CEBU, Philippines – Boxing's pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao won't be coming to Cebu, at least for now.
After several postponements, Pacquiao has finally decided to cancel his Cebu trip because of prior commitments and other important matters he needs to attend to, his confidant and business associate Rex "Wakee" Salud confirmed to The FREEMAN yesterday.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama has earlier announced that Pacquiao will visit Cebu either on May 18 or 22.
In light of that, the city government has readied a grand welcoming party for the five-division world champion in recognition of his stunning second-round knockout of British superstar Ricky "Hitman" Hatton last May 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The date, however, was reset to May 25 and again today, May 27, purportedly so that Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who just arrived home from a successful surgery to remove cancerous cells in his urinary bladder in the US, would be able to personally welcome the Pacman.
But that won't happen.
"Pacquiao hopes that the Cebuanos could understand he couldn't visit Cebu at this point of time because of his very hectic schedule. He promised to be here by the end of June though," said Salud.
Councilor Sylvan "Jack" Jakosalem, the city council's committee chairman on games, amusements and professional sports, said they understand the situation of Pacquiao.
"It's unfortunate considering that so many fans expected to see him tomorrow (today). In fact I heard the mayor said his schedule tomorrow (today) would depend on Pacquiao's visit. But we have to understand that Pacquiao's hectic schedule is not solely under his control," stated Jakosalem in a text message.
Salud said Pacquiao, a future Hall of Famer who has already established himself as one of the all-time greats in boxing history, is coming off a Thailand trip and will return to his hometown General Santos City today.
On June 1, Pacquiao will leave with his family for a 10-day vacation in Australia. After that, he will fly to New York to receive his award as "Fighter of the Year" during the 84th Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Annual Awards on June 12 at the Capitale located at 130 Bowery in New York City.
While in the US, Salud said Pacquiao will begin negotiations for a possible October 17 showdown against world welterweight champion Miguel Angel Cotto of Puerto Rico. –Emmanuel B. Villaruel (THE FREEMAN)