Believe it or not, the world?s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter was rejected as a commercial endorser some eight years ago.
Manny Pacquiao was paid P100,000 to endorse Shark energy drink by local distributor Dioceldo Sy but the Thai principals rejected him as a pitchman.
?They didn?t know who Manny was and although I tried to convince them of his potential, they refused to invest in him,? recalled Sy who owns the Ever Bilena team in the WPBL. ?Since I already paid Manny, I didn?t want to ask the money back. I asked my business partner Raul Panlilio to just use Manny to endorse his mineral water brand and appear in marketing posters.?
Now, Pacquiao is the hottest commercial endorser in the country, outdoing even showbiz megastars, and big companies are lining up to pay big bucks for the five-time world champion to promote their products.
It was Sy who saw in Pacquiao the makings of a global icon. It was also Sy who brought Asi Taulava into the mainstream of Philippine basketball through his team Blu Detergent in the PBL in 1997.
?Over 10 years ago, I paid Manny P200 for three hours to run with Asi around the PICC,? recalled Sy. ?That went on for about three months. Manny would finish six laps and Asi, only three. Manny was a big influence on Asi. At the end of the day, Manny would sometimes call me on the phone, asking for an advance of his next pay because he already lost what he earned that morning in pusoy.?
Sy remembered picking up Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee at the Do?a Josefa Apartment near Taft Avenue, where they used to stay when visiting Manila from General Santos City.
?Once, I fetched Manny and Jinkee in my new Ford Expedition and Manny wondered when he could someday own a vehicle like that. Now, he can afford to buy any vehicle he wants.?
Sy said he almost took over as Pacquiao?s manager in 2000.
?I think Manny owed the L&M Gym about P800,000 and there was a chance I would be his manager if I paid off the debt,? continued Sy. ?I was excited, of course, because I knew Manny would someday be a big star. I thought of constructing a gym in San Francisco del Monte where he could train. I offered P1 Million to buy his contract. But the deal never pushed through. My father advised me to let it go. So I just concentrated on basketball.?
Sy said he has never watched a Pacquiao fight overseas but nearly booked a ticket for the Oscar de la Hoya bout in Las Vegas early this month.
?Bong Alvarez and his wife Almyra (Muhlach) flew over and asked me to join them because they got tickets from Manny,? said Sy. ?Almyra is our chief make-up artist with Ever Bilena. But I had to stand as a sponsor at a wedding that weekend and I couldn?t leave the country. I?m hoping, in May, when Manny fights (Ricky) Hatton, I?ll experience watching him in Las Vegas for the first time.?
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Not too many fans know that before former WBA superfeatherweight champion Edwin Valero of Venezuela left Manila early this week, he underwent a brain scan at the Makati Medical Center with Dr. Regina Canlas on top of the procedure.
Valero, 27, fractured his skull and had surgery to remove a blood clot from a serious motorcycle accident in Venezuela seven years ago. He was cleared to turn pro by Venezuelan doctors a year later and made his debut in July 2002. But in 2004, Valero was not allowed to fight in New York after a brain scan showed the scar from the operation. News of his blacklisting spread and today, he is licensed to fight in the US only in Texas.
Because of his widespread prohibition, Valero relocated to Japan in 2005 and had to fly to Panama to win the WBA crown a year later. Today, Valero lives in Las Vegas and trains with Kenny Adams, the former US Olympic coach. He is close to signing a contract with Top Rank and according to his muscle therapist Rafael Garcia Jr., he will finally be able to fight in Nevada before the middle of next year. Valero is booked to face Antonio Pitalua in Mexico in March in an interim WBC lightweight title bout.
To get a second opinion, Valero submitted himself to a brain scan during his recent visit here. Businessman Hermie Esguerra and Reli de Leon arranged the scan with Dr. Canlas.
?Valero is cleared to fight,? said De Leon. ?Dr. Canlas revealed the finding after a brain test was conducted.?
Valero?s record is a perfect 24-0, with 24 KOs, including 19 in the first round. The southpaw started boxing at the age of 12 and compiled an amateur record of 86-6, with 57 KOs. He relinquished the WBA superfeatherweight crown after four defenses to move up to the 135-pound division. Valero is now the WBC?s No. 1 lightweight contender.
