Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao (December 17, 1978).

Personally, boxing per se or any type of violent sport doesn'y really interest me - but anything that alleviates national pride does! I guess I can speak for most Pinays (Filipinas) in saying that we are more interested in who will sing the national anthem and what national costume she'll be wearing! As for the actual fight, we fervently wish that the Pacman can get it over and done with as soon as possible so that no one would get seriously hurt ...

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December 7, 2008 (Sunday, PH time): "The Dream Match: Pacquiao vs. De la Hoya".

Be prepared to witness what the world press is touting to be "THE GREATEST AND MOST PROFITABLE BOXING BOUT OF ALL TIME"
(... balato naman d'yan, o!)!!! :-p

NEWS FLASH: MANNY PACQUIAO MAKES HISTORY WITH 5 CONSECUTIVE BOXING LEVEL TITLES BY WINNING IN THE 8TH ROUND !!!

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June 29, 2008 (Sunday - PH time): "Lethal Combination: Pacquiao vs. Diaz". Live from Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
Fighting for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Lightweight Division championship title.

The PACMAN makes history by winning his 4th consecutive boxing title on the 10th round by a knockout which "Dangerous" David Diaz himself
admitted didn't know was coming. Right after the event, the fighter with heart made sure he visited to help out those unfortunate ones who
were recently affected by typhoon "Frank" (international code name: "Fengshen") - and therefore were unable to watch the fight - as well
as donate $ 50,000 to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) that is currently in dire need of an additional dialysis machine.

Congratz, Manny! Once again you've united us Pinoys into momentarily forgeting our current national woes and making us proud once more ...

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March 16, 2008 (Palm Sunday): "Unfinished Business - Pacquiao vs. Marquez II".

Today showed the first signs that summer is here not just because of the unbearably hot weather but also because of the HEAT caused by the Pacman's exciting and nervewracking fight that expectedly lasted up to the 12th round. He finally - and deservedly - WINS the WBC Super Featherweight Championship title!!! (Woohooo! Yakang-yaka ng Pinoy!) :-D

The lovely Ciarra Sotto sang the Philippine National Anthem before the championship fight.

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October 7, 2007: "Pacquiao vs. Barrera - Will to Win".

It was such a lackluster fight - with an opponent like Barrera already declaring beforehand that this will be his last fight -
that the Pacman, as expected, would win the bout which suprisingly extended up to the 12th round.

It seems that every Manny Pacquiao international fight is a great excuse for another family reunion where everyone enjoys the company of
watching the fight together ... :-p Uh ... especially NOW that the day actually coincides with the birthdays of two members in the family. :-)

September 25, 2007: It has been confirmed that smooth singer Kayla will sing the National Anthem before the Pacman-Barrera fight. I guess that will put Ara Mina's detractors (hi Ricky Lo!) - who prefer more seasoned performers to represent the country for such an important role - to rest ... :-)

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April 15, 2007: "Blaze of Glory - the Pacman Rides Again!".

Manny Pacquiao wins in the 8th round against Jorge Solis of Mexico for the WBC International Super Featherweight Championship which started
8:00 am at the Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, USA. By the way, what happened to Regine Velasquez ("Asia's Songbird") who was supposed
to sing the national anthem? Geneva Cruz was ok despite the 'piok' near the end of the song but her face looked as if she was 'nanggigigil-
to-death' and itching for a fight herself! lol

The performance of the Mexican singer seemed so so, but then another sang the US national anthem and what the ... !!! First she was
overkilling it with over-the-top vocal gymnastics and then right in the middle of the song went glaringly off key that the crowd can't
help but boo just as enthusiastically (feeling a bit Simon Cowellish here ...). :-)

Like the previous match, images to be posted for this topic will not be literally interpreted. Stay tuned! :-p

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November 19, 2006: I didn't actually see the "Pacquiao vs. Morales - The Grand Finalé III" fight live (only the replay that night) because I instead decided to capture the moment by going out and shooting images of how the whole metropolis simultaneously looked like as the boxing bout went
on. Metro Manila streets at that time were mostly deserted ... and according to the police the crime rate was virtually zero that day (maybe the
law enforcers - like the criminals - were all watching the championship fight?!!). Hmmm ... :-)

Rights for the photos (not posted here) have been passed on to an international news magazine. Sorry - better luck next time! :-)