Manny Pacquiao trains with Coach Freddie Roach inside the Wildcard Gym in General Santos City. BONG LOZADA
GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines—For a man who has hands on two of the biggest sports in the world, Tony Fernandes knows more than a thing or two on the all-important boxing match on November 23.
Fernandes, the owner of Air Asia, said that eight-division World Champion Manny Pacquiao is one of the all-time greats when it comes to boxing.
Air Asia is the main sponsor of premier league club Queen’s Park Rangers and the Association of Southeast Asian Nation Basketball League (ABL).
“Manny is up there with the greats,” Fernandes said Wednesday at the Wildcard Gym in General Santos City. “Manny, he’s big.”
In complete awe of Pacquiao’s skills, Fernandes said that an “exciting fight” is guaranteed between Pacquiao and the undefeated Chris Algieri.
“Just watching from here, I know that this would be an exciting fight.”
Fernandes visited Pacquaio during his training in preparation for his fight against Chris Algieri in Macau.
Complete with an entourage of pilots, flight attendants and non-flight personnel, Fernandes was in town to announce that Pacquiao would be the ambassador of Air Asia.
As ambassador of the airline company, Pacquiao would have his picture painted on the fuselage of all Air Asia planes with the red, white and blue Philippine tricolor as the color theme.
During a lull during his training, Pacquiao exchanged tokens, and a man-hug, with Fernandes who would watch a Pacquiao fight live for the first time on November 23.
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