Pinoys give Pacquiao frenzied welcome in Chicago

CHICAGO, Illinois – Nobody can fire up a crowd of Filipinos in Chicago more than boxing champion Manny Pacquiao – not even this city's very own senator and presidential candidate, Barack Obama. On his first visit to the Windy City on Wednesday, May 21, the World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight champion sent his Filipino fans into a frenzy as they welcomed him at a chilly noontime pep rally. Pacquiao is in a multi-city tour to promote his June 28 (June 29 in Manila) fight against another champion, WBC lightweight titleholder David Diaz. He's also in a chase to become the first ever Filipino and Asian to hold four titles in four divisions. "Thank you to all Filipinos, my countrymen," Pacquiao said as his fans of about two hundred interrupted him with roaring cheers. "It's very nice to be here in Chicago. It is my first time to be here and I am surprised of your warm welcome." Earlier, at a news conference, Pacquiao vowed to "give a good fight for the honor of our country, in the name of Jesus Christ." He was making progress with his training which included four sparring partners. Avid fans One of the earliest fans who greeted Pacquiao was pharmacy technician Rey Ramos, originally from Davao City. He wore a specially-designed "Pacman" headgear in honor of his hero. "I had to miss work today in order to see Manny in person, and welcome him to Chicago," Ramos said. "I'm really a huge fan. I'm from Chicago, but every time Manny has a fight, we always go to Las Vegas." Another Chicagoan, Steve Ravino, originally of Roxas City, could not wait for the rally to meet Pacquaio. He sneaked into the restaurant where the press conference was being held and managed to have his photo taken with the boxing sensation from General Santos City. A number of Filipino office workers in the downtown Chicago area also spent their lunch break cheering for Pacquiao. One of the most prominent Pacquiao fans who showed up was North Cotabato Vice Governor Manny Piñol, who was in the US to visit a relative. "I'm proud because Manny has this character of not forgetting the people who were able to help him in the past," Pinol said. "One thing I appreciate about Manny is his ability to remember people who helped him along the way. And this is a virtue that we seldom see today." Piñol said the fight with Diaz it could reveal "a lot of unknowns" about Pacquaio as a fighter. "I would like to see him fight a lefty," he said of Pacquiao, who's also a southpaw. "I'd like to know how Manny would take the body-punching of Diaz." Diaz wants belt back in Chicago Chicago native Diaz was not to be outdone, bringing with him his family including his mother and father and a band of supporters some wearing specialized "Team Diaz" vests and jackets. "It's gonna be an all-out war between Manny and myself," Diaz said. "Manny is a straightforward fighter as I am, we're both going to go at it. But the only thing that's going to happen there is I am going to win the fight. We're going to bring back the belt to Chicago." Though projecting confidence, Diaz was careful not to offend the Filipino community. "Hopefully the Filipino people out there can forgive for that, but I can't allow it [Pacquaio victory]," he said. "We've been in this situation before. This is not a strange territory for me. We've been the underdog, but we've managed to somehow, someway come out with a victory and I don't see why we can't do it on June 28. May the best man win, and I believe that man's is going to be me." Consummate fighter Boxing promoter Bob Arum lavished his praise of Pacquiao as a "consummate fighter" and a "great professional." Last year, Diaz, 31, (34-1-1, 17 KOs), successfully defended his title by defeating another Mexican star Erik Morales, whom Pacquiao also defeated in the past. Pacquiao (46-3-2, 34 KOs) currently holds the WBC super featherweight belt, which he wrested from Juan Manuel Marquez. - Ted Regencia, GMANews.TV