Manny Big Dome fight gift to Filipinos

Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao yesterday said his coming bout against Mexican Oscar Larios on July 2 at the Araneta Coliseum is a gift to his countless fans.

"Fighting Larios is my gift to my countrymen for the devotion and respect they have given me and my family during my boxing career," said Pacquiao in his hometown of GenSan Monday.

Pacquiao will fly to California tomorrow for training at the Wild Card gym in Hollywood.

Now financially secured, Pacquiao said money takes the backseat against Larios.

"I am not fighting anybody for money. I am returning a favor to you all," said Pacquiao.

Pacquiao’s "gift to the Filipinos" fight is to be handled by his own outfit, MP (Manny Pacquiao) Promotions, in collaboration with ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.

Called the Mano-A-Mano, Philippines vs Mexico showdown, the fight is being handled as a boxing event fought by Filipinos, promoted by a Filipino and broadcast by Filipinos as an affirmation of the Filipinos’ world-class competence.

"Filipinos can watch the match live wherever they may be in the world," said an ABC-CBN spokesman, who added the bouts could be seen through The Filipino Channel (TFC), INDemand, Direct TV and the network’s Mexican broadcast partner.

After 11 years of fighting which included blockbuster bouts against Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera, Pacquiao is undoubtedly the country’s richest sportsman.

The great Flash Elorde also earned substantially with his fists on the Fifties on varied fights against Puerto Rico’s Carlos Ortiz, Japan’s Teruo Kosaka and American Sandy Saddler, among others, though mostly on Philippine soil.

But the same could not be said of Pacquiao, a native of Gensan, whose monickers "Pac-Man" and "Destroyer," were bestowed on him by the foreign media during his boxing feats outside of the Philippines.

Pacquiao actually started his money trail by beating the first of six Mexican rivals, Gabriel Mira, at the Araneta Coliseum on April 24, 1999.

Five others – Emmanuel Lucero, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales (two fights), and Hector Velasquez–served as Pacquiao’s springboard to success, putting him on the threshold of greatness in Philippine sports history.