Pacquiao returns to Big Dome

It’s a mere five days from the Manny Pacquiao—Oscar Larios 12-round bout for the Filipino boxing idol’s World Boxing Council (WBC) International super featherweight title.

It will be the third time Pacquiao will be fighting at the historic Araneta Coliseum. The first time was when Pacquiao defended his WBC flyweight title on April 24, 1999 against Mexico’s Gabriel Mira. Pacquiao knocked out the Mexican in the fourth round. UNIPROM, the promotions outfit of the Araneta Group, bankrolled Pacquiao’s title fight.

Pacquiao had won the flyweight crown from Thailand’s Chatchai Sasakul on Dec. 4, 1998 via an eighth round knockout. Sasakul proved to be such a tough cookie that it was clear that the Thai warrior was ahead on points when Pacquiao ended the fight in dramatic fashion in an outdoor arena outside of Bangkok.

A dehydrated Pacquiao, who had difficulty making the 112-pound flyweight limit, later unsuccessfully defended his title against Thailand’s Medgoen Singsurat on Sept. 12, 1999. Pacquiao was a pitiful sight as he grimaced at every body blow thrown by Singsurat. The Thai only knew too well that Pacquiao had already technically lost the bout even before the fight began for the Filipino’s failure to make the weight. The end for Pacquiao came on the third round.

The second time for Pacquiao to fight at Araneta was on March 4, 2000 when the General Santos native traded mitts with the brash Fil-Australian, Arnel Barotillo. Pacquiao was then defending his WBC International Super bantamweight crown he won from Reynante Jamili.

Pacquiao had just lifted the crown off Jamili’s head via a stunning knockout in the second round on Dec. 18, 1999 at the Elorde Sports Complex. Pacquiao had jumped two divisions to 122 pounds where he was more comfortable as it seemed to be his natural weight at 21 years old. It was Pacquiao’s first fight since his disastrous outing against Singsurat and the start of the long road back to boxing prominence.

Barotillo managed to get the ire of Pacquiao who called the Australia-based Filipino slugger arrogant. Although Barotillo tried to make a go of it in the first three rounds, the body blows landed by Pacquiao took their toll on the Dommy Ursua-like diminutive Barotillo by the fourth canto.

After two appearances, Pacquiao therefore has an immaculate record of two wins and no loss at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Pacquiao-Larios blockbuster will be held at a venue that has a history all its own. Opened to the public on March 16, 1960, the Araneta Coliseum’s inaugural offering was the world junior lightweight (now also known as super featherweight) title fight between defending champion Harold Gomes of Rhode Island, USA and Gabriel (Flash) Elorde. Following the historic Elorde fight were countless historical sports, entertainment, political and even religious events. Pope John Paul II presided over a religious ceremony at the Coliseum.

Perhaps one of the most memorable of these events was the "Thrilla in Manila" or Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier, Part III.

The Coliseum was renamed by strongman Ferdinand Marcos into the "Philippine Coliseum" ostensibly to favorably project the Philippines which was then under Marcos’s martial rule. Some however said that the unilateral decision that Marcos made was also meant to spite J. Amado Araneta and his family who belonged to opposite political camps. Despite Marcos’s edict, accounts of the fight and the general public still referred to the fight venue as the Araneta and not the Philippine Coliseum.

The fight was, according to Ali in his autobiography "The Greatest," the "hardest fight I’ve ever had in my life—the deadliest and the most vicious. Should I say that the fight we had tonight (morning of Oct. 1, 1975 actually in Manila) is the next thing to death."

Renovated from July to December 1999 at a cost of about P170 million, the Araneta Coliseum has a floor area of about 9,660 square meters (or almost one hectare). The total land area of the Coliseum, including the parking lot is about 3.6 hectares or 36,000 square meters. 

The dome-type structure of the Coliseum was a brainchild of the late J. Amado Araneta who got his inspiration from the Colloseum in Rome. It was considered an engineering marvel at that time and was for a time the largest dome-like structure in the world. The story is that Araneta believed that the time had come in the Philippines for a public assembly facility that could accommodate entertainment and sports affordable to everyone.

The dome has no post or any kind of obstruction at any viewing angle of the audience. It is 357 feet in diameter and a height of 140 feet or the equivalent height of a 20-storied building.

The seating capacity of the Big Dome varies from event to event: basketball - 14, 775; boxing—15,955; cockfight—12,821; ice show/circus—9,052 and off-center stage—15,467.

The Coliseum has been so designed such that watching any event in it becomes an experience all by itself. The principal designer of the Big Dome, Denzel Skinner, an American consultant for public assembly facilities brought in by Jorge (Nene) Araneta, made sure that the Big Dome was planned in meticulous detail. Seating engineers, for example, were brought in to ensure the combined objectives of maximizing space utilization and audience comfort were met.

Some of the principles enunciated by Skinner during the renovation period were: 1) the building is in reality a television studio since most of the events in it would be broadcast to mass audiences. The Coliseum must therefore be TV friendly and equipped for live TV broadcasts; 2) the Coliseum must be safe and comfortable for the performers/players and team and game officials; and 3) the spectator must feel secure inside the building and his basic needs for an unimpeded view, comfortable seating, clean washrooms and variety in food selection be satisfied. In brief, everyone must have the Araneta Coliseum experience no other venue can provide.

The forthcoming Philippine-Mexico boxing festival has all the makings of an experience. It will also feature sensational Filipino pugilists from the Antonio L. Aldeguer (ALA) stable like Ray (Boom Boom) Bautista and Cezar Amonsot and Jimrex Jaca and the come backing former world titleholder Gerry Peñalosa.

The promotion has all the makings of a blockbuster experience: an explosive card and a world class venue. Here’s to a total Pinoy victory.