Sunday just hours ago marked the 17th anniversary of Manny Pacquiao?s splashing US debut.
It was on the undercard of Oscar De La Hoya?s world super-welterweight title defense against Javier Castillejo of Spain at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas that Pacquiao mauled South African Lehlo Ledwaba.
From ringside where this writer covered the fight for another paper, foreign reporters writers struggled to properly pronounce Pacquiao?s name and his fight with Ledwaba wasn?t even listed on the betting stations and gambling sheets since nobody knew who he was.
Pacquiao, then handled by the late Rod Nazario and already trained by Freddie Roach, stopped the South African in the sixth round to snatch the IBF super-bantam crown.
After disposing of Ledwaba, Pacquiao drew with Agapito Sanchez of the Dominican Republic in San Francisco in November of the same year.
Pacquiao?s smashing knockout of Colombian Jorge Eliecer Julio at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis was the last time the author filed a story elsewhere as he signed up to join the Manila Bulletin starting with Pacquiao?s demolition of Emmanuel Lucero of Mexico in Los Angeles in July 2003.
From then onwards, the Bulletin traveled with Pacquiao not only during his fights but during the fighter?s press conferences and R&R.
On July 15, Pacquiao will attempt to win the world welterweight title of Argentine Lucas Matthysse in Kuala Lumpur.
And the Manila Bulletin will be right there to cover it ? whether it be Manny Pacquiao?s swan song or not.
