MANILA, Philippines -- A 60-year-old grandmother who was brought by her son to a live streaming of the Manny Pacquaio-Shane Mosley boxing fight at the Araneta coliseum on Mother’s Day, lost a Hermes bag in a bet, but was happy about it.
"I lost the bet and a bag like Dionisia’s, but I’m happy to be able to buy something for my son’s car as I promised him when Manny wins,’’ Emma Granada told the Philippine Daily Inquirer as she and her family emerged from the Big Dome on Sunday afternoon.
A Hermès bag costs $9,000 to $150,000 and has become a symbol of wealth and luxury for many women.
Granada said that she and her son Jimmy had a "friendly’’ bet before they arrived at the Big Dome on Sunday morning from Nueva Ecija where they live.
"I had to bet for Mosley, and Jimmy for Manny just to enhance the fun on this day,’’ the mother said.
She added that it’s her first time to watch a boxing match outside of her home.
Jimmy who was present during the interview said he came here in the county for a vacation with his family, and chose the Pacquio-Mosley match as a gift to his mother, a boxing fan.
"It’s perfect timing because it’s mother’s day, and my mother likes boxing,’’ he said.
Emma, who claimed she has been a boxing fan since the time of Mohammad Ali, described the just concluded event as not so great and called on Bob Arum, the fight’s promoter, to get more competitive challengers for Pacquiao.
"It was ok lang, but Arum should not allow Manny to fight boxers like Mosley, because it diminished his fighting power stature,’’ she added.
The mother who said, she considers herself ``a sort of an analyst,’’ after watching so many boxing bouts, said it was her first time to watch a boxer who almost cheated.
"Mosley’s style of fighting dirty is deplorable,’’ she said, referring to the moment when Mosley shoved Manny in a bid to knock him down.
"He was obviously desperate to win and can’t help but get nasty and push Manny to bring him down,’’ she said.
