Virtually every Filipino on this
planet will stop whatever they are doing to watch their idol Manny Pacquiao in
action this weekend.
He is the most feted person in the
Philippines and is even more popular than film stars, TV celebrities and since
becoming a congressman, he is easily the most respected politician there.
Pacquiao arrived in Dallas on
Monday; the landmark of his last victory, in March when he easily outpointed
Ghana’s Joshua Clottey and has vowed to put on a show of fistic fireworks when
he collides with Mexican bomber Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium. “Whenever
I fight, I always give my 100 per cent so this Saturday night, expect the same
from me,” promised Pacquiao, 31.
He arrived with rising Mexican
junior-middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, British super-lightweight
world champion Amir Khan and award-winning film director, producer and
cinematographer Leon Gast, whose 1996 work When We Were Kings – about Muhammad Ali
– won him an Academy Award.
Gast, who was in Manila during the
1975 Thrilla in Manila working for promoter Don King, is filming a documentary
on Pacquiao.
Before leaving Los Angeles,
Pacquiao sparred for the last time at the Wild Card Boxing Club, showing the
moves that kept coach Freddie Roach in a jolly mood heading into the last few
days before the fight. Roach had been worried that all Pacquiao’s political
work was distracting him too much.
Pacquiao even broke off his
training to take a flight to support a politician in the mid-term elections.
That irritated Roach immensely and increased his fear that Pacman could have
his mind elsewhere even on fight night.
Local referee Laurence Cole will be
in charge and Roach said he doesn’t have any problems with the choice of Cole.
“He is fair,” said Roach. Consensus is that the fight won’t go the distance
with Cole needed only to stop the bout in Pacquiao’s favour by the middle
rounds.
Filipinos is Cayman will be
clamouring around TV sets to watch their hero confirm his pound-for-pound king
status. One of them is Marjorie Lao who said: “Of course, I believe Pacquiao is
going to win.
“He says it is going to be his last
fight because he is already a politician and he will be concentrating on that
for the next year. I don’t know how good a politician he is because this is his
first time, but let’s give him a chance. Everybody deserves a chance to show
what they can do. Let’s give him some time.
“Margarito is supposed to be much
bigger than him but I believe Pacquiao’s speed, flexibility and strength will
be enough. I haven’t seen any of Margarito’s fights but I believe he will be
knocked out in the middle rounds.”
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