PACQUIAO IN NEW YORK FOR ?DREAM MATCH? LAUNCH
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 02 Oct 2008
Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao arrived in New York with lawyer Franklin ?Jeng? Gacal, celebrated trainer Freddie Roach and adviser Michael Koncz for today?s kick-off of the ?Dream Match? six city tour beginning with the unprecedented presentation alongside ?The Golden Boy? Oscar De La Hoya at the historic Statute of Liberty.
Pacquiao?s lawyer Franklin ?Jeng? Gacal told www.insidesports.ph. Manila Standard and Viva Sports that Pacquiao didn?t work out yesterday but Roach earlier revealed they had made arrangements for Pacquiao to work out even during the tour stops which will take them to Chicago, San Antonio and Houston, Texas, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Pacquiao and his entourage along with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum checked in at the Le Parker Meridien Hotel at 118 West, 57th Street in New York City . The hotel is located two blocks away from Central Park and one block away to the Fifth Avenue shops.
The official announcement of the ?Dream Match? between Olympic gold medalist and ten-time world champion De La Hoya and WBC lightweight champion and Ring Magazine?s No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter Pacquiao is open to the public.
It will be the first ever press conference at the Statute of Liberty to formally announce the fight where tickets for the MGM Grand on December 6 sold out in hours making the ?Dream Match? the second largest gate in boxing history. The De La Hoya- Floyd Mayweather Jr ?The World Awaits? was No.1. Revenue from tickets amounted to a staggering $17 million.
Atty. Gacal said Pacquiao will also host a ?Meet & Greet? affair at the Sheraton, Newark Airport from 4:00 p.m. ? 6:00 p.m. and at a cost of $25 fans will have a chance to enjoy an exclusive dinner with the four-division world champion who is regarded as the Philippines national treasure.
Special guests will be Lito Camo and lovely young singer Jasmine Villegas. Proceeds from the affair, according to Gacal, will go to the Manny Pacquiao Sports Foundation.
Meantime the premier boxing network HBO announced it will telecast a limited series of four, 30 minute shows beginning on November 16 with highlights of Pacquiao and De La Hoya in training, interviews with the two fighters as well as trainers Roach and Ignacio ?Nacho? Beristain and several other interesting facets of the buildup to the fight.
Top photo: Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao (C) arrives in New York together with PR man Winchell Campos (L) and lawyer Franklin Gacal. Photo by Miguel Salazar.
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