MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conferred Friday on boxing legend Manny Pacquiao a top national medal, the Order of Sikatuna, usually reserved for foreign diplomats and heads of state.

The pound-for-pound king will carry the rank of Datu.

Pacquiao has won seven world titles in seven weight divisions, the latest of which is his 12th round TKO win over Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto last November 14 (November 15 in the Philippines) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The crowd chanted “Manny! Manny!” when the President finally presented the plaque to the “Pambansang Kamao (National Fist)” during the “Parangal kay Manny sa Luneta” program held at the Quirino Grandstand on Friday.

“The reason why we are here in Luneta is so that many Filipinos can come and celebrate your victory with you,” said Arroyo in Filipino.

Pacquiao thanked the President for the award and all the Filipinos who came to witness the ceremony.

Carrying the two belts he won in his recent bout, Pacquiao said: “Hindi ko po belt ito. Belt po nating lahat na mga Pilipino. Para po ito sa karangalan nating lahat (This is not my belt. This is for all of you and for the pride of Filipinos).”

Under Executive Order (EO) 236 or the Honors Code of the Philippines, the Order of Sikatuna is an “Order of diplomatic merit conferred upon individuals who have rendered exceptional and meritorious services to the Republic of the Philippines, upon diplomats, officials and nationals of foreign states who have rendered conspicuous services in fostering, developing and strengthening relations between their country and the Philippines, or upon personnel of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), both in the Home Office and in the Foreign Service.”

Among the notable recipients of the Sikatuna award were the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, former United States President Dwight Eisenhower, and United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In 2006, Arroyo bestowed on Pacquiao the Order of Lakandula with the rank of “Champion for Life” after his 12-round conquest of Mexican Oscar Larios at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Also present in Friday’s ceremony were his wife Jinkee, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, and Deputy National Security Adviser Luis Chavit Singson.

The “Parangal kay Manny sa Luneta” program kicked off with a replay of his fight with Cotto courtesy of Solar Entertainment, while the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) also conducted its “Common Tao Day” where it provided free medical, dental and eye check-up.

Before the hero’s welcome in Luneta, Pacquiao had a motorcade and a mini-concert from GMA-7 television network.

Hero’s parade

During Pacquiao’s motorcade Friday, Manila’s notorious traffic came to a halt and thousands lined streets and bridges to cheer Pacquiao, who returned home pondering his next moves — facing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and seeking a congressional seat.

At 5:30 a.m. Friday, Pacquiao stepped from the plane still nursing an injured right ear and said he saw no problem facing Mayweather in the next megafight.

“I am willing to fight Mayweather as long as there’s an agreement,” the 30-year-old said. “But we don’t want to force him to fight me. He should be the one to challenge me because it was clear I had more pay-per-view than him.”

Mayweather is coming off a victory over Juan Manuel Marquez that sold more than 1 million pay-per-views, and Pacquiao’s stoppage of welterweight champion Miguel Cotto on Sunday is expected to surpass 1.2 million.

Megafight

In Las Vegas, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is ready to begin negotiations for a megafight between the two pound-for-pound kings.

Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, said on Thursday that his Filipino star was willing to fight at 147 pounds (67 kilograms).

Arum was waiting to hear from Golden Boy Promotions chief Richard Schaefer, who was acting as an intermediary between Top Rank and Mayweather Promotions, two companies with an acrimonious relationship. Schaefer has assisted Mayweather’s team on his most recent fights.

“I have to have discussions with our side, and when the time is right, I will be talking to Bob,” Schaefer told The Associated Press. “That will probably take place face to face, and I intend that to happen very shortly.”

Mayweather’s adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, left no doubt that Mayweather was ready to get in the ring with the man who many believe replaced him atop the best pound-for-pound list.

“Floyd has made it perfectly clear to Team Mayweather and the rest of the world that he wants to give the fans what they want, and that’s Mayweather versus Pacquiao,” Ellerbe said.

The notion that so many venues are vying for a fight that has yet to be made demonstrates how much attention the sport is receiving.

“It’s not so much that I give a damn whether this fight happens – I don’t – and for me it’s not the greatest experience doing a promotion with Floyd Mayweather,” Arum said. “But not to do this fight would slow down the momentum of boxing.”

Mainstream sponsors like Pepsi and Subway have shown interest in Pacquiao-Mayweather, one more sign the sport is returning to the popularity level in the United States that it enjoyed in the early 1980s.

“It has to happen. The stars are aligned and both fighters want it,” said HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg. “If it doesn’t, it would be devastating to the sport.”

Mayweather issued a statement on Monday in which he said, “If Manny Pacquiao wants to fight me, all he has to do is step up to the plate and say it himself.”

