In San Antonio the lines are long with boxing fans waiting to get an autograph of Manny Pacquiao.
Despite a population predominantly Latino, fans are eager to meet Filipino slugger Pacquiao who is slated to meet Mexico’s Jorge Solis in a 12-round match at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday April 14.
The fight will be shown on pay-per-view television.
“It tells you the tremendous respect fans have for Manny Pacquiao everywhere he goes,” said Bob Arum, president of Top Tank Promotions who are staging the event. “Even Mexican fans respect what he does in the ring. They know he comes to fight not to run around the ring.”
Even Solis, an undefeated fighter from Guadalajara, grudgingly reveals he has some fan tendencies for his opponent.
“Manny Pacquiao has fought the best fighters put in front of him. He has my respect for that,” said Solis while in Los Angeles. “But maybe I have a few things he hasn’t seen before.”
Solis has not fought the same quality opposition, but he has remained undefeated despite fighting mostly in Mexico where ring wars are expected and protection from promoters is unheard of.
“I used to be good friends with Oscar Larios,” said Solis, who comes from the same city as Larios who fought Pacquiao last summer. “But we haven’t spoken to each other in a while.”
Tall and lean, Solis expects Pacquiao to erupt like he does against everyone he’s faced in the ring.
“I respect Manny Pacquiao very much for what he has been able to do against Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales,” says Solis. “But they are not me.”
Everywhere Pacquiao goes the crowds converge like ants to a slice of watermelon on a sunny day. But everywhere he goes the Filipino superstar greets everyone with respect and humility.
“Even Mexican fans like Pacquiao because he’s a very humble person,” Arum said. “They see this great fighter who’s beaten the best and who is also a very nice person too.”
Most of the seats at the Alamodome have been sold with just a few seats remaining. Though the Filipino population is very small – about 15,000 in Texas – boxing fans are eager to see a boxer who’s proven to be worth the money to see in person.
“Manny Pacquiao always gives exciting fights. Mexican fans know this. That’s why they like seeing him fight,” Arum said.
