Earlier today inside of the MGM Grand lobby in Las Vegas, Nevada, WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao made his grand arrival to the city amidst a sea of adoring supporters. The fight marks the 12th time that the Filipino star will have performed in Las Vegas, dating back to his June 2001 breakthrough against Lehlo Ledwaba.
Pacquiao faces off with Shane Mosley on May 7th, a great fighter in his own right but a man who has hasn’t won a fight in over two years, and the fight was initially looked at negatively by those in the sport. But the buzz began to build over the weeks as the bout creeped closer and the hundreds of fans inside of the building today is a testament to both Pacquiao’s star power and the simple fact that this could be a good old-fashioned fight at the end of the day.
<--- Slideshow: Behind the scenes in Las Vegas for Manny Pacquiao's grand arrival
So much has changed for Pacquiao dating back to the Ledwaba fight, including six other titles to his name, an incredible rise in weight against formidable competition in recent years, a vested interest in other entertainment endeavors, and even the title of ‘congressman’ that he proudly wears. Through it all his popularity has grown and there is no other star in the sport who draws the masses to a fight like Pacquiao does, outside of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Pacquiao is a huge betting favorite to upend Mosley but as the fight draws near more and more people figure that Shane will give the eight-division champion a definite fight.
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at [email protected]
