Beckham roots for Pacquiao

David Beckham AP FILE PHOTO

MACAU—Asian boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao will not only have the support of a Filipino-packed crowd when he fights Brandon Rios on Sunday, but also a phalanx of celebrity cheerleaders, led by David Beckham.

The former England football captain will be joined at the Macau ringside by a number of celebrity guests for the fight, including Oscar-winning actor and director George Clooney, Sands China CEO Ed Tracy confirmed.

Reality TV star Paris Hilton, Daniel Wu and Eddie Peng will also be at ringside, while American rap superstar 50 Cent is also strongly rumored to be flying in to see “Pacman’s” comeback fight.

Singing star Alicia Keys, who has been performing concerts at The Venetian Resort where the bout will take place, is also expected to attend.

Beckham jetted in to the southern Chinese city on Friday and immediately declared himself to be a “huge fan” of eight-weight world champion Pacquiao.

Beckham arrived to announce a commercial partnership with the resort’s owners, Sands Las Vegas, but then let slip the real reason why he had decided to travel to the semi-autonomous Chinese region this weekend.

“[Pacquiao] is obviously one of the reasons why I’m here and why I’m really excited,” said the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star at a press conference.

“I’m a huge fan of Manny’s. I met him a couple of years ago in the Philippines, when I was on tour there with the LA Galaxy and also there with Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund),” he said.

“He really is a truly inspirational person,” Beckham said.