PACQUIAO, BONGBONG MARCOS STEAL THE SHOW AT ELORDE ANNUAL AWARDS
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 27 Mar 2010
Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, crowned ?Fighter of the Decade? at the 10th Gabriel ?Flash? Elorde Annual Awards and Congressman Ferdinand "Bongbong? Marcos stole the show in a glittering evening that celebrated the 75 birth anniversary of one of the greatest Filipino champions and a Hall-of-Famer and paid tribute to the world, regional and national champions that have made the Filipino people proud by their achievements.
The moment Pacquiao and his lovely wife Jinkee entered the Harbout Tent of the Sofitel Hotel by Manila Bay with their usual entourage, guests virtually forgot the proceedings and scrambled around Pacquiao to have him sign scores of autographs and to pose for souvenir photos.
Pacquiao who was the guest speaker didn?t turn down a single request from the throngs of admirers and even sat on the TV panel for a short while to thank the Filipino people for their unwavering support as well as their prayers.
His theme was that with great success comes even greater responsibility and he plans to live up to his responsibilities even as he committed himself to support the many Filipino boxers in search of international titles and a chance to bring pride and joy to their countrymen.
Badgered by reporters about his plans for the future Pacquiao made it clear that he is considering the request of his mother Dionisia for him to retire even as he made it clear he doesn?t wish to retire a loser.
At the same time Pacquiao said he has no problem in separating his political ambitions from his boxing career which somehow seemed to provide a hint that he may remain for possibly one last hurrah against Floyd Mayweather Jr provided Mayweather overcomes Shane Mosley on May 1.
The young Marcos, son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos hiimself an amateur boxer and a staunch supporter of boxing, was seated with his charming wife Liza next to Ms. Laura Elorde, patriarch of the Elorde clan and was also a center of attention alongside Pacquiao.
Marcos who is seeking a Senate seat under the Nacionalista Party banner of presidential cabdidate Sen. Manny Villar who has been strongly endorsed by Pacquiao who has also endorsed Villar?s running mate Sen.Loren Legarda, pointed to Gorres as the best example of the need for more security for our athletes and their families saying Gorres carried our nation?s hopes every time he stepped into the ring ?but now he can?t even carry himself.?
In a touching moment during the awards ceremony former world-rated super flyweight Z ?The Dream? Gorres was wheeled to the foot of the stage by his wide Datches and received received a standing ovation from the packed venue before being handed a P50,000 contribution by Pacquiao?s Filipino trainer and longtime friend Restituto ?Buboy? F ernandez for his medical expenses and an undisclosed amount by Pacquiao himself which were both handed over to a visibly touched Gorres by Ms. Elorde.
A 17 minute documentary on the late ?Flash? Elorde which included never before seen footage of his fights against Suh Kang Il and Frankie Narvaez at Madison Square Garden and his 14th round KO at the hands of lightweight champion Carlos Ortiz provided a glimpse of a DVD being produced by Viva Sports on the life of Elorde.
A shorter six minute highlight reel on Pacquiao, the fighter and the compassionate and caring human being drew smiles and words of gratitude from both Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee who thanked Viva Sports which covered the Annual Awards for telecast next week.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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