Former senator and boxing icon Manny Pacquiao on Thursday paid a courtesy call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and presented him with a World Boxing Council (WBC) belt and a pair of boxing gloves, while also seeking government support for the 50th anniversary celebration of the “Thrilla in Manila.”
Pacquiao said the commemoration will feature a world championship boxing card on Oct. 29 in Manila, coinciding with the golden anniversary of the 1975 heavyweight clash between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, widely considered one of the greatest fights in boxing history.
“We asked his support and that of government agencies to celebrate this 50th anniversary,” Pacquiao told reporters. “The President was happy and he gave his all-out support,” he added.
Pacquiao confirmed that Mr. Marcos has accepted an invitation to attend the October event, which he described as a symbolic “Thrilla in Manila Part 2.”
The former eight-division world champion recalled that Marcos shared stories about witnessing Muhammad Ali train during his visit to the Philippines in the 1970s.
The President even tried some shadow boxing while recounting how Ali once demonstrated his speed and punches up close.
The 1975 bout, held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, was the third and final meeting between Ali and Frazier.
The fight ended after the 14th round when Frazier’s trainer stopped the contest, cementing Ali’s legacy as the world heavyweight champion.
Pacquiao said the October commemoration aims not only to honor the historic match but also to showcase the Philippines once again as a host of world-class boxing events.
