MANNY PACQUIAO will walk his way to the ring at Staples Center with wrestling icon The Undertaker leading the way. But the Filipino fighter entrance song will be The Champion, a piece that was written specially for him by the hip-hop artists The Black Eyed Peas.
Pacquiao’s adviser Joe Ramos told the Bulletin yesterday that “a rough copy” would be played the moment Pacquiao begins his march towards the ring from his dressing room for his scheduled 12-round super-featherweight bout with Mexican Hector Velazquez.
The song was rendered by the group’s lead singer, Apl_de_Ap, who is Allan Pineda in real life, a Filipino-American who grew up in Angeles City, Pampanga, and migrated to the US when he was 14 years old.
“The group is planning to release it in the Philippines soon and after Manny’s fight against Velazquez, he would return in October to sing the chorus,” Ramos said.
Pacquiao is expected to return to the US in early October because his brother Bobby is booked to fight Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez of El Salvador in a World Boxing Council super-feather title elimination bout at Thomas and Mack Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 8.
“Manny has nothing but high regards for The Black Eyed Peas,” said Ramos.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao logged his 73rd round of sparring yesterday by taking on a quartet of sparmates such as Urbano Antillon, Robert Guerrero, Israel Vazquez and a teenage prospect from Connecticut, according to Ramos.
“It was a total of 12 rounds and Manny lokked good against each one of them,” added Ramos.
Pacquiao should taper off in his training beginning next week although he is expected to spar by then.
The final press conference will be held at the Golden Gate room of the Wilshire Grand in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday (Sept. 8), while the official weighi in will be staged the following day at the Staples Center.
Pacquiao is not looking past Velazquez since a loss would automatically ruin his plans of earning a lucrative rematch with Erik Morales early next year in Las Vegas.
