MANILA, Philippines - Fresh from snaring yet another world title, boxing icon Manny Pacquiao will open his colorful life further and share his journey from being a poor barrio kid to one of the richest athletes in the world through his autobiography.
Pacquiao’s book, “Pacman: My Story of Hope, Resilience, and Never-Say-Never Determination,” will be released on Nov. 19, less than a week after his 12-round dismantling of Antonio Margarito for the WBC super-welterweight crown at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Pacquiao himself made a pitch on the book during his press conference Wednesday at the Cowboys stadium in Arlington.
Published by Dunham Books, the book chronicles the Pacman’s life struggles, from his days as a teenager selling practically everything on the streets just to make end meets for his family, and how he hurdled them through hard work and determination to reach the top of boxing world.
It also portrays Pacquiao as a family man, a deeply religious person who loves charity works, and a virtual jack-of-all-trades, juggling boxing with forays into acting, singing, and now politics.
“This is the only official autobiography of Manny Pacquiao so it truly reflects the character, most intimate portrait of the Pacman,” said Peter Hayes, who is part of the team of writers that helped the Sarangani congressman in completing the book.
Now available for pre-order online via Amazon, the 240-page Pacman book will soon be available in 10 languages, including the Philippines’ primary language, Filipino.
According to publisher David Dunham, the Pacman book aims to show a side of the pound-for-pound king that “had never been seen, never been heard, and never been told.”
“It’s the story of a humble man with a heart of a lion who rose from the depths of poverty to become the greatest boxer of our generation and an icon for a nation. Much like the man, this story is larger than life,” Dunham said in a statement.
To promote the book, Pacquiao will do some autograph signing after his return from the US.