PACQUIAO REQUESTS NEW MOUTHGUARD SANS NIKE LOGO (PHOTOS)
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 27 Mar 2016
Ok all you fair weather friends. Here is the real thing - and this time I am not talking about a ?play mouthguard? designed just to generate interest and hype the fight.
It is the real thing!
Last Monday, Bobby Pacquiao called me early in the morning to relay a message from the Honorable Congressman, Manny Pacquiao.
?Cong would really appreciate it if you can make him another mouthguard without the old MP logo that is associated with Nike,? he said to me in the vernacular. ?Gusto niya yung bagong MP kama-o na designed para sa laban na ito, he added (He wants the new MP hand recently designed for this fight).
Of course, whatever Manny wants, Manny gets.
A while later a copy of the logo was emailed to me from one of the sponsors of Pacquiao who is known to give away plenty of hats and t-shirts to fans and supporters of the Congressman.
Pacquiao's latest mouthguard with the MP fist logo.
Roach talks to Pacquiao after the sparring session.
Conditioning coach Justin Fortune and Nonoy Neri work on Pacquiao.
Pacquiao poses with photographer Jhay Otamias and the author.
Not wanting to be involved in copyrights issues, I researched the logo to find out who designed it and who owns the rights. My research led me to someone based in Manila that identifies himself on the web as ?Ivan Tracy?. I sent an e-mail to the fellow to get his permission to use the logo. His reply was ?Yes Sir I made the layout for the logo and you can use it for the mouthpiece. Manny owns that logo,? he added.
Ivan also offered to make several designs for me to consider using or at least use as a basis for the mouthguard artwork.
I could have done the mouthguard in 4 hours but my busy schedule prevented me form putting enough time until yesterday. Therefore, it took me until today to finally find time to deliver it the 8-time world-boxing champion.
The new mouthguard color combination is based on the very first mouthguard I made for him years ago - it is yellow on the inside and blue, white and red on the outside. In the front section one can readily see the new MP hand logo with 8 yellow stars representing the 8 division titles that Pacquiao won over the years. The design is an adaption of one of the three designs sent by Ivan.
Making the mouthguard is one thing, delivering it to Pacquiao at the Wildcard Gym is another.
The Wildcard Gym is like a fortress except of course, for close ?in team members, politicians, famous athletes, celebs and certain favored big time mainstream US journalists. If one is neither one of those, one can?t get in the gym when Pacquiao is inside training or not! Even I who had been making mouthguards for Pacquiao for more than a decade have very limited access.
The truth of the matter is now a days when Pacquiao is training there, I am only allowed in the gym to deliver the mouthguard and assure that it fits. But that?s perfectly okay by me! Today however, after the 9 rounds of sparring that Pacquiao did, a handful of media people including myself were ushered in to see the tail end of the day? training.
When I an allowed in, I usually do the procedure in the privacy of Pacquiao?s dressing room with just him, Roger Fernandez and occasionally, Mike Koncz. I am not allowed to stay for the sparring even for a couple of rounds in case Pacquiao needs minor adjustments. Luckily, Pacquiao never need an adjustment after I fit the mouthguard to him. Modesty aside, my product always fits accurately the first time around.
So there you are - perhaps the last and the final mouthguard for the former world champion. But my gut feeling is I will have a least a couple more occasions to make mouthguards for him. Pacquiao looks in prime shape and I do not really believe he will quit after the Pac-Bradley 3.
But I maybe wrong.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
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