FULL CIRCLE AT WILD CARD: Jhay Otamias’ Tribute to a Fighter and a Fanbase
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 30 Jun 2025
Fifteen years. Thousands of shutter clicks. One unforgettable moment.
Jayson “Jhay Oh” Otamias, the quiet Filipino-American photojournalist who built his name one frame at a time, recently returned to the famed Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles— not just to cover a story, but to complete one.
On that morning in June 21, 2025, Manny Pacquiao was deep in preparation for his comeback fight against Mario Barrios set for July 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Cameras buzzed. Reporters leaned in. But it was Jhay— humble, steady, almost invisible— who stepped forward with something that didn’t ask questions.
He offered Mr. Pacquiao a gift from deep within his heart.
A poster-sized photo collage. A personal tribute fifteen years in the making. Each image, handpicked from Jhay’s archives— a moment at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, smiles and prayerful moments. Every frame a memory. Every angle an act of devotion.
It was more than photography. It was gratitude.
“It was and always be an honor,” Jhay shared later. “To be standing there with him, not as a fan asking for an autograph, but as someone entrusted to tell a small part of his story.”
Fifteen years ago, Jhay stood outside that very same gym— just another face in the parking lot, hoping to catch a glimpse of the People’s Champ. He didn’t have a press pass. Just a dream and a camera. He got pushed around, sometimes ignored, sometimes scolded. But he returned. Again and again. Until someone noticed.
That someone was the late Chino Trinidad, who gave Jhay his first real break as a stringer for GMA News. Years later, it was Dr. Ed dela Vega— mentor, dentist, and fellow fight photographer— who took Jhay under his wing and showed him that photography could be more than a hobby. It could be a calling.
But this— this moment at Wild Card— was different.
Because on that day, the fan became a chronicler. The lensman became the storyteller. And the idol received a gift from someone who never asked for anything but a chance to stand ringside.
The two men embraced— fighter and photographer. Filipino and Filipino. Champions in different ways. One with his fists, the other with his eye.
“This collage isn’t just about Pacquiao,” Jhay said. “It’s about the Filipino story. It’s about all of us who believed, who watched, who stayed up late, who sacrificed, who found pride in a boxer who defied the world. 8 division boxing champion…wow.”
In that moment, Jhay didn’t just hand over a collage— he handed over a legacy.
And he finally stepped, however briefly, into the frame.
A Gallery for Sir Jhay Otamias
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