MOHD Hanurdeen Hamid nearly choked on his lunch when he learnt who was trying to reach him on his mobile phone.
The 17-year-old Serangoon Garden Secondary School student – Singapore’s only boxer in the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) – had just heard from Mirza Khan, secretary of the Singapore Amateur Boxing Association (Saba), that boxing legend Manny Pacquiao would like to talk to him. Mohd Hanurdeen recalled: “I was so surprised. I couldn’t believe it.
“I kept asking him if he was really Manny Pacquiao.
“It was short. He just said hi, and asked me how I was, and then said that he would come and see me.
“It was shocking and inspiring at the same time. After all, it’s not every day that Manny Pacquiao wants to talk to you over the phone.”
Khan told The New Paper that it was Pacquiao who initiated the call while on his way to the hotel, following his arrival in Singapore yesterday morning. He said: “Manny just asked me about our YOG boxer, and then said that he would like to speak to him.”
Later, in the afternoon, in the quiet, nondescript corner of Havelock Road where Ganges Centre stands, a small commotion was taking place.
The star that glittered was none other than Pacquiao, the first boxer to conquer seven different weight divisions.
The best
Close to 100 fans, members of the boxing fraternity and media representatives were crammed into the Vanda Boxing Club, all eager to catch a glimpse of the man widely acknowledged as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
Dressed sharply in a shiny grey tailored suit and yellow tie, those over-sized fists that once knocked out the likes of Ricky Hatton and Erik Morales looked slightly out of place. Boxing has been his life.
Not for much longer, as he told The New Paper.
This May, he entered the under-the-belt world of politics in the Philippines when he was proclaimed a parliamentary representative of the impoverished Sarangani province. In a candid reply to this reporter, the 31-year-old revealed that he will hang up his gloves in two years’ time.
He said: “I can still manage my boxing career even though I am in politics now.
“But I’m not going to stay much longer in boxing, because I’m getting older and I have already fulfilled my dreams.
“Also, I have a big responsibility being a public servant. So, maybe, last two years for me. “After two years, I am going to retire.”
Politics has always been what he wanted to be involved in.
Born into poverty, he now wants to help the poor.
As a boxing icon, he is a unique unifying force in a country where a deep gulf runs between the rich and the poor.
But, as a politician, he hopes to make an even bigger difference.
He said: “That’s my dream also (going into politics), even before I got to the top of boxing. “My dream is to be a public servant and to help people, which is what is happening right now.” The gentle side of the man was all too obvious yesterday.
Pacquiao was only too happy to please, signing autographs for everyone and posing for photographs with anyone who bothered to ask.
Khan said: “I have never seen anyone of his status so polite.
“He stopped for everyone, and signed autographs everywhere.
“He’s such a nice person.”
But should Pacquiao retire before taking on Floyd Mayweather Jr, one of the world’s top welterweights, many boxing fans will certainly be left disappointed.
Negotiations for a fight between the two have reportedly broken down repeatedly.
On whether he thinks Mayweather is scared to face him in the ring, Pacquiao said: “I don’t know. If you ask me, I can fight.
“I want to fight. I don’t know if he wants to fight me.
“I can’t say he’s scared. I don’t know the reason he doesn’t want to fight.”
However, Pacquiao added that it is Mayweather who stands to lose more if a fight doesn’t take place.
He added: “No, I’m not disappointed (if it doesn’t happen). “My achievements in boxing are more than what he has.”
Pacquiao is here on a two-day stay, after accepting an invitation by the Singapore Tourism Board to promote Singapore in the Philippines.
PACQUIAO ON…
Advice for the Youth Olympic Games boxers:
My advice is for them to focus and concentrate on their fights. On what it takes to succeed in boxing:
I started boxing when I was 13 years old. When I started, I knew that boxing was for me. You need to have the focus and the passion for the sport.
On what motivates him?
I think my family and the people who always supports me. They motivate me.
On what Singapore needs to do to produce a world champion?
I propose that the Singapore government organises boxing matches every week, so that you can find good fighters and develop them.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
