MANILA, Philippines – Ten days after his gallant stand against Floyd Mayweather Jr., Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao finally comes home to a hero?s welcome today.
The Philippine Airlines jumbo jet carrying Pacquiao and his family from Los Angeles is expected to land at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 5 a.m.
After a brief press conference at the NAIA Terminal 2 VIP Lounge, Pacquiao will be brought to his hotel in Makati City for breakfast and a brief rest.
Then he will be paraded around town as the ?People?s Champion.?
A Pacquiao associate said a courtesy call on President Aquino depends on the latter?s schedule for the day. Sportshub ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
The 36-year-old fighting congressman lost a unanimous decision against Mayweather last May 2 before a sellout crowd of 16,507 at the MGM Grand and a worldwide audience.
It was billed as ?The Fight of the Century? and early tracking of the pay-per-view sales suggests over five million buys or twice as much as the previous high.
As he prepared to leave his Los Angeles home, Pacquiao posed for a picture with his entire family, including wife Jinkee and kids Emmanuel, Michael, Princess, Queenie and Israel.
?Preparing for departure back to the Philippines,? said Pacquiao on his Instagram account, his right arm resting on a black sling.
?I love my family so much,? he wrote.
Pacquiao fought with a lot of heart despite injuring his right shoulder a month before the fight and hurting it again after throwing a flurry in the fourth round.
To some, Pacquiao won a close fight.
During the post-fight interview at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Pacquiao himself said, ?I thought I won the fight.?
However, days after, he said Mayweather ?deserved? the victory.
But that?s all water under the bridge now.
Tomorrow, Pacquiao and his family will fly to General Santos City where a red-carpet welcome has been prepared by local government officials for its proudest son.
The chief of staff of of General Santos City Mayor Ronnel Rivera said they had prepared a grand arrival for Pacquiao.
?There would be military honors, motorcade along the main thoroughfares of the city and a press conference before he goes to Sarangani,? Glenda Narcilla told www.philboxing.com.
?Our fighting congressman deserves a hero?s welcome. Despite his right shoulder injury, he was the more aggressive fighter during the bout. We are proud of his performance and, for us, he is still the champion,? Narcilla added.
Pacquiao?s public information officer, Aquiles Zonio, said organizers of the parade have prepared a float for Pacquiao and his wife and top local officials.
People will shower Pacquiao with confetti.
?This is to show our moral support to our people?s champ despite his loss,? the mayor?s chief of staff also said.
An elaborate breakfast tribute to welcome Pacquiao will be hosted by the telecast team which aired the fight. The team headed by Solar Entertainment Corp. president CEO Wilson Tieng, includes representatives of ABS-CBN, GMA, TV5, Skycable and Cignal TV.
When Pacquiao faces the press at the NAIA, he will field questions surrounding his injury, the rehabilitation process, and the possibility of a rematch.
Pacquiao will be asked whether or not he?s thinking of retirement.
One of his closest friends, two-division world champion Gerry Pe?alosa, said Pacquiao has nothing more to prove inside the ring, and it?s time to call it a day.
Pacquiao is in his second term as congressman in Sarangani province, and this early, he has set his sights on the 2016 election.
Prior to the fight, he said he may run for senator, but nothing is definite as of the moment.
Pacquiao?s chief adviser, Mike Koncz, told The STAR the other day there?s nothing on the table regarding boxing, and priority is how the boxer will recover from the injury.
Koncz did not comment on reports that the fight may exceed the five million mark in PPV sales.
If it does, then both superstars may end up earning twice as much as their guaranteed purse of $120 million and $80 million, respectively.
?When I have the documentation to substantiate the pay-per-view amount then I?ll disclose it. But I?m not going to speculate at this time,? said Koncz.
He took his hat off to Mayweather.
?Floyd was the better man that night and he won and he deserves the accolades for winning. As of this moment he?s called the best fighter in the world. We have no excuses,? he said.
Pacquiao, according to his adviser, is not bothered by the class-suits filed against him by disgruntled fans who felt cheated because Pacquiao climbed the ring injured.
?The lawsuits and the legal issues and anything else, we have our lawyers working on it. We have competent and great lawyers and they?ll take care of all these issues,? Koncz said.
