When Manny Pacquiao enters the ring to face Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas on Oct. 6, he?ll be wearing a red-and-white robe with his personalized crest emblazoned at the back.
The crest or coat-of-arms was designed by Mike Friolo at the Nike Asia-Pacific headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, and took eight months from conceptualization to execution. Pacquiao himself approved the crest.
Aside from the crest, Nike also developed an identity mark or logo for Pacquiao. Both identity mark and crest are featured in Pacquiao dri-fit T-shirts that hit Nike stores the other day. Only 8,000 T-shirts were produced in Malaysia and Nike Philippines country marketing manager Melissa Crucillo told The STAR yesterday there will be no reissue of the limited edition collector?s item, available in two colors (red and white) at P895 each.
?Manny is the first Filipino athlete to ever have an official Nike identity mark and crest developed after his iconic stature,? said Crucillo. ?Manny is the embodiment of the Philippine dream. When he steps onto the ring, he does not only defend his title as a boxer. He also brings with him the aspirations of the entire nation. Nike understands this and is honored to support Manny with this specially-designed identity mark and crest which every Filipino can use to show support for our national athlete.?
Crucillo described Pacquiao as a patriot who proudly symbolizes Filipino excellence in and out of the ring.
?We are inspired by his patriotism, his love of country,? said Crucillo. ?We took that inspiration to the design table and provided background information on Manny and elements of the Philippines to the Nike Asia-Pacific headquarters in Beaverton for Mike to develop the identity mark and crest.?
Nike also produced a new pair of fighting shoes for Pacquiao?s rematch against Barrera. Pacquiao used the red-and-white shoes with his identity mark during his training in Cebu to break them in.
Since Pacquiao signed up as a Nike endorser last year, he has been supplied new personalized one-of-a-kind fighting shoes by the Beaverton company for his third bout against Erik Morales and his match against Jorge Solis. Nike sent a shoe fitter and designer to the country last December to take exact measurements and detail the contour of Pacquiao?s feet. The mold is used to make Pacquiao?s exclusive shoes.
Crucillo said there are no plans to make available replicas of Pacquiao?s fighting shoes, robe and boxing trunks in the market. Even the dri-fit T-shirt with the identity mark and crest is in limited supply ? once the stock runs out, it?s history.
To capture Pacquiao?s patriotism, Nike launched the other day a nationwide advertising campaign on billboards showing the boxing icon with the words from the Philippine national anthem ?Ang Mamatay Ng Dahil Sa ?Yo.? The billboards are along the South Luzon Express Tolllway, EDSA-Kamuning and main roads in Cebu and Davao. Pacquiao is also seen on the LED screen at Guadalupe.
The identity mark bears Pacquiao?s initials (MP) designed with the rising sun and inspired by the national flag.
The crest is full of graphic detail, similar to Nike?s execution of the Michael Jordan anniversary shoe. The tattoo-style waves at the top of the crest depict Pacquiao?s 44 wins so far and the Filipino flag is represented by the rising sun. Six bare fists in arms symbolize the nationalistic following of Pacquiao with a left-handed gloved fist at the center expressing his power, rising above the rest. There are three stars for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao with one star standing out as the biggest to represent Mindanao where Pacquiao comes from. Other local elements show the Philippine Eagle at the center, sampaguita blooms on each side and banana leaves encasing the crest at the lower half.
?This is the second year of Nike?s support for Manny who embodies our ?just-do-it? spirit,? said Crucillo. ?The identity mark and crest are a testament to our commitment to support local sporting heroes whose athleticism is truly world-class. Nike also supports Manny in the form of technologically-advanced training products like the Nike Pro, Nike Free Gym Plus, Nike Free 7.0 and Nike Zoom Trainer Guard trainers to enhance his performance in preparing for the year?s biggest fight against Barrera.?
Crucillo and other Nike executives will be at ringside when Pacquiao battles Barrera at Mandalay Bay
