Even Pacman kids want megafight – CNN

MANILA, Philippines - From the Big Dome to the narrow streets of Manila to the tightly guarded Forbes Park, a CNN crew followed Manny Pacquiao around last week.

Pacquiao, the only boxer in history to win world titles in eight different weight classes, will face Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2 in Las Vegas.

It’s the richest fight in history that even Pacquiao’s children had longed to see.

“Three years ago (they said) ‘Daddy, I want you to fight Mayweather. I want you to fight Mayweather.’ I said, ‘Why? It’s not my fault. He doesn’t want to fight.’ And now finally now it finally happened. They really, really want to watch the fight,” said Pacquiao.

The Filipino boxing icon will earn at $80 million from the fight with Mayweather, boxing’s biggest star, guaranteed no less than $120 million.

The boxing world waited for five years for this fight to happen.

It’s world news.

No wonder CNN, the leading satellite news channel, was there when Pacquiao played and coached for Kia in a PBA game at the Araneta Coliseum.

The tight CNN crew was spotted at ringside, taking footages of Pacquiao as he threw shots into the air and shouted instructions from the bench.

CNN followed Pacquiao all the way to the dressing room and had a quick word with him during halftime.

That night, Pacquiao scored his first point in the PBA, and Kia beat multi-titled Talk N Text in a game it wasn’t supposed to win.

The head of the PBA’s media bureau, Willie Marcial, said it was the first time a CNN crew was present during a PBA game.

“It’s obvious that CNN was there for Pacquiao,” said Marcial.

The following day, the same crew was at the MP Tower in Sampaloc, Manila where Pacquiao trained for his forthcoming fight.

The same crew was granted access to Pacquiao’s $9 million mansion inside Forbes Park for an exclusive interview.

The first segment of the CNN interview done by Ivan Watson was shown the other day. The second package was to be aired last night.

In a print version of the CNN interview, Watson wrote how Pacquiao loves basketball as much as he loves boxing.

“I believe in my heart that my second sport is basketball,” said Pacquiao, the underdog against Mayweather.

Pacquiao also spoke about his poor days and his being a current congressman. He talked about his “amazing” relationship with his trainer Freddie Roach.

He did not say much about the Mayweather fight.

“I can say (this will be) one of the most important fights in my career,” he told CNN.

Pacquiao is now in Los Angeles, training for the fight. Mayweather is in Las Vegas, doing just the same.

On May 2, the fight takes place in Las Vegas.

CNN will “Go there.”