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Philippines, 17 May 2024 |
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2010 Year of the Pacman By Robbie Pangilinan PhilBoxing.com Fri, 31 Dec 2010  This year, he became an eight-division world champion, the first boxer to win ten world titles in eight different weight divisions. He secured his title of pound-for-pound best boxer when he won against bigger fighters in 2010. He made it to CNN?s ?Top 20 Stories That Changed Our World in 2010.? He was unanimously voted Representative of Sarangani Province in the 2010 elections. 2010 is definitely the Year of the Pacman. Besides beating Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito, Manny Pacquiao ?transcended the sporting world in many ways,? in the words of Yahoo! columnist Kevin Iole. He reported that The People?s Champ ?has become the most beloved since Muhammad Ali, won a seat in the Philippine Congress, was featured in the popular profile show ?60 Minutes? that had US President Barack Obama as opening act, became the inflight magazine cover story of American Airways, was chosen as endorser for Sen. Harry Reid?s re-election bid and has awakened the sleeping US boxing media.? The Pambansang Kamao has truly brought life back to boxing, becoming one of the most watched boxers of his time. More than 50,000 fans trooped to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium for the Pacquiao-Clottey fight in March 2010, the biggest fight crowd in the United States in 17 years. Pacquiao received his 3rd Fighter of the Year award as well as the Fighter of the Decade award from the Boxing Writers Association of America. He was given the 2010 Congressional Medal of Achievement/Honor, was chosen by Bleacher Report as one of 2010?s Most Exciting Athletes of All Time, and was named 2010 World Boxing Organization Fighter of the Year. The Pacman?s story is Sports Illustrated?s No. 1 boxing story for 2010. Sportsmanila.net named him No. 1 Sports Icon of the Philippines. The Atlantic.com featured Pacquiao in its Top 10 sports stories of 2010 while Bleacher Report included him in the Top 50 boxers of all time. Yahoo! Sports also ranked him one of Boxing?s Most Influential. He is one of the 12 nominees for the 2010 United States Sports Academy Male Athlete of the Year. Yet behind all the fame and fortune, Pacquiao has been hounded this year by several scandals. Rumors spread that he is having an affair with Wapakman co-star Krista Ranillo. The issue razed like fire and almost put an end to his marriage. Even though Krista is already married and is now pregnant, the issue has not yet died, unlike the other women who also figured in Manny?s life but ended up being forgotten or ignored. The king of boxing is also facing tax issues with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) after his taxes plummeted from $2.8 million in 2008 to $168,918 in 2009. He allegedly earned around $34 million in 2009 so the BIR noticed the big discrepancy. Pacquiao obviously needs to take better care of his image and reputation. He is known as a gentleman, a devout Catholic, a good son and a generous person. He is kind-hearted, to a fault, they say. He has always been reported to be surrounded with people who either take advantage of him or use his name to get personal perks. During his fight against Clottey, Top Rank officials reportedly caught two Filipinos who faked the accreditation temporary pass. There were also rumors that members of Team Pacquiao sold this temporary pass for $150. Even worse is the news that there were six unidentified Filipino journalists who successfully secured approval from Top Rank as official media representatives of philboxing.com, whose officials later reported that they do not know the six. Even his after-fight concerts have been criticized as a money-making ploy by the organizers, with tickets selling for $100 per head. It is a clear indication that some people around the Pambansang Kamao are taking advantage of him, leading a sports analyst to comment that it?s time to professionalize Team Pacquiao for the sake of his career, including firing people who have questionable motives such as the notorious L.A. boys who are always asking for money. Members of Team Pacquiao should inhibit themselves from hoarding tickets to Pacquiao fights and reselling them outside the fight venues like scalpers do. If they are too selfish to do so, there should at least be a limit to the number of tickets they can get for themselves. Also, complimentary tickets should not be sold by the people in charge. Even the persons in charge of the transportation of media people and others should be trained to accommodate those who are officially on business during Pacquiao fights. Many politicians reportedly ask for and are given free rides, bumping off media personnel in the process. Pacquiao, being a highly sought-after endorser, should get an international PR person or agency for his endorsements and bookings in the United States, Canada and Europe. He needs to hire a point person for his invitations all over the world, as it is clear that adviser Michale Koncz cannot handle all the details. Even small details like autograph signing sessions should be well-organized and handled by a certain person. Because Pacquiao is a professional, there should also be limits and standards to writing his biography. So far, two books about his life have been released and they are both of low quality in terms of content. Pacquiao?s wife Jinkee, who is a celebrity on her own, likewise needs a PR expert for herself in order to build up her image not only as the wife of Manny but as a woman of beauty and substance. This 2011, Pacquiao concentrates on his job as a Congressman and prepares for his fight in May against Shane Mosley. He is also still eyeing to face Floyd Mayweather Jr. in November in a bout that the whole world is waiting for. On the side, he has his businesses, endorsements, showbiz career and family to take care of. Will we see a transformed Pacquiao in 2011? Let us wait and see. And hope for the best. # Click here to view a list of other articles written by Robbie Pangilinan.  |
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