Officer Doroteo Acedo. Teves woke up sober hours later behind bars in a police station.
Pacquiao, a former World Boxing Council flyweight champion, trashed Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera, one of the world’s best featherweight fighters, in the 11th round of a non-title bout in San Antonio, Texas last November. — With Jaime Laude