LOS ANGELES MAYOR HONORS PACQUIAO
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 08 Mar 2009
Historic Filipino Town, Los Angeles, CA:- Today (Saturday LA time) recently re-elected Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took time out from his busy schedule and honored boxing?s No. 1 pound for pound gladiator and 2008 Fighter of the Year, Manny ? Pacman? Pacquiao.
To make the event more meaningful for the huge Los Angeles Filipino community, Villariagosa saw it fit to hold the event at the hub of the Filipino community, the Historic Filipino Town just a few miles west of downtown Los Angeles along Temple Street. The community incidentally was having the ?Day of Service? festivities meant to improve the community by planting trees and cleaning up the surrounding areas.
As expected, Pacquiao drew a huge crowd estimated by some pundits to be around a thousand people.
Although the actual venue is not meant to hold that many people, it was amazing to note that although the crowd was rowdy and loud, there was no untoward incident. Indeed, a tribute to the discipline of the Pacquiao crowd and the expertise of LA?s Finest (LAPD) in crowd control.
Pacquiao received the usual accolades from the City Hall including a commemorative plaque signed by the Mayor himself declaring him as ?The People?s Champion.?
Although the crowd was predominantly Filipino, many Latinos particularly those who live and worked in the area were there as well. And so were the ?who is who? in the Filipino community.
Pacquiao came minus his famed trainer, Freddie Roach who was so preoccupied at the Wildcard Gym. Instead, Roach? new training assistant Michael Moorer accompanied Pacquiao. Of course, the Team Pacquiao entourage was there as well.
Photos: Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the Historic Filipino Town along Temple Street in Los Angeles Saturday in front of a huge crowd. Photos by Miguel Salazar / MP Promotions.
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