Part 3 of 3: As the build-up to the biggest payday in sports history continues, The National brings you exclusive photos of Manny Pacquiao ahead of his megafight with Floyd Mayweather on May 2. In the second instalment, we look at Manny and his life away from the ring through the lens of Mike Young, former photographer for The National, who spent 18 months on the inside with Team Pacquiao.
If next month’s megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr was a popularity contest then there is no doubt who would walk off with the spoils. Manny Pacquiao is loved by fans across the world, as we can see by the turnout for his media commitments in the build-up to his fight with the American Timothy Bradley in April last year.
But if he is loved in the Nevada desert and the tax havens of Macau, he is positively adored and revered in the Philippines by a public who see him as an inspirational figure both on the international sporting stage and through his philanthropy and charitable work.
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[ – Part 2 focussing on Manny Away from the Ring ]
After defeating Brandon Rios in 2013 to claim the vacant WBO Welterweight belt, he was given a hero’s welcome on his return to the Philippines at his hometown of General Santos city and in the capital Manila, where he also met with the country’s president.
The southpaw held a silent auction in Los Angeles, California 12 month ago, donating the garb he wore to record his unanimous points victory over Bradley, at a fund-raising event for victims of Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in his homeland, one of the strongest cyclones ever recorded that caused catastrophic damage throughout much of the islands of Leyte, destroying towns and cities causing billions of dollars worth of damage and killing more than 6,300 people.
If boxing is his profession then basketball is Pacquiao’s passion. He joined the Kia Motors team 12 months ago as a player coach, and here we see him driving in for a layup in his first game in the Philippines Basketball Association league. He also owns a team in the PBA Development League, the MP Hotel Warriors.
Pacquiao is pretty much mobbed wherever he goes but despite the attention he always makes time for his fans; whether it be in a hotel lobby in Las Vegas or a visit to the local market for goods and groceries, Manny truly is a man of the people.
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