(Reuters) - Filipinos in cinema halls, hotels, public parks and prison facilities were left jubilant on Sunday after Manny Pacquiao outboxed American Shane Mosley to easily retain his WBO welterweight title in Las Vegas.
"Manny is the greatest fighter in our boxing history," Jay Salvador, 22, a sailor, told Reuters as a packed movie house in Mandaluyong City celebrated when Mosley hit the canvas in the third round.
"I cannot hide my disappointment because after the third round, I was expecting Manny to finish him off early. They should start looking for a stronger opponent for Manny. (Floyd) Mayweather (junior), you're next."
Pacquiao, a congressman and widely regarded as the planet's best pound-for-pound fighter, registered a unanimous points victory over Mosley.
In Manila's business district, hundreds of inmates watched the fight on a large screen, under tight guard from baton-wielding jail wardens and police, who separated rival gangs to prevent a clash.
There was a sea of colorful umbrellas in Marikina City in the capital as fans braved rains to get a better view of huge TV screens set up in a crowded public park.
"We're happy that Manny won," said Cresencia Betino, 39, who celebrated Mother's Day watching the fight at a shopping mall in Pasay City.
"I don't mind paying 400 pesos ($9) because it was worth it."
Philippine President Benigno Aquino issued a congratulatory message from Jakarta, where he was attending the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders' summit.
"There's no doubt he is a real hero," Aquino said, heaping praise on the champion who wore yellow gloves as part of his campaign to fight poverty in the Philippines.
Soldiers also took a break to watch the fight inside military bases across the archipelago, imposing an undeclared truce with Maoist guerrillas and Islamic militants.
Major-General Anthony Alcantara, army commander in Muslim areas on the southern island of Mindanao, said troops resumed patrols and security-related operations after the bout.
Police authorities have said the crime rates drop every time Pacquiao enters the ring.
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