TORRE WINS BY DEFAULT; BASTE NO SHOW AT BOXING MATCH

PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III on Sunday won by default after acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte did not show up in a charity boxing match at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.

“You’re winner, General Nicolas Torre III!,” the ring announcer declared after the countdown ended.

The crowd even joined the ring announcer in the countdown for the Davao City mayor to show up.

The charity bout dubbed “Laban Para sa Nasalanta,” drew thousands of spectators.

Attendees bought tickets on entry at P100 for Upper Box, P500 for Lower Box, P3,700 for Patron, and P5,400 for floor seats. 

The match has raised more than P20 million in cash donations and ticket sales.

Duterte, in a vlog post, begged off from the Sunday match, saying he had “other things to do.” 

He said Torre did not coordinate with him on the fight schedule and that he would be available on other days.

Torre, with the song “Eye of the Tiger” as background, jogged towards the boxing ring set up inside the Rizal Memorial Coliseum after four undercard fights featuring boxers from the PNP Boxing Team.

Torre said the PNP has already received around P16.3 million in cash donations from various sponsors.

He said two tons of relief goods were also donated to the PNP in support of the charity boxing match, which he said is all worth around P4.2 million.

The ticket sales, he said, generated around P350,000.

Torre said the proceeds of the boxing match will go the families affected by recent storms and the southwest monsoon.

The country’s top cop has started preparing for the bout after “Baste” challenged him to a fistfight.

Torre accepted the challenge and said he wanted it to be a charity boxing match.

Meanwhile, Baste issued another statement that he would fight Torre in another date but the latter said he was no longer interested.

 “I don’t think there is still logic in anything he would say anymore. Ang credibility kase parang maloko mo ako one time, shame on you, maloko mo ako dalawang beses, shame on me,” the country’s top cop said.