By Igor Frank, Examiner.com
It’s a small wonder that Manny Pacquiao has never been late to a fight. There is military time, which goes from zero to twenty four hours a day and then there is Manny Pacquiao’s time which is usually a couple of hours behind. Scheduled to depart from Wild Card boxing Club at fourteen hundred hours military time, Team Pacquiao, with much fan fair around, left on Manny’s time, only three hours and twenty five minutes late. No one fan has complained. You have to understand: it’s just Manny. Fans crowded a parking lot at the now famous Wildcard Boxing club to take a final peak at their hero or may be to get an autograph, but mostly to send him off with their blessings.
Manny Pacquiao is scheduled to face off against Sugar Shane Mosley on May 7th, in what should become the biggest boxing event of this year at the sold out venue, at the Mecca of boxing, MGM Grand Garden Arena. Twelve rounds or less, welterweight championship showdown will be televised live by Showtime PPV.
It was business as usual, as Manny Pacquiao completed his final day of preparations at his home away from home, Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood. Pacmania is gaining momentum with every fight. Fans from all over crowd the area surrounding Wildcard Gym in hopes of getting a piece of their hero. And that is why security at the gym is very tight. Manny’s favorite mouth piece maker, Dr. Ed De La Vega was met with tough security questions when he tried to go to the gym to give Pacquiao his mouth guard for the upcoming fight.” You tell Manny that I couldn’t give him his mouth piece,” said exasperated Dr. De La Vega, who has a thriving dental practice in Canoga Park, California and who also moonlights as a cut man to help out some of his country men in the ring. The misunderstanding was resolved and Manny got his mouse piece. The final training session followed.
Accustomed to Manny’s time I showed up at Wildcard parking lot at 4:30 pm as the young superstar walked in to check on his new business, a small store called” Manny Pacquiao Merchandise & Tattoo” where one could buy Manny’s t-shirt or a poster or a signed glove as well as get a tattoo. Hordes of fans patiently waited for their idol to reemerge. There were fans that came to support their hero all the way from Philippines as well as Pac maniacs form New York and Indiana and California. I met several members of Manny Pacquiao’s band who along with Pacman are scheduled to do a concert at the Mandalay Bay on the night after the fight, as well as a concert on May 10th in Azusa. Talking about music, two improbable Pacquiao fans were performing their song “I saw Pacquiao and Shane boxing in the rain” for the rest of the crowd that was waiting.
Finally, protected by a security guards and his trusted body guard, Roger, Manny, wearing a panama straw hat, came out of the store at 5:25 and got on the passenger seat of an SUV and pealed out of the parking lot followed by his team on Manny Pacquiao bus. No one in that crowd believed Mosley had any chance in the fight on May 7th.
They are expected to arrive in Las Vegas by 10:00pm this evening. Grand arrivals at the MGM Grand for media and fans are scheduled for noon tomorrow. Stay tuned for May 7th.
Source: examiner.com
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