00:00Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao was hailed his claim as one of the greatest fighters
00:08of all time after collecting world titles in eight different divisions, an achievement
00:13that many believe will never be surpassed.
00:16Like several other champions, Pacquiao grew up believing that someday he will achieve
00:21something special in his chosen sport of boxing.
00:24To those around him, it was understandably difficult to imagine that the dirt poor, shy
00:30boy who sold donuts to help his family make ends meet would eventually rise to become
00:35a legendary figure in the world of boxing.
00:38Golf News TV spoke with family and track childhood friends in his hometown in General Santos
00:43City to learn more about the circumstances that helped shape the destiny of the Filipino
00:48boxing champion.
00:50Manny did not talk a lot.
00:51He was a silent type of kid.
00:57He was different from the other kids.
00:59He had a mind of his own.
01:06He was quiet but deep inside he was already thinking about his future.
01:15As a child he was always eager to go to church with me, especially during Christmas season.
01:24He grew up very religious.
01:26He would wake up early in the morning to pray the rosary with our mother.
01:37He was very helpful as a child.
01:43He would do any household chore like doing the laundry and washing the dishes.
01:51When he got married, he bragged to his wife Jinky that he could do all the household chores.
02:04I am just a simple person.
02:06I have a lot of friends and it does not matter to me whether they are rich or poor.
02:12In fact, I have a lot more friends who are not rich.
02:15I enjoy being with ordinary people and I am also the kind of person who is helpful and
02:20generous to his fellowmen.
02:22Born on December 17, 1978, Pacquiao spent his early days in Kibawi, Bukidnon but later
02:32moved to General Santos City where his meteoric rise in boxing took its roots.
02:37His story, like many in the Philippines, is one defined by poverty.
02:41It was poverty that forced him to quit school after finishing elementary education and it
02:46was poverty that saw the young Pacquiao turn to boxing at the age of 16 as he struggled
02:52to support his family.
03:00We used to be neighbors.
03:01My mother used to bake doughnuts and Benny and I would sell the doughnuts in the neighborhood.
03:14But we became really close friends when we both took up boxing.
03:18My family was poor but Manny's family was much more impoverished.
03:22Manny and his siblings would often only have a serving of porridge for a meal.
03:31I used to bring him to our place and my mother would invite him to eat with us.
03:35He would timidly refuse but once my parents and siblings were done eating, I would bring
03:40him to the table and we would eat together.
03:49When we got into boxing, we used to talk about our dreams of helping our family rise from
03:53poverty through boxing.
04:05He loved to do shadow boxing when he was a child.
04:12He would use towels as gloves and he would invite other children to play with him.
04:26When we were young, Manny would sometimes pick up a fight with other children, sometimes
04:31against three or more at a time.
04:33I'd offer to help him but he would refuse and instead tell his foes to fight him one
04:38at a time.
04:44He loved to watch the boxing matches of Evander Holyfield on TV.
04:49He would stay until late at night at his uncle's house just to watch the fights.
05:00As a young boxer, he was very dedicated in training.
05:04He would jog even if he didn't have any shoes, even if his shorts were torn, or even if it
05:10rained, because he was really focused on becoming a champion and he was always in high spirits
05:16if there were any boxing tournaments.
05:23Manny was always the first to wake up in the morning and he would then wake me up to jog
05:27and exercise.
05:34We used to have boxing at the park in Gerardo Santos and this is a weekly boxing tournament
05:40held at the back of the city hall.
05:45We call it boxing at the park among local boys and Manny is one of those that regularly
05:54participates in the boxing competition.
05:57Manny always comes ahead of the others because of the limited bouts, we have only 10 bouts.
06:04Those who come early, chances are they get one bout.
06:11Manny as a boxer is a regular boxer, as I always said.
06:18He is not a member of the elite team of Gerardo Santos because after a while, we choose the
06:23best.
06:24He belongs to the second team.
06:27But Manny, which we only knew, he has the potential, one of which is of a good boxer
06:40because he is very shy, a silent type, and he is very patient.
06:49So, if he doesn't get a bout, he stays there.
07:05He did not ask permission from me to take up boxing because he was afraid that I might
07:10scold him and prevent him from pursuing the sport.
07:14He asked his classmates not to tell me that he was already competing at tournaments in
07:18the plaza.
07:19I learned that he was into boxing when he was 13 years old.
07:24I got angry with him and I explained to him that I was angry because I did not want him
07:28to get hurt.
07:29He told me, Mom, I will be a boxing champion someday.
07:38Such dedication slowly started to pay off and Pacquiao started to make his presence
07:43felt.
07:44Shortly before his 20th birthday, he won his first world title, the WC flightweight crown.
07:52And although he lost it barely a year later, as he struggled to make the weight limit,
07:56he was well and surely in the path to greatness.
08:03Manny's a fighter, so he's not afraid to take on any challenge.
08:12That is why I believe that Manny will not retire because the people still want to see
08:16him in the boxing ring.
08:21Boxing won't be as interesting if Manny is no longer around.
08:25Everyone really wants to see him fight.
08:30In the Philippines, even the crime rate drops during his fights.
08:41I want to be remembered not just as a boxer who brought honor to his country, but also
08:48as someone who is generous and approachable, someone who understands the plight of his
08:52countrymen.
09:00The much-doubted bout against archrival Floyd Mayweather Jr. would be hard to resist, but
09:06whatever he chooses to do, the Pac-Man will be forever an idol to his family.
09:11Irish Eden Belyeza, Golf News.
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