MANILA, Philippines – Boxing greats Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Frazier, Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali.

And now Manny Pacquiao.

The Filipino ring icon is the latest fighter to make it to the list of professional boxers to be featured in the cover of well-respected magazine Time — and only the second non-heavyweight fighter to do so.

This also makes Pacquiao the second Filipino to grace Time’s cover after former President and democracy icon Corazon Aquino, who was named the magazine’s “Woman of the Year” in 1986.

Apart from heavyweights Louis, Schmeling, Frazier, Ali and middleweight Robinson, other boxers who had made it to the magazine’s cover include heavyweights Jack Dempsey, Primo Carnerra, Gene Tunney and the controversial Mike Tyson.

In its latest Asia edition issue, Time pays homage to the General Santos City-based southpaw in a story titled “The Meaning of Manny,” which branded the Filipino spitfire as “the latest savior of boxing.”

The story delves into Pacquiao’s stature as the Philippines’ favorite son, his humble beginnings, recent ring accomplishments, among others.

The same magazine previously included Pacquiao in its list of 100 most influential people in the world, with former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis providing a brief write-up on him.

Pacquiao is set to collide with Puerto Rican bomber Miguel Cotto for a record seventh world title in as many weight classes. The fight, dubbed “Firepower,” is scheduled on Nov. 14 (Nov. 15 in Manila) at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

SOURCE: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=520917&publicationSubCategoryId=200

MANILA – House Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr. defended Wednesday the decision of some Filipino congressmen to watch the November 14 fight between People’s Champ Manny Pacquiao and Puerto Rican pugilist Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Nograles, who is in the United States, said lawmakers who will watch the fight live will only miss one session day in Congress. Earlier reports said at least 20 Filipinos congressmen may watch the fight in Los Angeles.

“I think the ones who will go to Vegas are the regulars and will not miss sessions. They leave Thursday afternoon and back  Tuesday morning so they miss only one session day, Monday, which is privilege hour day. I do not know who are going because they are on their own, spending personal money and using regular Philippine passports,” he said in a statement.

The House Speaker confirmed that he would be staying in the US until the weekend to watch the fight live. “Nobody is saying anything. Never missed his fight and am part of the team especially because he comes from Mindanao and has residence in my district in Davao,” he said.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo earlier said congressmen and other lawmakers who plan to watch Pacquiao’s fight in Las Vegas should be sensitive to the plight of their constituents. She said those who watch the fight live would be spending thousands of dollars on air fare, hotel accommodations and tickets.

“I think they (lawmakers and other public officials) are mature and responsible individuals and they know what their priorities are, like pending bills,” she said. “They should know if they have to leave the country or not.”

“We can support Manny Pacquiao in other ways. We don’t need to go there (Las Vegas) to give our moral support,” she said.

Fajardo said she was not aware of any member of the Cabinet watching the fight. It was not also clear whether First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, a huge Pacquiao fan, would go to Las Vegas.

She stressed that unlike Cabinet officials, members of Congress are not required to seek permission from Malacañang when traveling abroad.

“Everyone also has the right and to go abroad and to watch Manny Pacquiao if they want to. For as long as they do not neglect their work here or in their respective agencies,” she said.

“I’m not saying they should stay. As I said it is their decision, not ours,” she said.

“But we just wish Manny Pacquiao well and we’re praying for him. We hope that he knows that his countrymen are all supporting him,” Fajardo said. With a report from The Philippine Star

SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/04/09/speaker-defends-lawmakers-watching-pacquiao-fight

MANILA — For the Philippines, boxer Manny Pacquiao is more than a sports champion. His fans, the media and politicians see him as nothing less than a national hero whose feats can lift the nation.

“The hopes of an entire country are riding on me. That is why I cannot let myself fall,” Pacquiao says in one television advertisment.

It is a heavy message for a shampoo commercial but it is one that many Filipinos have taken to heart as they cheer Pacquiao on in his improbable career that has seen him rise from deep poverty to six-time world champion.

“There is a great responsibility on his shoulders because his victories are the victories of all of us and his loss would be the loss for all of us,” Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said when he awarded Pacquiao an “outstanding achievement” medal recently for his feats in the ring.

He lauded the 30-year-old for inspiring the 92 million people of this impoverished Southeast Asian nation.

Teodoro also referred to much-publicised security reports that rebel attacks and crime went down during Pacquiao’s fights as guerrillas and criminals wanted to follow his fate on radio or television.

Both Pacquiao and the nation’s faith will again be put to the test on November 14 when he faces hard-hitting World Boxing Organisation champ Miguel Cotto in a welterweight title fight in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao has a record of 49 victories with only three defeats. He has won 27 times by knockout to now be widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

But the Philippines has produced many world-class boxing champs, such as Flash Elorde and Gerry Penalosa, and the adoration bestowed on Pacquiao is unprecedented.

“People just swarm (Pacquiao) to get a touch or a look. His countrymen love him,” his American trainer, Freddie Roach, told reporters recently.

Pacquiao has parlayed his fame well, starring in two TV series and a movie, and appearing as a celebrity endorser for products ranging from luxury watches to milk and health drinks.

He is currently listed by Forbes magazine as the world’s sixth highest-paid athlete, earning 40 million dollars in prizemoney, endorsements and business ventures for the 12 months beginning in June last year.

Even his mother, Dionisia Pacquiao, has benefitted from his celebrity status, becoming a television comedy star in her own right.

The concept of a sportsman becoming a marketing phenomenon is new to the Philippines, according to David Guerrero, chairman of BBDO Guerrero/Proximity Philippines, one of the country’s leading advertising agencies.

“There are very few sports endorsers in this country compared to overseas where you have guys like Tiger Woods and David Beckham. The bulk of celebrity product endorsers here are from show business,” he told AFP.

“It has taken someone like Manny to break through from a sports star to a mainstream celebrity.”

Bill Velasco, host of “Hardball”, the country’s leading TV sports talk show, said Pacquiao’s fame was partly due to his accomplishments.

“(It’s) for the sheer volume of titles he has won. He is the first Asian to win four or more titles,” Velasco said, but he added the sport of boxing itself was also an important factor.

“He has made good in a tough field that does not require technology, does not require schooling and does not require too much expenditure. It is basically his physical body. It is very primal, it strikes a chord with the Filipino.

“Additionally, he came along at a very good time. He came along when the economy was down, people were looking for a hero, and he won a world title, and he has been undefeated for four years.”

Importantly, Pacquiao is also widely seen as a genuinely nice man who cares about others.

“He says all the right things, he does the right things, he does charity work, he does good things for his hometown. He plays his cards well, he is subtle in the way he handles things, He is very savvy,” Velasco said.

Pacquiao plans to run for a seat in the nation’s parliament in next year’s elections, representing a district where he comes from in the southern Philippines.

This is one area where Pacquiao has failed before. Despite his widespread popularity, he lost to a veteran politician in his first bid for Congress in 2007.

“During the last election campaign, people were afraid that if he does win, he may not box anymore. That is the fear of most people,” explained Velasco.

SOURCE: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h9g-jZ45M2XjIMz-16GzdCH9mK0Q