ShareThisAs Filipino champ girds for bout with Algieri, debut in basketball with PBA
By EDDIE G. ALINEA
LOS ANGELES/MANILA – The elusive dream fight between two world boxing icons – the undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Filipino champion Manny Pacquiao – may finally happen next year.
This as promoters of both fighters, including Top Rank’s Bob Arum, have confirmed meeting and talking about the fight which boxing fans have been waiting to happen for a decade now. Also, executives of HBO and Showtime have also met to thresh out possible arrangement on pay-per-view airing of the fight globally.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, said in an interview with this writer in Los Angeles that he is raring to play in the hard court as playing coach of Kia Motors team, a new team in the professional basketball league Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), starting in October.
Pacquiao, however, downplayed the chances of the fight, telling this writer and Philippines Today and PhilAmPress that he thinks that Mayweather will not fight him.
“Before I was always thinking about that fight. That’s what boxing fans want, di ba?” Pacquiao said in an interview with this writer.
“ But, now I think I have to move on and focus on other fighters because I don’t think he will fight,” Pacquiao added.
The Filipino boxing hero, however, said he was not closing the possibility of fighting Mayweather. “If that happens, I will fight him (Mayweather),” he stressed.
In another interview from Los Angeles, Pacquiao said “If not, fine — what I have done in my boxing career already has satisfied me. What I will be disappointed if that does not happen is because that is what the fans want. My concern is the concern of the fans, and the fans want that fight.”
“He is undefeated and a world champion,” Pacquiao said, adding with a sly smile, “I love to fight undefeated guys. I want them to experience that first (defeat).”
The World Boxing Organization champion and Sarangani Congressman returned to Manila Tuesday after a two-week, five-city press tour to promote his WBO 147-pound title-fight with undefeated American challenger Chris Algieri on November 22 (November 23 in Manila) at the Cotai Arena in Macau,China.
Pacquiao and Algieri ended their 27,000-mile trip at the Wall Street Journal offices in New York City with the Filipino belt-owner and his undefeated (20-0 with 8 KOs) 140-pound titlist expressing eagerness to start pitching their respective training camps for their all-important showdown a little over two months from now.
Pacquiao, who is climbing the ring for the 67th time since turning pro 19 years ago, and the former martial arts fighter Algieri, too, expressed respect at each other, wishing each the best of luck in their 12-round confrontation that may well define future in their chosen profession.
The Filipino boxing icon (52-5-2 win-loss-draw with 38 KOs) is turning 36 comes December 17. Algieri is five years his junior.
“Nandyan na ako sa Tuesday and I am really excited to start preparing for the fight,” Pacquiao told this writer in an overseas interview on September 6 before his flight back to Manila.
Pacquiao expressed elation upon learning that his expansion team Kia Motors won over crowd darling Barangay Ginebra during its first tune up earlier that day.
“Wow, magandang balita yan,” said Pacquiao, who will play the role of playing-coach of the team when the pro-league’s 40th Season unfolds October 19, reacting to Kia’s 73-71 outlasting of the Kings that saw Reil Cervantes and L.A. Revilla, both Global Sports mainstays in the PBA D-League, eluding their guards for 17 and 16 points, respectively.
Pacquiao himself talked about his coming debut as a basketball player during the interview with members of the international boxing media. He said though that while his first love is the dribble-and-shoot game, his main focus is still boxing.
“The (PBA) season starts October 19, but I won’t play in the game before the fight. After November 22, I’ll play a little bit, I1ll be focusing more focused on coaching, “ told an interviewer.
“I love watching the NBA. I watch Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, and Steph Curry. Before I liked [Allen] Iverson,” he added. “ My motivation (in boxing) is still the same, 100%. Boxing is my passion and the time I fight and I’m in the ring, the excitement is there.”
When asked, the father of four with his Sarangani Vice Governor wife Jinkee said he’s not yet thinking of hanging up his fighting gloves, adding “I believe I can still fight. I’m still young.”
An earlier plan to pitch his training camp in Metro Manila still hangs in the air though as he said his hometown General Santos City will most-likely be it so he can concentrate in his preparations as his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank would want it. As in my previous fights, preparations will last eight week, including two weeks in Macau,” he said.
Algieri, for his part, considered the tour as “a fantastic experience, an eye-opening experience. I got to experience a lot. I feel comfortable with where we are, what’s going on and really look forward to beginning training camp to get ready for the fight. This is the fight of my life at this point. It’s all very exciting. This is exactly where I want to be and expected to be for many years.”
While admitting he has been overwhelmed given the chance to fight one of the best fighters in the world today, Algieri added though: “I don’t have it in my head that I will lose. I’ve never had it before and I’m not going to start now.”
“ See, I come from a different outlook than a lot of other guys. How’d you get in your head a chance to win? That’s never crossed my mind, that there wasn’t a chance to win. Just a completely different outlook than people on the outside looking in,” he said.
Pacquiao’s Nov. 22 fight in Macau will be his 64th bout of a career that includes titles in eight divisions.