Thursday, February 01, 2007 Manny bent on running By Mike Limpag Sun.Star Staff Reporter
FROM the boxing ring, Manny Pacquiao is taking his popularity and charisma to another arena—politics.
ABS-CBN reported yesterday that the 28-year-old Pacquiao, the Ring Magazine’s Fighter of the Year for 2006, is intent on seeking an elective post for this year’s elections in General Santos City, either as mayor or congressman.
However, just as his changing from one promoter to another could derail his boxing career, Pacquiao’s penchant for changing residences could cut short his budding political career.
The same report quoted Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos saying that Pacquiao, who has transferred his voting registration from Gen. San, to Kiamba in Sarangani and to Manila and back to Gen. San., has not completed the one-year residency needed to run.
According to Abalos, Pacquiao changed his voter’s residence back to his hometown last Dec. 15, 2006, just two days shy of his birthday.
One man less
Back in the boxing ring, if the fight between Pacquiao and In Jin Chi pushes through in Macau, the Filipino icon will be fighting minus a regular in his corner---Freddie Roach.
This after another boxing superstar, Oscar dela Hoya, picked the 2003 Trainer of the Year for his corner when he slugs it out with the celebrated pug Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 5.
Earlier, dela Hoya ditched Mayweather Sr. as his trainer after the elder Mayweather asked for $2 million to train him for the mega-fight, which sold out its tickets in under three hours.
Great trainer
“He (Roach) is a great trainer. He does have the tools necessary to show me show to beat Mayweather. When you have a trainer like Freddie Roach, who is master of dissecting opponents and figuring out their styles, you have no worries. Freddie was my guy from the beginning. In my heart I already knew it was Freddie. I need that strategy, that sense of being secure.
Freddie Roach is a secure trainer in the corner. I need that positive energy. I will step in the ring as the world champion and leave the ring as the world champion,” dela Hoya, who also owns the Golden Boy Promotions, said in an interview posted at boxingscene.com.
Since the Mayweather fight will just be a week after the projected Pacquiao-Chi fight on April 28, Roach won’t be handling Pacquiao’s training and will not be in his corner.
However, he assured Pacquiao is in good hands and the Filipino fighter knew of his move.
Comfortable
“I talked to Manny and he said congratulations. If Manny does have a fight, he’s very comfortable with my assistant Justin Fortune. He knows the situation, he has no problem with this whatsoever. There is no problem with Pacquiao, he is happy for me. He knows this is a new opportunity for me,” Roach said in another interview at fightfan.com.
However, Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum isn’t too happy with Roach’s move and told boxingconfidential.com “Roach cannot train both Manny and Oscar.”
Arum also hit Roach for breaking his promise when he said that he would only train Pacquiao and not dela Hoya.
