Cambridge in Manny's bandwagon
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 04 Nov 2018
It won?t only be Oxford welcoming Sen. Manny Pacquiao to its hallowed halls but Cambridge is also in the UK tour where the WBA welterweight champion is delivering speeches before two prestigious debate and free speech societies.
Pacquiao is booked to speak at Oxford tomorrow and Cambridge on Tuesday. The list of previous speakers in both campuses doesn?t include a Filipino so it?s likely Pacquiao will be the first from the Philippines to make the breakthrough.
While the Oxford and Cambridge Unions have featured athletes as speakers, there aren?t too many in the record books. At Oxford, the roster includes runner Roger Bannister, football?s Diego Maradona, tennis? Boris Becker and boxers George Foreman, David Haye, Vitali Klitschko and Chris Eubank. At Cambridge, Pacquiao could be the first fighter to speak as the list of previous athletes to appear before the Union named only car racer Jackie Stewart, runner Lord Sebastian Coe, football?s Fabio Capello, rugby?s James Haskell, football?s David Moyes, cyclist Mark Cavendish, lawyer and Formula 1 leader Max Mosley, football?s Clarke Carlisle, sprinter Dwain Chambers and football?s Roy Hodgson.
Pacquiao will be in elite company when he takes to the stage in Oxford and Cambridge. Among the previous Oxford speakers not involved in sports were Winston Churchill, Robert Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Mother Theresa, Albert Einstein and Margaret Thatcher. Among the previous Cambridge speakers were John Major, Jesse Jackson, Dalai Lama, Theodore Roosevelt, Jawaharlal Nehru, Helmut Kohl and John Howard.
The Cambridge Union was established in 1815 and the Oxford Union in 1823 so the societies have clearly withstood the test of time. ?To be invited to these beacons of higher learning to speak to their students is a tremendous honor,? said Pacquiao. ?I treasure moments like these where I can share my story and my culture as well as exchange ideas with the next generation of leaders.?
Pacquiao has been known not only to unite rival factions in the Philippines but also to bring heads of state together. When Pacquiao wrested the WBA welterweight crown from Lucas Matthysse of Argentina in Kuala Lumpur last July, President Duterte and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahatir Mohammad watched at the Axiata Arena, marking the first time two national leaders attended a boxing event.
Pacquiao was supposed to fly to New York City from the UK to kick off a two-city US press tour to promote his coming fight against Adrien Broner, penciled to take place in Las Vegas on Jan. 19. But arrangements couldn?t be confirmed on time and Pacquiao has decided to return to Manila instead to begin serious training for Broner.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
SPORTS SHORTS 285: AMIR KHAN ACCEPTS OFFER FOR AN EXHIBITION MATCH WITH MANNY PACQUIAO
By Maloney L. Samaco, Mon, 25 Nov 2024FOGOUM, TOSHIHIKO, KIM, RATTAWUT, RUF, CHUTINAN IN ACTION IN HIGHLAND’S EXCITING “SHOWDOWN” NOV 28 AT SPACEPLUS IN BANGKOK, THAILAND
By Carlos Costa, Mon, 25 Nov 2024Gil Robiego Co Elected New APPBRO President for 2025-2027
By Carlos Costa, Mon, 25 Nov 2024Garma wins, climbs to 8th place
By Marlon Bernardino, Mon, 25 Nov 2024Davao futsal scores 1st win
By Lito delos Reyes, Mon, 25 Nov 2024Filipino FIDE Master Mario Mangubat is the new FIDE World Senior 65 over category Rapid Champion
Sun, 24 Nov 2024Thunderdome 48 - Jude Grant vs Fano Kori
Sun, 24 Nov 2024World Boxing backs plan to create a new Confederation in Asia
Sun, 24 Nov 2024The message is clear – Asian Boxing Confederation remains united with the IBA
Sun, 24 Nov 2024OSCAR DE LA HOYA FOUNDATION HOSTS 25TH ANNUAL TURKEY GIVEAWAY FOR EAST LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY
Sun, 24 Nov 2024Life vs. Death: The Ultimate Ringside Showdown Immortalized in Pierce Egan’s Boxiana
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, Sat, 23 Nov 2024SPORTS SHORTS 284: TEAM MARK MAGSAYO CONFIRMS RETURN TO THE RING ON DECEMBER 14
By Maloney L. Samaco, Sat, 23 Nov 2024RJP Boxing promotes in Bucana on Dec. 17
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 23 Nov 2024Good Prospects at Minimumweight, Light Fly, Super Bantam and Super Feather in 2025
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Sat, 23 Nov 2024Filipino International Master Chito Danilo Garma is the new World Senior Blitz champion; Filipino FIDE Master Mario Mangubat takes the bronze medal
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 23 Nov 2024