NEW YORK – September 1, around 12:10 p.m, was the start of the second of a three-city tour for the Pacquiao-Margarito bout. Venue was Chelsea Pier 60 which offered a magnificent view of the Hudson River -through the glass- from right inside the venue. A black SUV parks in front of the entrance to Pier 60 and Monterrey, California-born Mexican boxer Antonio Margarito appears with his small contingent. He waves to fans and media at the lobby and goes straight to the presscon hall. Another black vehicle approaches and this time, a charismatic, familiar face steps out. Manny Pacquiao has arrived. He shakes hands with Top Rank officials and the presser organizers. Pacquiao walks straight to the media table where pink ?bracelets? are handed out to the VIPs and press people and armed with a big smile, he blurted out a silence-breaking ?Can I order a coffee, please,? much to the amusement of those in-charge of the press and of the crowd which was slowly converging around him. He gamely poses for a couple pictures with fans. Before proceeding to the news conference dais a few meters away, I asked to verify about his recent opinion on interviews that Margarito knew about the “illegal wraps” in his fists just before his fight versus Shane Mosley. “Every person has an idea what’s going on with his/her hands. I mean those are your hands, these are mine. That goes to everybody else. Margarito knew what was going on, but I believe in giving him another chance,” the humble PacMan stressed. Led by Top Rank President Todd duBoef, pinch-hitting for Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum who hurriedly jetted to Seattle to get updates on his missing lawyer-son, the Pacquiao-Margarito match-up was formally introduced before an appreciative crowd which boasted a throng of Filipinos residing in the East Coast, particularly in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut).
