ARLINGTON, Texas ? He came from the poorest of the poor in a poverty-stricken area of Sarangani Province on the Philippine island of Mindanao, scrounging daily for food for his family.
Eating was not a given for Manny Pacquiao, who quit school at the age of 10. Some days, he recalled Wednesday, he only drank water. His family of seven lived in a cardboard shack.
But Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao loved to fight. And it became apparent that he was gifted. He saw boxing as his ticket out of the slums and left home at 15, living in the streets of Manila for a time.
Today, Pacquiao, who turns 32 next month, runs the Sarangani Province as its elected congressman. (He won in a landslide in May). He’s wealthy beyond anything he could have imagined. He’s the world’s top pound-for-pound boxer, has appeared on the cover of Time Magazine Asia and currently American Airlines’ magazine, was profiled last week on 60 Minutes and has starred in movies.
Last year the former dropout, who passed his high school GED in 2007, was given an honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities by Southwestern University in the Philippines.
Saturday night, in the glittering $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium, Pacquiao will seek to extend an amazing record. If he defeats Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC super welterweight title (HBO pay-per-view, 9 p.m. ET), it will be the eighth weight class in which he has won titles. Nobody else has won in more than six. His first title was at 112 pounds. Today, he will tip the scales at 150.
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Pacquiao has never forgotten where he came from. He has dedicated his life to helping his people. Bob Arum, chairman of Top Rank who has visited the Philippines several times ? says it’s genuine.
“It starts with the fact that he’s a very spiritual man,” says Arum. “When I’ve talked to him, he’s expressed his belief that God has put him where he is for a reason ? to benefit mankind, to do good.
“He believes that whatever he does in life, whatever happens, is the will of God. Therefore when he goes into a ring, there’s a big smile on his face because in his mind, he will do his best.
