The boxing ring setup for the charity match between Police General Nicolas Torre III and Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian ''Baste’’ Duterte at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex is almost complete, according to photos shared by the Philippine National Police on Saturday.
There are also tables for the judges and the medical staff who will assist during Sunday's match, as seen from photos released by PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo.
Duterte challenged Torre to a fistfight in a vlog uploaded on YouTube on Sunday.
Torre accepted Duterte's boxing challenge and said there are already "sponsors" for the event.
Duterte then gave a condition for the bout to push through. He said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should direct all officials to undergo a hair follicle drug test.
In an interview with Dobol B TV on Saturday, Fajardo said Torre had refused to respond to the condition set by Duterte regarding their bout.
“Ayaw na pong sagutin pa ng ating chief PNP ‘yan dahil siya lang ay tumugon doon sa sinasabing challenge sa kaniya. At sabi nga natin, let's put this challenge into good news para makatulong sa ating mga kababayan,” Fajardo said.
(Our PNP chief does not want to answer that because he only responded to the challenge. And as we have said, let's put this challenge into good news to help our countrymen.)
Davao City congressman Paolo Duterte also urged Torre to sign a waiver that would absolve his younger brother of any legal liability should anything happen to either of them during the fight.
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However, Duterte was reported to have flown to Singapore amid his upcoming charity boxing match against the country’s top cop. According to the National Bureau of Investigation, Duterte left Davao International Airport for Singapore on Friday morning.
In a new episode of the Basta Dabawenyo podcast released on Saturday, Duterte declined to fight Torre on Sunday due to prior commitments.
''I cannot be there on Sunday. I have other things to do. Pero Tuesday available na ako (I'm available on Tuesday). Tuesday, Wednesday, or any other day,'' he said.
In the meantime, Duterte suggested that Torre work on his boxing skills.
Torre led the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, the father of the acting mayor, on March 11, based on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity related to the controversial drug war while serving as mayor and then president. — Jamil Santos/VBL, GMA Integrated News
