When Manny Pacquiao was walking the streets selling cigarettes for a living in The Philippines, never in a million years did anyone expect him to be selling out arenas in America. The kid from General Santos City would go on and not only grasp stardom, but he would go on and inspire his entire nation. Manny Pacquiao has proven to millions of people that hard work does pay off, and that hard work and dedication can provide many blessings in ones life.
One of the things that I really admire about Manny Pacquiao is how he stays grounded. This is a guy that has his entire nation on his shoulders, imagine that? Could you imagine having so many people looking up to you as to where your entire nation comes to a halt when you fight.
The first time that I met Manny was of course at The Wild Card Gym, in Hollywood. Manny was training for his fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, and I flew to Los Angeles to visit Freddie Roach, and to cover some of Manny’s training. I knew Manny years before this from doing interviews with him, but this was the first time to have met him in person. When I first met the man, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Part of me was wondering if the fame had gotten to the man, and part of me wondered if he would be the humble man that I had heard about. After his training for that day, Pacquiao friend and assistant Winchel Campos invited me to have a meal with Manny and the entire team. Manny was exactly what I had hoped for, a humble, generous, kind man who still laughed, and still kept his feet to the floor. While we were waiting for the food to arrive, Manny and his brother Bobby took turns playing guitar and singing. I won’t tell you who played better guitar and who sang better, I’ll leave that part out.
So if you could go back in time and find that kid that sold smokes on the streets of General Santos City, you probably would find a kid that reminded you of the current day Manny Pacquiao. There would be a few exceptions of course, like a shiny car, a shiny watch, a beautiful wife, beautiful kids, and a nicer house. But, the nature, and inner soul would probably be pretty much the same.