“The world is much more intrigued by the thought of someone fighting me who can beat me,” Mayweather added. “Manny Pacquiao’s people have done a good job of creating an image of him to be this unbelievable fighter and now the so-called guy to beat me.”

Arum promised that “my guy will make (Mayweather) fight, and once he fights, my guy will knock him out,” while Ellerbe made it perfectly clear how he sees the fight shaking out.

“At the end of the day, we already know that Floyd is the best fighter in all of boxing, and if we’re able to make a deal, he’ll just be proving it to the world,” Ellerbe said. “Nothing has changed. Pacquiao will be no different.”

Vacation

For the time being, Pacquiao said he just wants a vacation with his family. “I want to relax and my ear injury to heal,” he told reporters, saying he will soon fly to his southern home province.

From there, he said he would file his nomination for a congressional seat in next year’s elections. It will be Pacquiao’s second jab at politics after his 2007 campaign fell short.

His popularity has become overwhelming. He recently made the cover of Time magazine in Asia and is by far the most recognized person in the Philippines.

A former baker and construction worker born to a poor family, Pacquiao became an embodiment of a rags-to-riches story in the country where one-third of the 90 million people live on less than $1 a day.

Standing in a flattop truck and surrounded by his wife and the country’s environment secretary, his longtime supporter, Pacquiao waved to the crowds and threw them T-shirts emblazoned with a fist shaped in letters “MP” and draped in colors of the Philippine flag.

SOURCE: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/network/pacquiao-conferred-order-sikatuna-0

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Manny Pacquiao, the biggest drawcard in contemporary boxing, will face the toughest challenge of his career when he takes on holder Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight title on Saturday.

Although Filipino Pacquiao is widely viewed as the favourite in his bid to win a seventh world title in an unprecedented seventh weight class, the scheduled 12-round bout has whet the appetite of fans and boxing insiders alike.

Renowned trainer Angelo Dundee predicts “a great, great fight” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena while former heavyweight champion George Foreman has backed the bigger and more powerful Puerto Rican to win on a split decision.

“You have a perfect blending of style in this fight,” Dundee told reporters in the build-up to Saturday’s clash. “If I ever had a fighter fighting Pacquiao, I would implement the things that Cotto brings to the table.

“Cotto is a pressure fighter and he’s going to be on Pacquiao from the get-go. He’s got a great left hook and he’s a good body puncher.

“I see a very tough distance fight, and there is going to be blood,” added Dundee, who has trained Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Foreman.

“Pacquiao takes it to you all the time but in this fight he is going to have to back up. He’s smart, slick, and has great hand speed, but Cotto counters those things.”

Pacquiao, regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, has a glittering record of 49-3-2 with 37 knockouts but Foreman believes he could fall victim to complacency.

RIDING HIGH

“Pacquiao has been riding high and has beaten some of the best in the world,” Foreman said. “And it leaves you kind of complacent when you’re winning.

“Even if you don’t want it to, sometimes you can’t get up for a big fight — and that’s a plus for Cotto. I think Cotto wins in a 12-round decision.”

Cotto, who has won a world title every year since 2004, has an enviable career record of 34-1 featuring 27 knockouts.

Although Pacquiao holds a significant speed advantage over the Puerto Rican, he has great respect for Cotto’s punching power, strength and intelligence.

“This will be my toughest test as a professional boxer,” the 30-year-old southpaw said. “I know he is an excellent, smart fighter and a great world champion.

“We also know he is good in body punching so I have to counter that. I am prepared for anything Miguel Cotto has to offer. I feel like I know him like I know myself.”

While Pacquiao and Cotto have consistently expressed mutual respect for one another in the build-up to the fight, the Filipino’s trainer Freddie Roach has been typically outspoken.

“We are in great shape and I have never seen my fighter looking better,” Roach said. “Pacquiao’s a much better defensive fighter than he’s ever been.

“I respect Miguel, but he’ll get knocked out in this one. I just think Miguel Cotto’s defence isn’t good enough. He’s hittable and people that Manny can hit he knocks out.”

SOURCE: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/11/12/sports/sports-uk-boxing-pacquiao-preview.html?_r=1

LAS VEGAS— The tickets have been snapped up the moment they hit the selling booths and everyone is expecting crazy figures from pay-per-view revenues.

All because the world wants to see how a once skinny, scrawny kid who used to sleep on cardboard boxes in the street can fight his way to the ranks of the big boys, winning not only fame and riches along the way but also boxing’s most revered mythical title: Pound-for-pound king.

“We are watching a phenomenon unfold before our eyes,” Top Rank chief Bob Arum said of the one-time flyweight king who is now on the threshold of becoming the first boxer to win world titles in seven different weight categories.

“I have not, in my 45 or 46 years in boxing, seen anything like this,” Arum said. “This should have never happened.”

