PACQUIAO ARRIVES AT THE BIG APPLE, LET THE SHOW BEGIN!

By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com



Los Angeles, CA:- Word got to us that Manny Pacquiao and his entourage landed safely in New York, a little after 6 PM EST (Tuesday). Pacquiao and his group flew via a Continental Airlines commercial flight from LAX.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, Pacquiao and the Golden Boy, Oscar de la Hoya, together with their respective camps and representatives from Top Rank headed by Bob Arum and Richard Schaefer of the Golden Boy Promotions will meet the press under a specially built event tent set at the famed Liberty Island in New York to begin hyping what could be the “biggest fight” in these modern times.

The Pacquiao entourage is composed of trainers Freddie Roach and Buboy Fernandez, legal adviser Franklin 'Jeng' Gacal, PR man non-pareil Winchell Campos, Joe Ramos, videographer Levi Gutierrez and the team’s new dashing photographer, Miguel Salazar.

This initial Pacquiao-de la Hoya press tour is precedent setting. It will be the very first time ever that a formal press conference announcing a boxing event will be held at the historic Liberty Island, the symbol of US hospitality for new immigrants to this country.

Given the security conscious US Homeland Security which also oversee and protect the Liberty Island by way of the National Park Services, the press conference will also be the most secured.

Pacquiao, the WBC Lightweight title holder will meet Oscar de la Hoya at an agreed weight on no more than 147 lbs. at the MGM Events Center at Las Vegas on December 6th. The fight has generated a great debate owing to the vast “difference in size, natural fighting weight, height and reach” between Pacquiao and de la Hoya.

From New York, the same group of people will move on to Chicago, Houston, San Antonio, San Francisco and finally at the Whittier area in East Los Angeles, the Golden Boy’s old stomping grounds. The tour is aimed to add more interest to the already much-hyped and sold-out ($17million live gate) December 6th event, and further bump up the expected record breaking PPV buys from fans across the country and places beyond.

PS: For whatever it is worth, when we got the word from our sources about Pacquiao’s safe arrival in New York, we were just getting into a concert featuring Arnel Pineda and Journey Band at the Greek Theater in Hollywood. It was so heart warming to see another ultra successful and talented Pinoy in person.

Top photo: Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao (R) and Filipina-Mexican-American singer Jasmine Villegas are in New York for tomorrow's opening salvo of the 6-city De La Hoya-Pacquiao promotional tour which opens at the Statue of Liberty in New York. Photo by Miguel Salazar.