LOS ANGELES ? The parade of VIPs paying homage to the boxing?s pound-for-pound king continued on Sunday after Manny Pacquiao welcomed four-time world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield at his training camp.
Holyfield?s visit, coming less than a week before he adds another chapter to his storied career, showed how much respect the Filipino champion commands in the world of boxing.
The 20-minute meeting at around noon wasn?t all about business but an informal chit-chat between two prized pugilists who someday will be inducted to boxing?s Hall of Fame.
On Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Pacquiao collides with Mexican nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez with the Filipino aiming to put a closure to their rivalry with a resounding victory.
Starting his day with a Mass in the morning, Pacquiao took it nice and easy the rest of the way, hanging out with his friends based here and playing darts as well to relieve himself of the pain and punishment that he endured the past few days at the Wild Card Boxing Club.
Meeting Holyfield was the highlight as it was the first time that Pacquiao and the 49-year-old legend had the chance to exchange pleasantries although in the last several weeks ? and even in the years before ? he had also met with personages from Tinseltown and the NBA.
The past week alone, the 32-year-old Pacquiao had been visited by Kobe Bryant and Hollywood actor Giovanni Ribisi of Avatar and Boiler Room fame, while guys like Mark Wahlberg, Sylvester Stallone, Jeremy Piven, Mario Lopez, Michael Pitt and Robert Duvall have also watched him train.
Some of these men will be at ringside when he shares the ring with Marquez this weekend in Sin City where Pacquiao will be fighting for the 12th time since making his smashing US debut at the MGM Grand in June 2001.
Pacquiao has vowed to knockout Marquez and put to rest the debate as to who is the better fighter between them. The first fight had ended in a draw and the second one in a slim majority decision for the local icon.