Arum is referring to the fact that the devastating combination of speed and power hasn’t deserted Pacquiao despite the Filipino superstar’s ascension into the heavier ranks. Pacquiao faces Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14, where he will be gunning for the Puerto Rican’s WBO welterweight crown at a catch weight of 145 pounds.

“Manny seems to be punching harder now,” Arum said. “People have been asking if he’ll lose his speed as he goes heavier, but Manny seems to be faster now.”

Arum added that while credit goes to trainer Freddie Roach, who has shaped Pacquiao to be a complete and relentless mix of ring power, the boxer should get a lot of pats in the back too.

“Manny is one of the hardest workers in boxing. I’ve never seen any athlete who trains as hard as Manny does,” said Arum.

Arum said, however, that it would be wrong to take Cotto lightly and that the Puerto Rican’s presence on the corner opposite Pacquiao on fight night is actually what makes the highlight match of the card billed as “Firepower” one of the greatest the sport has ever seen.

“It will be a great matchup not only of the year, of the decade but also in history,” Arum said. “On one hand, here’s Pacquiao, who’s going up in weight and here’s Cotto, the toughest welterweight in the world who punches hard and can take a good punch.

While Arum still gets floored with the way Pacquiao has dominated legitimate welterweights, he believes that once Cotto rocks the Filipino, the latter will be in for a jolting surprise.

Because he promotes both fighters, Arum refused to make predictions about the fight. He did, though, tell audiences what to look for the moment the bell rings and the referee unleashes both warriors in the ring.

“I think the major factor will be if Cotto will be able to reach Manny with those devastating left hooks,” Arum said. “I guarantee you if Manny gets hit, it will be the hardest he will ever have felt in his career. It will be interesting to see how Manny will handle the punch if he does get hit.”

SOURCE: http://sports.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view/20091111-235601/Beware-of-Cottos-left-hook-Arum-tells-Manny

HOLLYWOOD – The bright lights of Las Vegas await boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao, who is expected to arrive in “Sin City” on Monday night (Tuesday morning in Manila).

The 30-year-old boxing superstar is scheduled to travel to Vegas Monday in what should be a super-busy timetable for him.

An hour roadwork will have Pacquiao up on his feet early in the morning, before he does the final sparring session of his eight-week training that brought his entourage from the mountains of the Cordilleras in Baguio City to the cool California weather here.

Filipino ring superstar Manny Pacquiao and Puerto Rican bomber Miguel Cotto. Top Rank photo“Mag-spar pa mga three or four rounds na lang siguro,” said assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez of the scheduled sparring that will bring to 153 the rounds of sparring Pacquiao has had in the last two months as he prepares for his Nov. 14 showdown with world welterweight champion Miguel Cotto

“Puro pababa na lang. Maintain na ng condition,” said the boxing idol.

Then, it’s off to Vegas.

Team Pacquiao in full force

A convoy of vehicles is expected to accompany the Pacman – riding on his reliable black SUV – on the six-hour, 250-mile road trip from here to the world’s so-called “Gambling Capital.”

Towing behind him are trainer Freddie Roach, conditioning coach Alex Ariza, along with family members that include wife Jinkee, his mother Dionisia, father Rosalio, members of the media, and other close friends.

Also traveling with the group is the colorful, customized Manny Pacquiao bus provided by Top Rank Promotions that has become a staple in all of the Filipino’s fights of since the “Dream Match” with Oscar De La Hoya last year.

Pacquiao is expected to arrive just before midnight in Las Vegas, where he will stay in his traditional 60th floor suite at the Mandalay Bay Hotel.

Cotto already there

Cotto, the 29-year-old native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, has already been in the state of casino and entertainment as early as last week and has been billeted at the MGM Grand along with his group that included trainer Joe Santiago, conditioning coach Phi Landman and best friend Brian Perez.

On Tuesday, Top Rank holds the formal arrival rites of the two boxing stars, with Pacquiao first to appear at the lobby of the MGM Hotel, followed by Cotto about an hour later.

Top Rank publicist Lee Samuels said the final press conference for the sold-out match dubbed “Firepower” is set Wednesday at the Hollywood Theater (Thursday in Manila), while the official weigh-in is on Friday at the Grand Garden Arena (Saturday in Manila).

Jogging on a rest day

While Sunday is usually rest day, Pacquiao insisted on doing his morning jog at the La Brea Park, just a block away from his high-end Palazzo apartment.

After taking a quick shower and brief rest, the reigning pound-for-pound king proceeded to attend a mass at the Christ The King Church, before heading back for home where he had lunch with family members.

Pacquiao spent the afternoon practicing with his band that will perform during the post-fight party set after the 12-round title bout.

Finally, he called it a day. – GMANews.Tv

SOURCE: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/176591/pacquiao-off-to-las-vegas-for-training-windup