Manny Page #2

...that he will never forget.

MANNY:
One Sunday, he registered me

for the boxing match at the park.

Thank God I won the fight.

I made 100 pesos

which is about $2.

I keep on fighting and

I was always winning.

There was a tournament,

the Mindanao Open.

For one week, I fought every day.

I won on Monday,

then came Tuesday, I won again.

Then on Wednesday,

I fought for the bronze medal.

Thursday, I won for the silver,

then on Saturday,

I won the gold medal.

NARRATOR:
Manny couldn't fight for $2

purses the rest of his life.

He had to leave his family

to help them.

At age 1 3, he stowed away on

a three day long boat ride to Manila.

He had no money and no food.

[DlONESlA SPEAKlNG FlLlPlNO]

lt was Manny and l...

The two of us looked for ways

to get out of poverty.

l was really surprised

l received a letter saying,

"l'm already in Manila mom."

l cried.

But Manny said, "lf l asked for

permission to go to Manila

you will never permit it."

"l'm sorry mom but

l'm earning a living here...

...so we can get out of our poverty."

"My perseverance isn't just for me...

...this is for all of us."

l asked, are you boxing

there in Manila?

"Oh, we're here in Malabon mom...

...we live here at the gym."

MANNY:
I didn't have any relatives

to live with in Manila.

So I slept in the ring at night.

I wanted to become

a professional boxer.

So, I went to sign up

for a boxing license.

They told me that the required age

is 1 8 but I was only 1 6.

So, I lied and told them

I was 1 8 years old.

At that time, I weighed 98 pounds

which was 10 pounds

under the minimum weight.

So, in order to make weight,

I put heavy objects in my pockets

to make me heavier.

COMMENTATOR:
Pacquiao, very impressive

young fighter.

RONNlE:
At the beginning,

he had no finesse.

He threw punches from way out,

from the left and from the right.

He'd just go...

He'd just go forward,

attacking without any rhyme

or reason, or style, or finesse.

COMMENTATOR 1 :
Pacquiao

with a good combination.

A little bit of trouble there.

And look at Manny Pacquiao

trying to psych out Armando Rocil.

RONNIE:
But in any case, Manny had

a passion for boxing.

He saw it as a way of improving

the quality of life for his family.

NARRATOR 1:
Pacquiao nails him with

a long looping right.

And another left.

They're really slamming it out

but Rocil is getting

a bad beating from Pacquiao here.

The crowd is roaring on its feet.

COMMENTATOR 2:
Rocil is slowly

getting up, no...

He has been counted out.

RONNlE:
His opponents were,

very often, much bigger.

They looked much bigger than him.

Every time he entered the ring,

then I get scared.

"Can he do this?

Can he handle this guy?"

And, he did.

Amazingly, he did.

ANNOUNCER:
Manny Pacquiao.

Threw his body with a right

and hurt him.

COMMENTATOR:
And that's why

Pacquiao is leaning against the ropes.

Pacquiao on the defensive.

[EXCLAlMlNG EXClTEDLY] Beautiful...

ANNOUNCER:
Manny Pacquiao...

COMMENTATOR 1 :
All out aggression

coming here from

the 19-year-old boy...

COMMENTATOR 2:
Good move

by Manny Pacquiao...

He's looking for a coup de grce.

[COMMENTATORS CHATTERlNG lNDlSTlNCTLY]

[CROWD CHEERlNG]

Holy cow, that's it! That's it!

[COMMENTATORS SHOUTlNG]

COMMENTATOR:
Pacquiao

is the World Champion!

The jubilant cheers

of the Filipino crowd.

ANNOUNCER:
The new OPBF Champion!

[MANNY SPEAKlNG FlLlPlNO]

I want to greet my fellow men

in General Santos City.

I wish you all well.

I know that you miss me.

I already won here.

l thank you for your support

and your prayers.

Because of you, l won by knockout.

Thanks to all of you who supported me.

Especially, my mom and

my girlfriend, Jinkee Jamora.

My mom, my dad, my siblings,

all my loved ones.

To all my fans,

please don't lose hope.

[JlNKEE SPEAKlNG FlLlPlNO]

I was pregnant during his fight

in Antipolo.

That was my first experience

to see him fight.

[COMMENTATORS CHATTERlNG]

[JlNKEE SPEAKlNG FlLlPlNO]

They wanted me to leave because...

...I was 6 months pregnant.

At first, my uncle asked,

"How can a boxer be capable

of supporting you?"

But l thought it through carefully and

prayed to God

that he's really the one for me.

After we got married, l went

to practice with him every day.

COMMENTATOR:
Good combination there by

Manny Pacquiao and a left...

He's down!

...by Manny Pacquiao!

[CROWD CHEERlNG]

NARRATOR:
Manny had

run out of opponents.

He and his team headed

to the United States

seeking new opposition

and opportunity.

Manny's manager Rod Nazario

looked for a trainer.

Their last stop was in Los Angeles,

at the Wildcard Boxing Club,

where they met trainer, Freddie Roach.

FREDDlE:
I always said, "You never

know when the next

Muhammad Ali is going to walk

through your door."

You never know.

And then, one day,

this little Filipino kid

at 1 22 pounds

and he comes up and he can

barely speak English,

his manager, Mr. Nazario says,

"We hear you're pretty good with

the mitts." l said, "l'm okay."

And he says, "This is Manny Pacquiao.

Will you work with him?"

I said, "Sure."

After one round,

we clicked like we knew each other

our whole lives.

We didn't miss a punch.

I went over to my corner and I said,

"Wow, can this kid fight."

He went to Mr. Nazario and said,

"We have a new trainer."

[EXCLAlMlNG LOUDLY]

GARETH:
Freddie Roach follows

the line of the great trainers.

There's almost like the great art

has passed down from

master to pupil.

GARY:
They are a dynamic duo,

the team.

You look at great fighters

of the past,

they often had trainers

that they trusted.

And you see it here

with Manny and Freddie.

[GRUNTlNG]

MARK:
I always felt like he was one of

the smartest boxing guys ever.

And when you're a fan of the sport

you pay attention

to who the guys are

behind the scenes, who have...

You know, taken fighters with a lot

of potential to that ultimate level.

He's the best at bringing it

out of fighters.

LARRY:
Freddie Roach given the arc of

his career as a fighter turned trainer

and Manny Pacquiao as a fighter

who wanted to be as good

as he could be,

giving himself over to a top trainer,

who had learned under,

a kind of Zen master trainer,

Eddie Futch.

FREDDlE:
Eddie managed me

up till the point when

he wanted me to retire.

I was 26 years old.

I thought I could still obtain

the chance to win a world title.

So, l fought those last six fights

without management.

I should've listened to Eddie

but I didn't.

And then, you know, maybe my life

would be completely different now.

Maybe l wouldn't have Parkinson's.

Maybe l wouldn't have

trauma problems from being hit.

And, but, the thing is,

it was my choice,

and other than that,

I just live life to its fullest.

And a full life for me is

1 2 hours a day at the Wildcard.

JOAQUlN:
When Manny started

to train seriously

he had no fight lined up.

The lBF Super Bantamweight Champion

Lehlo Ledwaba of South Africa,

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