Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte is asking to move the proposed boxing match with Philippine National Police chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III to a later date, saying he’s unavailable on Sunday.
“I cannot be there on Sunday. I have other things to do,” Duterte said in a Facebook video posted Saturday. “Tuesday, Wednesday, or any other day.”
Duterte used the opportunity to throw jabs—both verbal and technical—at Torre, offering unsolicited boxing advice while mocking his punches. “When you jab, you immediately lower your hand… Just a little advice, practice,” he said.
He also took issue with Torre’s suggestion that the match be for charity, particularly for flood victims in Metro Manila and nearby areas. Duterte questioned the motive behind linking the bout to a cause.
“If you really just want a fight, why do you need charity?” he asked. “Why do you need to use what’s happening right now with the floods in Metro Manila?”
The acting mayor even challenged Torre to ditch the cameras and the gloves altogether, suggesting a private fistfight. “If you want, I’ll come to you, no cameras. Let’s fight, no gloves,” he said.
Adding more conditions, Duterte said he would only agree to a formal match if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and all elected officials first submit to a hair follicle drug test.
Torre previously accepted Duterte’s dare, but framed it as a charity match to help victims of recent tropical cyclones.
