Manny Pacquiao, the pint-sized southpaw famous for landing devastating punches on his opponents in the ring, is planning to get Dubai hooked into the world of big-time boxing.
The sport’s only eight-division world champion is in the city now to attend various events, including a basketball game featuring his team Mahindra Enforcers.
On Wednesday, Pacquiao was felicitated by Dubai Sports Council officials at their headquarters.
It was a low-key affair, but a sizeable number of reporters still made it to the venue, hoping to get a sound bite or two from the ‘Pack-Man’. But the man who rose from obscurity to become one of the richest athletes in history, wasn’t in the mood to take questions from the media. “No questions, only photos,” one of his representatives said with a sense of finality.
“There will be a formal Press conference tomorrow, so you can ask him whatever questions you have in your mind,” the man quipped. But sometimes reporters could prove to be tough nut to crack even for a feared fighter. And the iconic Filipino finally relented as he went on to reveal that there is truth in recent reports speculating his next fight in Dubai.
“Yes we are working on it right now. We are trying our best to bring the fight to Dubai,” said the ruthlessly aggressive boxer with a voice as soft as velvet.
The British media has already identified his next rival – their own pin-up boy Amir Khan. But Pacquiao refused to confirm those reports. “Yes, it could be against Amir Khan. If not Khan, then the fight will be against some other boxer. “Nothing has been finalised as of now. As soon as I return to the Philippines and meet my promoter, we will have something concrete in our hands.
“So I can’t guarantee you now, but yes, there is a very good chance that my next fight will be in Dubai next year.”
The large number of Filipino expatriates in Dubai is one of the reasons behind Pacquiao’s attempt to stage his next bout here.
“I know there is a massive Filipino community in this city. I met some of them yesterday after I arrived. It was really wonderful.
“Today I am scheduled to meet more people from my country here in the evening. I am looking forward to it.
“In fact, there will be more events with my countrymen tomorrow and Friday as well during the basketball match that I will be attending,” said Pacquiao who lost the ‘Fight of the Century’ to Floyd Maywather Jr in Las Vegas early this year. Rated as the best pound-for-pound boxer by many, the Kibawe-born Pacquiao is loving his time in Dubai.
“This is my first time in Dubai and it’s been really wonderful. I am loving this city, it’s such a beautiful place. I will definitely come more often to Dubai in future.
“Also being a sportsman, I have observed that sports in the UAE is growing. People here love sports, especially boxing, basketball. In fact so many world class events take place here. So it’s definitely on the rise.”
