PACQUIAO ATTENDS ?POWER OF LOVE? TRIBUTE TO ALI
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 20 Feb 2012
Muhammad Ali.
Pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao, a crossover star in his own right, was among a host of big-name celebrities, entertainers and former world boxing champions at a super show titled ?Power of Love? in honor of former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali who turned 70 last month.
When the Manila Standard was able to contact Pacquiao?s adviser Michael Koncz at the MGM Grand Garden Arena where the tribute to the fighter who called himself ?The Greatest? he said Pacquiao was already at the event but Ali hadn?t arrived at that time and everybody was waiting for him. That was the last word we had with Koncz.
The gala celebration was being hosted by the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health which will benefit from the event along with the Muhammad Ali Foundation.
Ali who was diagnosed with Parkinson?s disease in 1984 had visited the clinic last November and given his blessings for the staging of the event to Larry Ruvo, chairman of ?Keep Memory Alive.?
Among the celebrities in attendance were Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, Larry King, Slash from the popular group Guns N? Roses, John Legend, Siegfried and Roy and many others.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who helped promote the famous ?Thrilla in Manila? along with legendary promoter Don King on October 1, 1975 when Ali scored a 14th round TKO over Joe Frazier had been asked to invite some of the greatest fighters of all?time.
Aside from Pacquiao the others who showed up included Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy ?The Hitman? Hearns, Mike Tyson, Earnie Shavers, Chuck Wepner and Leon Spinks.
Several items were auctioned off at the gala event including the gloves Ali wore when he battered Floyd Patterson in 1965.
Arum praised Ali as someone who was ?A man of principle who was willing to risk everything for what he believed in.?
Gene Kilroy who was Ali?s business manager and whom we got to know quite well while serving as liaison officer for Ali during the ?Thrilla in Manila ? was quoted by Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review Journal as saying Ali ?Has always been a man of his convictions. The man you see today is the same man you saw in 1960 when he won the Olympics.?
Pacquiao and his charming wife Jinkee sat at a table with former heavyweight champion George Foreman and Samuel Johnson as well as promoter Bob Arum and wife Lovee
Pacquiao?s adviser Michael Koncz said ?it was heartwarming to see people gravitating towards Manny to talk to him and to take pictures. Pacquiao has the same aura that Ali had.?
Koncz said it was a ?tremendous affair? but that while they spent some time at the event they had to leave before Ali arrived since they had to catch a plane to Los Angeles.
However, before he left Pacquiao bought a photograph of Ali and signed it with a message and gave it to Arum?s step daughter to give it to Ali.
Koncz said Pacquiao referred to Ali as ?one of the greatest boxers of all-time and one of the greatest human beings.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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