Pacquiao off to London for fight tour

Pacquiao with Atty. Romulo Macalintal in Thursday's presscon in Makati

THE first step in the blockbuster showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton takes place over the weekend when the two popular boxers meet in Manchester, England to promote their May 2 title fight.


If his hectic schedule was followed according to plan, the 30-year old Filipino boxing idol had already left for London early this morning via Cathay Pacific. His entourage that includes legal counsel Atty. Jing Gacal, close adviser Michael Konz and friend and trainer Buboy Fernandez will have a brief stopover in Hong Kong, before proceeding to the England capital for the initial leg of his promotional tour with Hatton.

This will be Pacquiao’s first trip to England, a modern unitary state whose principal head, Queen Elizabeth (II), was to whom the boxing champion named his new-born daughter.

In London, Pacquiao will hook up with promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank for the fan rally kicking off the promo tour in Manchester on Saturday (UK time) at the Great Hall of the Trafford Centre.

On Monday, a press event highlights the two boxing icons’ stay in London, where Hatton commands a big following.

From there, the two proceeds to the U.S. where a similar tour will be held in the key cities of New York, Las Vegas and San Francisco, where a large community of Filipino is based.

After the whirlwind promotional trip, hard work begins for the current world pound-for-pound fighter as he reports for the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles on March 4 where awaiting him for the grueling eight-week training is chief corner man Freddie Roach. -Philippine Boxing News