Welterweight bout keeps Kolkata hooked

KOLKATA: With $300 million at stake and two charismatic fighters vying for the booty, it couldn’t have got bigger for boxing enthusiasts. And Kolkata couldn’t stay away from the excitement of the big bout either. So, on Sunday, the city woke up early to catch the welterweight duel between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao on TV. The marathon 12-round fight had everyone on the edge of their seats with Mayweather eventually emerging the winner.Many felt Pacquiao should have won and got an unfair deal.
The build-up to the match at Las Vegas had started on social networks last week. It got many to follow the bout and watch it on Sunday. IT consultant Rajarshi Chowdhury was among them. A football enthusiast who rarely misses a La Liga game, Rajarshi said he was intrigued by the massive enthusiasm about the welterweight fight. “It was not a heavyweight bout but the amount of money at stake and the interest generated was mind-boggling. I read up about the boxers on the Internet and felt drawn to the bout,” said Rajarshi. The fact that Mayweather hadn’t lost a game in his career and that Pacquiao was a member of the Philippine House of Representatives fanned his interest.
He loved the match. “It was a nail-biting bout. A very tactical one that was not always full of action, but very engaging. In the end, Mayweather deserved to win,” he said.
Sagar Dakua, a boxing enthusiast, chose to differ. Pacquiao got a raw deal, he felt. “It was a very close bout and either of them could have won. Pacquiao, I felt, had the upper hand. I loved the way he fought. He was oozing charisma. Mayweather, on the other hand, is a typical American boxer and very workmanlike,” he said.
The hype surrounding the bout left him foxed as well. “Yes, I have never seen so many people talking about a welterweight fight on social networks. Perhaps it was the money or it might have been due to Pacquiao. That he has been a musician and a Member of the Philippine House of Representatives made it an unusual bout,” felt Dakua.
West Bengal Kick-boxing Association secretary Montu Das missed the fight on TV. But he was flooded by calls from young boxers all over the city who watched it. “The interest was both surprising and encouraging for the sport. Combat sports like boxing are not very popular in Bengal. But this time, people who never watch boxing watched it with keen interest. Let’s see if it turns out to be a spurt for the sport,” said Das.
Pinaki Dey, a student, had been following the fortunes of the two boxers ever since 2009 when a face-off between Mayweather and Pacquiao was first planned. “It has been a long and interesting build-up. Social networks picked it up much later. But boxing enthusiasts like me have been waiting for it for some years. In the end, it turned out to be a fitting battle,” gushed Dey.