Pacquiao pledges each for triumphant Knights
Overwhelmed with pride and joy, boxing star Manny Pacquiao promised each member of the triumphant 20-member Letran Knights a whopping 100,000 for ending San Beda’s stranglehold of the NCAA basketball wars.
Refusing to be credited for the Knights’ phenomenal Game Three conquest of the Red Lions last night, Pacquiao pointed to his religious beliefs as the reason behind the momentous event that took place at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“That’s a blessing from above,” Pacquiao told the Bulletin as he was being escorted back to his Forbes Park residence for a round of meetings.
Pacquiao’s presence during the title series was telling.
He was present when Letran took the opener and was noticeably absent in the next game when San Beda roared back to life to force Game Three, a match that will go down in history as an epic.
“Hindi naman,” said Pacquiao when told that whatever he lays his hands on turns into gold.
Aside from the players, also get- ting their hefty cash reward from Pacquiao, the team's manager, are the coaches as well.
“More than 20 sila so, over 2 million ang ibibigay ko sa kanila,” said Pacquiao, who got the biggest cheers when he was shown on the giant screen just before the opening tip-off.
Pacquiao was overjoyed and also looked forlorn and bothered when San Beda staged a chilling comeback, appearing as though he was up in the ring battling the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto.
But when the dust finally settled, Pacquiao assumed the familiar pose that he took in the ring: his arms raised high and his face a picture of happiness.
Meanwhile, Amir Khan insists he is not overshadowed by the sudden emergence of Terence Crawford as a potential opponent for Pacquiao, telling BBC Sport that he remains as the leading candidate to land a megabuck matchup with the Filipino star.
Pacquiao is penciled to return to the ring on April 9 in Las Vegas and Crawford’s name was mentioned the most the past few days especially after his masterful showing against Dierry Jean of Canada.