Pacquiao gets huge welcome in Vegas
Credit to Author: EDDIE G. ALINEA| Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2019 16:15:33 +0000
LAS VEGAS: A two-year hiatus in fighting on US soil didn’t diminish Manny Pacquiao’s popularity among American boxing fans especially in this gambling city he called his second home.
Adoring fans greeted the Filipino World Boxing Association welterweight champion during grand arrival ceremonies ahead of his coming fight with American challenger Adrien Broner on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the MGM Grand Arena here.
Despite heavy rains, thousands filled the MGM lobby and spilled outside the façade as early as noon for the traditional rites scheduled at 3 p.m.
As in his past appearances here the last 24 years, pandemonium met Pacquiao’s arrival, resulting in elbowing and dodging among the shrieking and shouting crowd, disrupting the reception.
While fans expressed their excitement by greeting the”People’s Champ” warmly and wildly, Pacquiao, upon reaching the stage, raised both his hands to acknowledge them.
“I’m very excited to see you again,” he exclaimed as the shouting got louder. “It feels good to be back.”
“I can’t wait to be in the ring,” Pacquiao said during a post-arrival interview with the international media.
While the fighting senator had fought and filled many other fighting venues in the US like the Dallas Cowboys Stadium and the Alamodome, both in Texas, among others, the MGM Grand is especially close to his heart as it was here where he started to make a name when, in 2001, he stopped Lehlo Ledwaba to formally introduce himself to the boxing world.
Pacquiao and his team landed here Monday after a long, five-hour drive from Los Angeles where he spent three weeks in the second leg of his preparations for the Broner fight.
He came to the arrival rites from a light training session at the Bones Adams gym here.
But it’s going to be more than that for Pacquiao, whose career enjoyed a revival of sorts when he knocked out Lucas Matthysse in the seventh round to wrest the World Boxing Association welterweight championship in Kuala Lumpur last July.
“That KO win was very important to me because I want to prove something, this being my first fight since I turned 40,” he said in subsequent news interviews.
Pacquiao turned 40 last month and one of the many questions asked of him was how long can he carry on fighting. His answer: “Boxing is my passion and when that passion disappears, maybe that’s the time to [retire] my fighting shoes.”
“I’m still passionate about the sport of boxing and boxing is my passion. That’s why I’m still here continuing fighting,” he said.
The post Pacquiao gets huge welcome in Vegas appeared first on The Manila Times Online.