The Pacman Story

Gulf News

The Pacman Story. Visiting Manny Pacquiao's hometown and talking to the people he grew up with, Gulf News discovers the humble beginnings of one of the world's greatest athletes. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv

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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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