Manny Pacquiao?s enigmatic pull was again evident Sunday as horde of sports scribes descended LA airport to get the best quotes and angles from the arriving Filipino boxing champion.
Pacquiao, now a member of Philippine Congress, will have a busy three weeks ahead before he climbs the ring against a taller and bigger Antonio Margarito of Mexico.
As it was before, a lot of sidebar stories and sleazy leaks will see print or land in the internet pages. After all, the world?s number one pound for pound boxer is it town. And in tinseltown, celebrities rule.
His arrival was kicked off with the premier of HBO?s 24/7 series, a three-part sports special that will run for three weeks. This HBO special will further whet up the appetite of sports fans who will see the last of marquee match-ups for the year.
With his pure and raw boxing power, Manny was able to captivate the imagination of Hollywood ? the sports-inclined at least. Too bad. Manny does not have English as his first language. Had it been, he could have overtaken Oscar de la Hoya as the king of pay per view boxing.
That is how it is in America, folks. No matter how big you are, it is still the Americans that get the big slice of the Hollywood pie.
But Manny?s lack of English communication skills also works to his advantage.
Sports scribes are forced to squeeze meaning out of the very little statements that come from Manny?s mouth. It is the people around him that supplant the rest.
Even the TIME magazine now has a ?resident writer? for the Filipino boxer in Gary Andrew Poole who is coming out with a book about the phenomenal Asian lefty.
He already appeared in the Jimmy Kimmel show (twice) and sang twice too and served as covers for Sports Illustrated, TIME magazine and many others, and was featured in a five-page spread story in GQ. Of course, Manny also endorses Nike shoes on the side like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Billboards as tall as a five-story building will again greet him in Las Vegas in the week leading to the fight.
Of course, Manny will also bring with him a retinue of Filipino journalists who will report of his adoring fans back home from Hollywood.
In a nation bereft of something to rally behind, Manny?s Hollywood affair is the best they can have for the moment.
So, for the next three weeks and another three after his fight with Margarito, Manny will be the staple fare in our morning and evening news.
Relax and enjoy.
