At this afternoon’s final press conference inside the KA Theater at The MGM Grand Arena, Bob Arum told a story to the assembled press how Manny Pacquiao saved a woman’s life in Indonesia.
“9 people were arrested for drug trafficking,” Arum went on to say. “8 of them were men from Indonesia and the 9th trafficker was a woman from the Philippines. They were all sentenced to be executed. Manny found out about it and wrote a letter to the President of Indonesia to spare the woman’s life. The 8 men were executed and the woman was spared.”
It was a powerful story about powerful fighter who has given his life to God.
“My life when I was a child was nothing, Pacquiao said. “I cannot imagine as a boy that I didn’t even have a slipper when I sleeping in sthe street. I was starving for food. Now I can go all over the world and it’s just beyond my imagination. I’m so blessed.”
Pacquiao even told reporters that he hopes once the fight ends he hopes him and Mayweather sit down and talk about God and how to inspire children all over the world. Mayweather, seated a few feet away from Pacquiao, on the dais listened closely.
While Mayweather admitted freely this fight for him is soley about the money that is out there to be earned, Pacquiao took a different stance.
“Of course there is the money,” Pacquiao said. “But the most important thing in my heart is God and what God has done for me.”
Pacquiao didn’t divulge much about his strategy except to say that the fans deserve to see a great fight.
“I’m the one who wanted this fight to happen. The fans are paying big money and I don’t want to disappoint them.”
A reporter then asked Pacquiao if he predicts to make this fight an exciting one would he need to be the one to take the fight to Mayweather?
“I don’t have a prediction,” Pacquiao said. “But I’m excited and I’m confident. This is the first time I feel like this and The lord has given me this piece mind. I feel 100% relaxed. We made this training camp private because we developed new strategies for this fight.”
Although Pacquiao may not be as focused on the economics of the fight as his opponent surely is, Arum said the sponsors are lining up to put their brands behind the Filipino star.
“We have secured some of the biggest companies such as Nestle and Tecate Beer and in a few days we will announce a major sponsorship deal for Manny.”
- Vladimir Lik / @VladimirLik
Leave a Reply